The exploitation of women in pornography has existed in cultures across the globe, including the United States of America, for centuries. Although this lewd business did not begin with a camera lens and the cliche lovemaking music portrayed in earlier pornographic films, women participated in licentious acts of behavior for capital gain. However, in the early to mid twentieth century the civil right movements for women were changing the face of American history. The America we once knew was going through a reform for civil liberties for women. During these changes, the normative structures were reaching new standards as more women entered the workplace. Gradually over time, women were fulfilling jobs and titles that had been occupied by white men for several years such as CEO executives, police officers, lawyers, and pornography stars.
Pornography has allowed women to work in a "safe"� environment, practice safe sex and explore sexual curiosity, and to obtain a paying job. Patriarchal ideologies have forbidden women to enter sexual relations with other men outside of the family and have subjected women to forced sexual acts. Also, even when women entered low-paying jobs of prostitution, call girl�, or as a Harlot, they were stereotyped into a group of "unclean"�, poverty-ridden people. However, the norms in American society have changed drastically. The media is now flourished with sexual innuendos and risque advertising. The exposure to sex is so frequent that the culture of pornography is becoming less of a deviant industry. Like many businesses, women who work in pornography are not subjected to harassment and are medically tested to ensure safety and wellness. The pornographic business ensures equal opportunity for women, minorities, and other people regardless of sexual orientation. Finally, a woman is now allowed to do whatever she wants with herself without being treated as property by men. Many feminist ideologists support pornography because it gives women an opportunity to practice their fundamental liberty: individual freedom.
Pornography, according to the dictionary, is "sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal�." Most people will disagree that pornography serves a purpose in American society. Conversely, pornography serves a latent function that most people cannot see. As mentioned before, the patriarchal ideology is embedded with the practice of subjecting women to lesser roles and even roles of sexual exploitation. A large majority of the male crowd is continuing to be raised on these principles, making themselves the dominant group in this gender. During the last stage of social roles (creating a new identity), people make a transition from a past identity to a completely new identity. In the textbook, a sociologist by the name of Ira Silver conducted a study on the influence of material possessions when changing one's social role. Part of this process is to bring in new materials and to make that person identify them self with these materials because they want to be perceived by those material objects. From the dominant ideology of male behavior, it is safe to say that portraying women in small bikinis, sexual poses, and watching (multiple) women in pornography is part of identifying a man and creating a large group of men who identify each other as "manly" men� or men who keep their masculinity intact. Thus, pornography is the empire that serves to fulfill an identity for men, increase the gender bonding in the male group, and satisfy sexual tension from the exposure of these objects.
With specific groups of people who thrive on gratification comes the manifest function of the pornographic industry. Groups of both males and females (gender separated and combined) do exist and are a part of our society. Believe it or not, 28% of the estimated 40 million people who visit Internet pornography websites are composed of women, making up more than a quarter of the audience. These groups of people that specify themselves with sexually-based interests will benefit the pornographic industry. At the same time, the pornographic industry benefits from these groups. Pornographic actors and actresses contribute their "services"� by exposing themselves in bawdy acts and the groups that utilize this service will become consumers for the industry. As the audience increases, the need for more people in the industry will increase as well. This proves to be beneficial for women with a slight increase in the size of the job market. Even though pornography is made to cause sexual arousal, it also helps with relieving sexual tension in men and women.
From a feminist perspective, a woman has the right to her own body and not to be anothers property. In the patriarchal ideology, a man owned a woman as property and the woman was subservient to the husband. Women during these times were not considered as human beings but as property. With patriarchy, the social status of women was beneath that of men, which augmented the stigma to women should they participate in a lewd profession. Over time, the idea of patriarchy in American subsided and women were becoming more independent. With this independence came a great calling of relishing in a woman's freedom by being able to do with her body whatever she wanted to. Women who choose to enter pornography are not oppressed because they are subjecting themselves to sexual activity with numerous men. Rather, they are practicing a civil liberty that the male gender has revoked from them. The stereotypes against women in pornography are rooted from the patriarchal ideology that existed when American was founded. If men participated in overt sexual acts during patriarchal times, why were they not oppressed? If men are participating in pornography, why are they not being stereotyped? Believe it or not, women do have stereotypes for men who partake in frequent sexual behavior. But is it oppression? No. Women are exploring their individual rights as humans to do whatever they want to with their bodies just as men are.
Pornography contributes to the needs of various social groups in American society, strengthens the liberty of women, crushes the foundation of the oppressive patriarchal ideology that abolishes a woman's fundamental rights, and increases the job market for women in the work force. The career of pornography is a shining example of the feminist argument that a woman's contributions and experiences in society are as visible as those of men. Furthermore, without the profession of pornography, there would be no radical deviation from the conservative ideology of patriarchy. Women are not being oppressed in pornography, but are benefiting from the freedom of choosing to do what they want with their bodies and serving a purpose that benefits the American culture.
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References (I only used one and its Dictionary.com)