There are many double standards between men and women that we have yet to break through. This is most prominent in the realm of love, romance, and sex. A woman who hits on or "picks up" a man is forward but when a man does it he's a player. A man who sleeps around is a stud but a woman who does is typed as a slut. There are certainly segments of society that have broken through and disregard these stereotypes, but the overwhelming majority are still clinging to societal traditions.
Another area where this double standard is apparent is in porn. Men watching porn is almost a given and only the extreme conservatives make a fuss out of it. Women, on the other hand, are commonly thought to have no interest in porn. The worst indicator of this is the "Porn for Women" book series. I give this entire line of books 2 thumbs down.
The idea that women are turned on sexually by images of men vacuuming, doing dishes, and changing diapers is a huge step affront to women everywhere. True, many women in long term relationships may like to see their partner doing those things, but that's not the point of porn. Porn is meant to be sexually arousing and unless you've got a fetish for it diaper duty is not it.
Women should be free to watch porn to their hearts content. Soft core, hard core, whatever their personal pleasure. Ladies, if men can do it, so can you.
Everybody (by that I mean consenting adults) should be able to enjoy porn, regardless of gender. So we are in agreement on that.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many people who buy those "Porn for Women" books actually buy it for the "porn" aspect. I mean hell, if it's the book series I'm thinking of, it was not even sold in a porn shop when I saw it, but a national chain of stores (where you can buy clothing,food,etc). I suspect they're more novelty then anything really pornish.
Although one can not dismiss the fact that somebody, somewhere decided to market such a book. I don't really have any issues with the book, I don't find it interesting, but then again I don't have a fetish for buying novelty books of men with vacuum cleaners, so I guess I'm in the wrong demo for it.
It seems to be there are issues about people watching porn for both genders. Is there a stigma on women watching porn, I don't know, I'll take your word that there is, I'm not a women and am fairly open minded so I guess I've never had any issue with a chick watching porn.
Men do have a stigma about porn, that comes in the form of being in a relationship. I've seen tv shows where the man is supposedly not supposed to have a porn collection if he is in a relationship, the chick in these situations usually disapproves of it.
I think both genders (no matter what you are or identify as) need to accept porn as a healthy thing that can be enjoyed.
/end of rambling reply lol
-Ler
I suppose I should really take more time in writing my articles because I missed one important aspect of my post. I don't believe that people actually believe it to be porn. I was more affronted that the author would even masquerade it under the name of porn. A title like "Honey I Love You" or "A Wife's Thank You" would be a lot more appropriate, even for a gag book.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I disagree with you about the stigma on porn being equal. Yes, there are many women who look down on and even get angry with their man watching porn, but the stigma is still much less for men. For example, if porn is generally considered "bad" you should remember that it is more acceptable for a man to be "bad" than a woman. Women are expected to be kind and clean and good so when they do something outside of that mold it is much more shameful than when a man does.
Also, if you want proof, look at the types and prominence of porn. Most porn is geared towards men because men are the primary consumers. Part of that, I'm sure, is that men tend to be more sexually stimulated by porn, but the cultural element should not be downgraded.
I would not say the stigma towards men is equal, but it is there. I do agree it seems to be more culturally accepted for men to view porn then it is for women.
DeleteI suspect, and I'm sure you suspect to that they (either the author or the publisher) just put the "porn" word in there so it would sell more. If you think about it "porn for women" sounds more sellable then "Honey I Love You" or "A Wife's Thank You".
-Ler