The Issue of Pornography and Sexuality - Essay Example

Extreme feminists see pornography as a kind of violence of men against women and believe that pornography is indicative of the patriarchal society in which a man is a dominant and controlling woman. Feminists also regard pornography as furnishing support and encouragement to the heteronormative ideology which is a form of social order in which women are merely considered to be objects that exist to provide men sexual pleasure and gratification.

On the other hand, there are those liberal feminists who support the role of pornography in modern society. They believe that pornography is supposed to give rise to sexual liberation and allows women to openly show their sexual desires and wants in modern society by emphasizing the importance of sexually active women. These liberal feminists also affirm strongly that any type of censorship against pornography would be prejudicial to the rights of women who have been traditionally discriminated against by men.

There is a wide range of definitions of pornography and many are disputed by these groups. However, for this essay, the definition by Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary is taken as, “the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). The above-mentioned definition is wider and encompasses various forms of erotic material, but it’s important to learn and discuss the most prevalent and striking forms of pornography within modern society, whether it be erotic literature, internet porn videos, pictures, or any other media.

While pornography offers both genders equal opportunities to express their sexual needs, the basic thinking about how men and women experience sex differently is brushed aside. Besides only a little or no attention is given to the influential and authoritative role played by men in large porn industries, which is against equal rights for men and women rule. In recent years there has been a great development in the size and scale of the porn industry through internet websites, magazines, books, and newspapers.

Pornographic material and erotic literature are gradually being accepted in various parts of the world and many cultures such as that of the United Kingdom, and European countries, and the United States have accepted it as an integral part of their culture. Thousands of adult movies and videos are uploaded daily on adult websites which can be easily accessed by anyone with an internet connection and a web browser client. According to a 2006 research, in only the United States, around 13000 pornographic movies are released every year, and annual global profit from these title amount to somewhat 96 billion dollars (Dines, 2010).

And these figures multiply with each passing year. The use of porn for sexual gratification has become increasingly common among young males and females. Another study concentrated on persons from 14 to 18 years of age found that about 99% of young men and 86% of women have at some point in their lives used pornographic material (Sorensen and Knudsen, 2006). Along with pornography, other elements of the sex industry have also rapidly grown in recent years such as strip clubs, prostitution, etc.