Pleasure, pain and pornography: A gendered analysis of the influence of contemporary pornography on the lives of New Zealand emerging adults

Abstract

<p>Historically, concerns have been raised about violence in pornography and the influence that such portrayals may have on levels of violence against women and children. Today, pornography is pervasively available on the internet and viewed by both men and women in ever-increasing numbers. In New Zealand, violence against women and children remains at alarmingly high levels, and concerns about pornography’s influence on gendered violence are a common refrain. Research remains inconclusive about the impacts of pornography on viewers’ sexual scripts, behaviours and attitudes, yet the voices of those most affected by pornography – viewers and their partners – are often omitted from pornography studies. Few New Zealand studies employ a gendered analysis of men’s and women’s experiences with pornography. To provide research specific to New Zealand about these experiences, this thesis explores the reported influences of mainstream pornography on the lives of a self-selecting sample of (primarily) heterosexual New Zealanders between the ages of 18 and 30. It adopts a uniquely gendered analysis and critically interrogates both men’s and women’s experiences with pornography in the digital age. The findings of this research suggest that pornography research necessitates a gendered appraisal both in terms of how pornography is experienced individually, but also within intimate relationships. For instance, whilst both men and women suggested that mainstream pornography was often aggressive, demeaning and degrading, the way that aggression was perceived and understood differed between the genders. Some women spoke of ‘rough sex’ having some sexual appeal, however, they also felt conflicted about feeling aroused by pornography in which actresses appeared potentially in pain or distress. Conversely, several men spoke of aggression in pornography as commonplace but something they might avoid rather than denounce, leaving the door open for other men to engage with as a matter of individual ‘choice’. Further, men’s worries about pornography concerned their compulsive need to use it, which differs substantially from women’s concerns. This research also suggests that gender is a critical factor in considering pornography’s impact in intimate relationships, particularly regarding pornography addiction and the perceived influence of pornography on partners’ behaviours and sexual scripts. These findings are a testament to the gendered way that pornography is experienced, understood and interpreted in the digital age. Overall, this thesis provides a platform for future research into pornography in New Zealand. It provides a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of how online pornography affects the lives of every day New Zealanders, and highlights the need for more critical, gendered analyses within this space. Further, the findings also indicate the importance of providing young people with the media literacy skills needed to appraise how mainstream pornography reinforces stereotypical gendered representations of men, women, and heterosexual sex.</p>

Resources for Hope: Rediscovering the Post-Capitalist Horizon

“…As a constellation, these moments and shifts suggest a contemporary amorous culture that views sex, not as a social relation, something engaged in between people for the sake of pleasure and fun, intimacy and connection, but rather as an object to be consumed (Angel 2021, 110), one that can be obtained via screen, virtually (as with porn) or physically (as with dating apps), or that one is entitled to (in the case of sexual harassment and assault) and can be robbed of (in the case of incels). While 63 Although the digital age has seen significant, qualitative shifts in the production and consumption of pornography, such shifts, and importantly their social implications-how the ubiquity of porn, for example, might be shaping contemporary sexuality-have received remarkably scarce (empirical or theoretical) scholarly treatment, while what little research that has emerged is marked by contradiction and, frequently, (anti-porn) preconceptions (see Keene 2019). This gap might start to fill as digital natives age in to research positions, but in the meantime see, especially, recent insightful research by the New Zealand Classifications Office on young people's experiences of, and thoughtful reflections on, growing up in the age of online porn (Classification Office 2020; Office of Film and Literature Classification 2018, 2019); for a more gestural theoretical treatment, see Srinivasan (2021); and for an insightful investigation of how, through the proliferation of free tube sites, the digital age has transformed the profit and production model of pornography, see also Patricia Nillson and Alex Barker, 'Hot Money: Porn, power, and profit' (podcast), Financial Times, July 30 2022, https://www.ft.com/content/762e4648-06d7-4abd-8d1e-ccefb74b3244.…”

Death By A Thousand Cuts: Gender Microaggressions and Gendered Violence in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…The proliferation of pornography is best cast as a reinforcer of existing patterns of objectification in which male dominance and entitlement are assured within a patriarchal society (Jordan, 2022a;Keene, 2019a). It is an extreme example of a normal phenomenon within various media forms (Beaumont et al, 2022;Jordan, 2022a).…”