The Playboy

Opponents and proponents of erotic representations (referred to hereafter as "pornography") have described the effects of pornography from their perspective. Little, however, has been done in the way of research to investigate these claims from the consumer's point of view. This especially has been so regarding the positive impact of such consumption on a person's sex life. Using a study group of 245 college students, we examined this question in a framework of scripting theory. We wanted to see whether viewing pornography appeared to expand sexual horizons through normalization and facilitate a willingness to explore new sexual behaviors and sexual relationships through empowerment. The data supported this viewpoint and further showed the effects to be mediated by gender and sexual preference identity. They suggested, however, that established scripts were extended rather than abandoned. We conclude with connections between our findings and the widespread viewing of pornography in contemporary society.

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Pornography, Normalization, and Empowerment

Weinberg

et al. 2010

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Vulnerable but Aloof Versus Naughty and Nice: Contrasting the Presentation of Male and Female Nude Models inVivaandPlayboy

Beggan

Vencill

Garos

2013

The Journal of Sex Research

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The current research examined contested meanings of nudity by comparing images of nude men and women that appeared in Viva, a 1970s women's magazine founded with the intention of foregrounding male nudity, to corresponding issues of Playboy. A major difference was obtained between male models and Playboy Playmates regarding direction of gaze and nudity. Although gaze aversion is often interpreted as a sign of submission and direct gaze is seen as a dominance cue, men in Viva displayed a high level of gaze aversion and women in Playboy often gazed directly at the camera, especially when their pubic area was exposed. Additional content analysis examined the personality characteristics attributed to male models in Viva and Playmates in Playboy in their biographical sketches. In Viva, men were presented as possessing "bad boy" traits that may have been intended to compensate for the loss of power associated with male nudity. Playmates could be viewed as being naughty (by virtue of posing nude) and nice in the characterization of their personalities.

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Reflexivity in the Pornographic Films of Candida Royalle

Beggan

Allison

2003

Sexualities

Self Cite

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Both conventional wisdom and prior scholarship indicate that women typically find pornography less appealing than men. Recently, researchers have suggested that the sexually explicit films of Candida Royalle represent a new form of pornography that is more attractive to women. We examined the films of Candida Royalle in terms of reflexivity, a film technique that draws attention to film conventions and the filmmaking process within the context of a film. We identify three reflexive processes that operate in Candida Royalle's films and consider how they may contribute to the development of a subject space that makes her films more appealing to women, in comparison to traditional pornographic films. The benefits of this new subject space are considered.

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The Playboy

Cited by 4 publications

References 54 publications

Pornography, Normalization, and Empowerment

Pornography, Normalization, and Empowerment

Vulnerable but Aloof Versus Naughty and Nice: Contrasting the Presentation of Male and Female Nude Models inVivaandPlayboy

Reflexivity in the Pornographic Films of Candida Royalle

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