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Harris Poll reveals US women critical of pornThe internet survey of 2,555 people asked what effect porn had on men and children, and what people thought the government should do about it. 62% of women said they thought porn raised men's expectations about how women should look, and more women than men believe that porn harms relationships - perhaps because it changes the way men expect women to look and behave. Almost half of all respondents said they thought porn was demeaning to women, but this view was held more widely by women (57%). Very few people surveyed were in favour of censorship by the government, although 53% of women wanted some kind of regulation of porn. What does this survey say about women and porn? Nothing new, I think. It's not really surprising that everyday women feel the bleached, waxed, silicon-enhanced and starved female stars are distorting men's view of normal female beauty. If women are feeling undermined by the ideals of "beauty" held up by Californian porn, no wonder they think relationships are threatened by it. What I find interesting is that this survey reveals that women are more concerned about the negative aesthetic and immature, "bad sex" nature of mainstream porn, than they are about "morals". They're not saying that sex in itself is bad, or that porn equals rape, or that the women involved are exploited, or any of the Dworkinesque tripe that is usually attributed to women who aren't keen on porn. Yes, a majority thought porn is demeaning to women, but you know what? A lot of porn IS demeaning to women. Your average "reality" site is based on the idea of putting women down. So I think this view is not surprising either. From a business sense I don't find this survey discouraging because it just reinforces my view that a lot of women aren't keen on most mainstream porn that is made for men. Take away the unrealistic body images, the misogynist viewpoint, and the bad sex, and I think everyday women will be more keen on adult material. Posted: Tuesday 25th October 2005, 6:56 AM Back to the Blog
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