Violence

Open Access: No.

Abstract

Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual objectification leads to the expression of aggressive attitudes and behaviors toward women. Based on a survey study of 320 male participants, this study re-conceptualizes sexual objectification in terms of two forms of dehumanization. Evidence suggests men’s pornography use is positively associated with both forms, but mechanistic dehumanization of women is more associated with aggressive attitudes while animalistic dehumanization is more associated with aggressive behaviors. Findings indicate how objectifying pornography use may relate to aggressive attitudes and behaviors and inform the future education campaigns and interventions to reduce sexual aggression.

Relevance

This research paper was critical of anti-pornography scholarship. Nevertheless, it provided ample evidence for the violence inherent in pornography. – especially pornography that is self-declared to be ‘feminist’ as opposed to ‘mainstream’ or the category ‘for women.’ Self-declared ‘feminist’ pornography still had sizable rates of physical aggression (e.g., spitting, hitting, spanking, gagging), verbal aggression, and female objectification.

(And some parts of the article went to great lengths to try and diminish pornographic violence, such as “these results do not suggest anything about the pleasure of being spanked or gagged, or the female empowerment to ask for these acts.”)

Citation

Fritz, N., & Paul, B. (2017). From orgasms to spanking: A content analysis of the agentic and objectifying sexual scripts in feminist, for women, and Mainstream pornography. Sex Roles, 77(9-10), 639–652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0759-6