Do you ever think that you are out of touch, that things are going on around you that you can’t relate to? This post is about a couple of instances that have made me ponder these matters.
First up, feminist pornography, and yes you did read that right: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27192724
I read this story on the BBC, initially with astonishment and then with some confusion. Please review it before continuing (the link will open a new window).
Astonishment came from the fact that the BBC was covering the subject at all, let alone with a relatively informed article of some length. Confusion came about thanks to multiple factors.
The label “feminist pornography”, which apparently isn’t an oxymoron, has evolved because women are making films for women to consume. The suggestion is that women are less exploited, that the genre is more inclusive (actors/actresses don’t need to conform to a model stereotype, they don’t even need to confirm to gender stereotypes), that it’s more realistic and actually more enjoyable for the performers.
So porn is being progressive and this must be a good thing?
Bizarrely I found myself thinking this very thing and that the feminist porn initiative should be supported and that maybe I should watch some in order to be more informed! Then a split second later, I mentally pinched myself and wondered what the hell I was thinking (it’s not quite the same as not knowing what Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones is about – although I hear that the latter has much gratuitous sex and violence). The subject matter does not exactly have the gravitas/importance to society of equal voting rights, equal pay or general equality in the home/workplace.
The pictures around the article are grim; the storylines for the film scenes are as contrived/unrealistic as one could imagine; the awards ceremony is surreal. The fact is that this supposed porn evolution is pretty much limited to a marketing positioning exercise - small bit players in an industry trying to give their niche brand of horribleness some kind of stand out. This isn’t really progressive at all!
But the article is thought provoking – for me it highlights that there are worlds within worlds and that things go on that I have few/no reference points for.
And that brings me on to Lewis Hamilton.
I read his blog post the other day. He writes about getting praise from Nigel Mansell, moving house in Monaco, driving his AC Cobra in California and having his car purchase approved by none other than the legendary Carroll Shelby. The only point of reference for me was Stevenage because I’ve been there hundreds of times.
So with two completely different articles, I find my middle class existence (nine to five office job, nuclear family, practical car) so completely at odds with what I am reading as to make me wonder if I am existing in a different dimension. And in that disorientation lays this blog post!
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First up, feminist pornography, and yes you did read that right: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27192724
I read this story on the BBC, initially with astonishment and then with some confusion. Please review it before continuing (the link will open a new window).
Astonishment came from the fact that the BBC was covering the subject at all, let alone with a relatively informed article of some length. Confusion came about thanks to multiple factors.
- Should I be reading about porn during my work lunch hour even when it’s as innocent as a news piece on the BBC?
- Should I write about such a subject on my website bearing in mind the potential sensitivities of my readers?
- Dare I risk my site acquiring a dubious search engine rating thanks to even addressing the topic?
The label “feminist pornography”, which apparently isn’t an oxymoron, has evolved because women are making films for women to consume. The suggestion is that women are less exploited, that the genre is more inclusive (actors/actresses don’t need to conform to a model stereotype, they don’t even need to confirm to gender stereotypes), that it’s more realistic and actually more enjoyable for the performers.
So porn is being progressive and this must be a good thing?
Bizarrely I found myself thinking this very thing and that the feminist porn initiative should be supported and that maybe I should watch some in order to be more informed! Then a split second later, I mentally pinched myself and wondered what the hell I was thinking (it’s not quite the same as not knowing what Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones is about – although I hear that the latter has much gratuitous sex and violence). The subject matter does not exactly have the gravitas/importance to society of equal voting rights, equal pay or general equality in the home/workplace.
The pictures around the article are grim; the storylines for the film scenes are as contrived/unrealistic as one could imagine; the awards ceremony is surreal. The fact is that this supposed porn evolution is pretty much limited to a marketing positioning exercise - small bit players in an industry trying to give their niche brand of horribleness some kind of stand out. This isn’t really progressive at all!
But the article is thought provoking – for me it highlights that there are worlds within worlds and that things go on that I have few/no reference points for.
And that brings me on to Lewis Hamilton.
I read his blog post the other day. He writes about getting praise from Nigel Mansell, moving house in Monaco, driving his AC Cobra in California and having his car purchase approved by none other than the legendary Carroll Shelby. The only point of reference for me was Stevenage because I’ve been there hundreds of times.
So with two completely different articles, I find my middle class existence (nine to five office job, nuclear family, practical car) so completely at odds with what I am reading as to make me wonder if I am existing in a different dimension. And in that disorientation lays this blog post!
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