Pornoland. Jak Skradziono Naszą Seksualność (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Overall, this is a decent introduction to the business and social impact sides of porn. I was glad to see a chapter on race (though where is the one on same-sex porn and "lesbian" sex scenes engineered specifically for the consumption and enjoyment of men?). While the book reads well, there were more than a few moments where I felt like the author was reaching to make a point, or not providing the necessary factual data to be able to state her deductions as truth. As someone who is broadly "pro-porn," I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. It's easy to read, intellectually provocative, and for the most part argued in the kind of rational, nuanced fashion I look for in my non-fiction. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best feminist non-fiction books I've read in the past ten years. BUT... well, we'll get to the "but" in a moment.Pornland does a great job of deconstructing some of the messages about gender, race and sexuality that are embedded in both mainstream and gonzo pornography. And Dines has some very interesting arguments to make about how these messages intersect with commercial imperatives, and how the porn industry has evolved over the past half-century. But she also has a tendency to attribute every social and gender ill to pornography: she implies that college students "hook-up," for example, because it mirrors the emotion-free sex in porn (rather than because it is fun, or because our era champions a liberal sexual ethic), and that the current slim, busty female beauty ideal is driven by porn (rather than porn emulating current beauty ideals). And she lost me in the final couple of chapters, where she argues that "teen porn" (images of adult women playing the roles of underage teenage girls) is part of a slippery slope that will ultimately end in an increase in child sexual abuse.If it weren't for the final two chapters, I'd give Pornland five stars, even though I would still disagree with parts of it. As it is, it's still a very good book, but one with a clear political agenda that sometimes lends itself to hyperbole.
What do You think about Pornoland. Jak Skradziono Naszą Seksualność (2010)?
Disturbing. Not easy reading by any means, but a necessary subject in our culture.
—Rebeccachenny
A myopic, hyperbolic, and utterly misinformed view towards pornography.
—declan
Highly intellectual arguments and debate, well researched.
—Mama
