Content area
Full Text
Arch Sex Behav (2010) 39:13891401 DOI 10.1007/s10508-009-9592-5
ORIGINAL PAPER
Pornography, Normalization, and Empowerment
Martin S. Weinberg Colin J. Williams
Sibyl Kleiner Yasmiyn Irizarry
Received: 25 November 2008 / Revised: 13 November 2009 / Accepted: 13 November 2009 / Published online: 3 February 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract Opponents and proponents of erotic representations (referred to hereafter aspornography) have described theeffectsof pornography from their perspective. Little,however, has been done in the way of research to investigate these claims from the consumers point of view. This especially has been so regarding the positive impact of such consumption on a persons 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 andsexualrelationshipsthroughempowerment.Thedatasup-ported 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 ndings and the widespread viewing of pornography in contemporary society.
Keywords Pornography Sexual scripts Gender
Sexual preference Normalization Empowerment
Introduction
Pornography is intertwined in the sexualities of many people. AlthoughtheconsumptionofpornographyintheUnitedStates isdifcult tomeasure,Rich(2001),has estimatedthat$10-$14 billion annually is earned from video pornographyporn networks and pay-per-view movies on cable and satellite, Internet Web sites, in-room hotel movies, phone sex, sex toys andmagazines.[P]ornography is a bigger business than professional football, basketball and baseball put together. Rich goes on to point out that: People pay more money for pornography in America in a year than they do on movie tickets, more than they do on all the performing arts combined(p. 462).
Despite pornographys central place in American enter
tainment, it still is the focus of great social controversy. On the one hand, pornographic images have been attacked as a source of social and moral evil and, on the other, have been defended as contributing to sexual liberation. Attacks on pornography come from both religious conservatives, who see pornography as encouraging impersonal, casual sex, and from feminists who claim that pornography makes the plight of women worse by encouraging misogynist, sexist, and patriarchal attitudes. This is seen as leading to the objectication of women,...