Chapter 39: The Pornography of Everyday Life

Pornography is known for its degradation and sexualization of women. The many forms of pornography can be associated with gender, violence, rape and objectification. In Chapter 39 of the textbook, Jane Caputi explains the negative effects associated with porn that we encounter in our everyday lives. In Pornography of Everyday Life, gender issues, violence, rape, and objectification are not just in the videos or photos of kinky or rough sex. People are exposed to these things from advertisements, language or slang, movies, and television shows. 

The first thing Caputi discusses is gender porn. Gender porn emphasizes masculine hostility and feminine submissiveness. This can be witnessed in male dominate porn where women are completely controlled by the male counterpart. However, in everyday life, this is portrayed in advertisements. Looking through a magazine, there are countless ads for fashion, fragrances, and other products that include men and women in a sexual position. The women are typically inferior to the men in these images. An example of this is Calvin Klein ads, like the one mentioned in a previous blog post with Justin Bieber. People do not question the gender issue in these ads because they are used to seeing them all over. 

Another issue Caputi discusses is violence porn. Violence porn usually includes extreme acts of dominance causing harm to another person. She uses the modern day slang as an example for violence in everyday life. The terms used to talk about sex all have a violent connotation including banging, nailing, and fucking. People do not question the use of these terms to talk about sex because they are used so frequently in casual conversation. 

Caputi creates an interesting comparison between actual pornography and everyday ads and language. The article gives readers the impression that the effects of using a particular word or publishing a certain ad have harmful effects equivalent to that of porn. These things can only be avoided if people raise awareness for the issues. Being cognizant of the pornography of the everyday life can help people avoid the negative messages it sends.