Pornography in the 20th Century - 2220 Words

Laura Kipnis has described pornography as â€Å"an archive of data about...our history as a culture†. Therefore if, she described it as such, what can it tell us about the sexual history of the 20th century? Examining the history of the forms of archive from pornographic playing cards to blu-ray discs and the internet, this shows the ever changing form of how as a society we view pornography. From the forms of archive come the social implications of pornography. This will be examined through the 1986 Meese Commission in the United States of America into the pornographic industry. Finally, this exposition will also examine the differing views of Gay and Straight pornography and the changes that have taken over the 20th century. Overall, the†¦show more content†¦What this shows about the sexual history of the 20th century is that individuals are willing to take control into their own hands, and want to be able to express themselves. With the advent of lower cost techn ology – individuals and couples are able to take part in their own sexual adventures and show an audience of their choosing. The reason I have added the title of the article of the Coopersmith article leads me onto my next point – social implications. It goes back to the Kipnis article, where she states that pornography is outside the strict, social codes that are defined by parental role models from when we are babies. We are, therefore, seen to be ‘living by the edge of our cultural norms’ that we then self identify with as we grow up through childhood, because we do not know differently. We end up having this ‘taboo’ thought about sex that is brought about by western thought process. This could be the due process of ideology that pornography can only be viewed after a certain age – in most cases – 18 years of age. Therefore, when we think of this â€Å"Does Your Mother Know What You Really Do?† it can make you think that we are breaking a preconceived social norms which for most people do not exist due to differing attitudes. One of the ways the social norms wereShow MoreRelatedA Brief Overview of Porn and the 20th Century1978 Words   |  8 PagesPorn and technology: Pornography has, more than any other type of media, been on the bleeding edge of technology. Pushing new mediums to their limit, usually in the last way they were ever intended to be used (Gross, 2010). We start off the 20th Century with the Half-tone printing process being only two decades old. This was the first process that allowed images to be inexpensively reproduced. Magazines were the leading pornographic medium, and they were only available by mail. Then, with the adventRead MorePornographic Pornography : An Human Brain For Today s Internet Essay1658 Words   |  7 Pagesrock art and venus figurines. Throughout the centuries, erotic literature would ultimately evolve into various magazines featuring nude photography and pictures of other sexual acts. The printing press would dominate as the main medium for porn consumption for nearly half a millennia until the 20th century, when video pornography was first produced. Nearly overnight, a seemingly infinite number of porn s tudios were conceived exploding video pornography into a multi-billion dollar industry generatingRead MoreThe Second Wave Of Women s Rights Movement Essay786 Words   |  4 Pagesis split into three waves to present the difference in time and show how much it has evolved. The first wave was in the mid 19th century to early 20th century. They focused on women’s suffrage, their right to work, education rights, etc. The second wave was in the 60s; this is when they addressed broader perspectives. To include birth control, abortion, rape, pornography, etc. The third wave began in the 1990s and was a response to the second wave, as they only focused on struggles that whites middleRead MoreEssay On Child Sexual Exploitation1383 Words   |  6 Pagesyears of age. Sexual activity with minor children was not a criminal act in the United States until the late 19th to early 20th century when the states of the union modified the age of consent for children from 10 to 16. In 1978 the Mann Act was modified to protect children from sexual exploitation. This change was a response to the beginning of the surfacing of child pornography in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (warinternational.com) Initially, with divorce and the increasing number of women enteringRead MoreThere isnt one word that will capture a human being’s attention and imagination more, there is1500 Words   |  6 Pageskid maybe 6 or 7 and realizing I was gay on the computer. I would look at heterosexual pornography and I would notice that I would always gravitate my attention towards the penises in the images. Those were the primary focus of why was looking. I was fascinated by the penis’s ability to impale, to make someone scream out in emotion, be it pleasure or pain. I can honestly say that my early exposure to pornography has encouraged violent sexual fantasies and inclinations in me that otherwise would beRead MoreThe Freedom Of The Free Love Movement Essay1582 Words   |  7 Pagesone of the few groups that made bold political statements; â€Å"Few social movements can trace their birth to an event as unexpected and dramatic as the one which gave life to gay liberation† (D’Emilio 318). The gay liberation movement shaped the mid 20th-century ideology for homosexuals then and in the future. Part II Intimate Matters discusses the collective history of sexuality in the United States. D’Emilio describes the periods of history and their defined sexual ideology as they change and progressRead MoreThe Major Events Of The 20Th Century Were Characterized1612 Words   |  7 PagesThe major events of the 20th century were characterized by devastating political experiences of wars and totalitarianisms that were born out of the shifts in philosophical, social, political and economic ideologies and movements across many regions of the world. During this time in history, communism took root in many states where people took control of the economies in order to establish a communist society that was based on a social economic order that was structured upon common ownership of theRead MoreBiography Of Theodore Robert Cowells Life1163 Words   |  5 PagesShe had everything that he wanted: money, class, and influence. Sadly, the couple spilt because there was a part of Bundy that wa s also a withheld secret. His addiction to pornography and feminism. Bundy states that â€Å"But slowly throughout the years reading pornography began to become a deadly habit. My experience with pornography †¦ is once you become addicted to it, (and I look at this as a kind of addiction like other kinds of addiction) I couldn’t hold back anymore.† Many of his victims resembledRead MoreTed Bundy Is Best Known As Arguably The Most Cunning And Serial Killer1685 Words   |  7 PagesTed Bundy is best known as arguably the most cunning and infamous serial killer of the 20th century. There were a multitude of factors that may have shaped Bundy’s mind, personality, and actions, ranging from struggling with addictions during his childhood all the way to emotional distress around the time when he killed Ann Marie Burr, the first of his many victims. There is, however, one concept of Bundy’s personality that may have especially been influential on his decision to commit his heinousRead MoreEssay How Is The Internet Reshaping Culture1362 Words   |  6 PagesHow is the Internet reshaping what we mean by culture? During the 20th century, electricity, the telephone, the automobile, and the airplane made the world more accessible to people and transforming our society in the process. Most people had to call their local bank to check their statements. Or wait for the paper invoice in the mail. The latest score for last nights hockey game were found in the local newspaper. Then came the accessible worldwide system of interconnected networks called the