Janice Turner on the sexualisation of women in ‘lads mags’, from Saturday’s last year’s Guardian Weekend supplement [link]:
Sphere: Related ContentOnce porn and real human sexuality were distinguishable. Not even porn’s biggest advocates would suggest a porn flick depicted reality, that women were gagging for sex 24/7 and would drop their clothes and submit to rough, anonymous sex at the slightest invitation. But as porn has seeped into mainstream culture, the line has blurred. To speak to men’s magazine editors, it is clear they believe that somehow in recent years, porn has come true. The sexually liberated modern woman turns out to resemble - what do you know! - the pneumatic, take-me-now-big-boy fuck-puppet of male fantasy after all.
“Dirty young men”, and what about the old satyrs? Unfortunately sex in its porn version - which many say is no longer porn - has invaded every section of our society.
Why does the complacent human being try to always find leniency for their own capital sins?
Or are they capital sins? Perhaps it depends on where you live in.
Sex sells - in whatever porn (sorry, form). It’s all about money, and making lots of it. That’s the system - and anybody who ‘works’ the system (ie makes money from it) doesn’t give a f…fig about the children or the morality of it all.
As Marx said : “Philosophers interpret the world in different ways; the point, however, is to change it.”
Why does it say ‘Saturday October 22, 2005′
Me bad. I found the article via the belowpost on CiF, I didn’t check the date - just assumed it was this weeks Weekend Supplement…thanks for the spot!
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/libby_brooks/2006/06/the_campaign_for_real_sex.html
That’s all right. I certainly found the article interesting and I don’t recall seeing it at the time. The issue has certainly been in the news recently - Radio 4 devoted its 7:30 slot to it on both Monday and Tuesday (if you get up that early).
For me, the key passage of Janice Turner’s article is:
‘Strict guidelines govern the sexual content of all girls’ titles that have 25% of their readers under the age of 16: under-age intercourse is heavily discouraged and every mention of sex comes with joyless advice about STDs and abortion. The Teenage Magazine Advisory Panel was set up to enforce this code. No such rules apply to boys’ magazines…’
I also note that 2 of the editors profiled are English graduates. Speaking as one myself, I think I’d rather work for an arms manufacturer…