S. L. FULLER
News Editor
Porn.
Does that word make you uncomfortable? Does that word incite some type of negative reaction inside of you? Does it peak your interest and excite you?
However you may feel about pornography, there are not many people in the college-age demographic, or older, that aren’t aware of it. We live in what Shayla Benson, a community trainer from Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, would refer to as a “porn culture.”
“[Porn culture] is basically a culture in which pornographic material has extended past the bedroom and privacy and into the media and our expectations for everyday lives,” explained Benson.
This is one of the reasons that FredASSIST and Women’s Student Union co-sponsored an event called “Porntopia” on Wednesday, March 11, as part of Women’s Herstory Month.
“We talked about what type of programming the campus might like to see instead of just the typical safer sexuality — to put a little spin on it,” said Shannon Fisher, an administrator at FredASSIST. “I do think some people might have shied away at the topic, but [media literacy] is also very relevant.”
Media literacy in pornography was the topic of a presentation given by Benson, which explored the positive and negative sides of the industry and its products. While most can admit that a topic such as this is still taboo, not everyone is embarrassed to show interest.
Danielle Backus, a senior self-design major, was one of the first people in the room for the 1 p.m. session.
“I honestly have no idea,” responded Backus when asked what she expected Porntopia to be like. “I think the way media portrays women can be a little extreme and intense, so I want to see if they touch on that here.”
With a name like “Porntopia,” the event could have very well gone in a variety of different directions. But, as Benson explained during her presentation, she chose to use the title “Porntopia” to help make the clear distinction that pornography has no bearing on real-life situations.
“I think people just look at pornography at face value,” said Benson, “and we don’t look at the messages behind what we see and what we hear.”
The most stressed message throughout the whole presentation was that porn is okay, commonplace even, when used in the correct context.
“When you rely on porn as a source of sexual information, you might become misinformed if there’s not outside context to dose you with reality,” said Benson.
It’s obvious that most of the pornography that is most commonly viewed is staged and scripted with actors/actresses. But since we live in a porn culture, the lines do get blurred. Take, for example, the great “50 Shades” debate. What is pornography in that context? What is inappropriate and appropriate behavior in that context? Is that type of behavior okay to bring off the pages and the screen and into real life?
“Okay so it might be cool to have that red room. But do you know how to use that flogger or that paddle correctly?” said Benson, who is outwardly opposed to the “50 Shades of Grey” franchise. “Using that paddle on the back is totally different than using it on the fleshy part of your buttocks, and then getting the consent of that person on how hard or how soft you want them to paddle you.”
As Benson mentioned in her presentation, pornography is great for expanding the imagination, and people watch it for a variety of different reasons, be it pleasure, education, imagination, etc. But, again, it’s very important to be able to tell the difference between Porntopia and real life.
Just like Backus anticipated, the conversation did cover how women are portrayed in pornography and how, most of the time, it’s demonstrating unrealistic behavior.
“Women are portrayed sometimes as these sapphires and hypersexualized beings that are ready for sex and that’s what their role is,” said Benson. “They have no other interests in life other than to provide the sex and be the vessel to have sex on or with.”
But, Benson was quick to also mention that one should not look down on the actresses who play those roles.
“[Pornpgraphy] actors are basically workhorses. They’re athletes — they’re supposed to train their bodies, their bodies are supposed to look a certain way,” said Benson. “If we are going to have a porn culture and a porn industry, then they should be treated fairly, like anybody else.”
Fun was had at the event, as well. With discussion, free safe sex supplies and a raffle, it made for an informational but enjoyable session.
“It was good. It was a little different in that her focus was that we can use it for imagination but not to get our information,” said Backus after the presentation had ended. “I thought that was interesting and not what I expected.”
No matter what participants were anticipating going into the event, it was impossible to walk out of Benson’s presentation without new ideas to consider, and a new point of view about the effect that pornography has on culture.
“If you want to use pornography or be exposed to it, that is totally okay. But it is everywhere — it’s part of our sexuality as we know it, and it’s okay to talk about people with it, have those conversations,” said Benson. “It’s our job to make sure those pervasive messages are not being perpetuated, especially with people that we care about and that we know may be misinterpreting things that they watch.”