Letter: Pornography and sexuality are entirely different things

Louise Hunter
Saturday 03 February 1996 19:02 EST
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BLAKE Morrison appears unenlightened after his brief experience of a post-feminist text ("Big sister is watching us", Review, 28 January).

Feminism denies the notion that pornography equates to sexuality. Sexuality involves the expression of a personal experience: pornography is a product designed for personal gain by men, for men. It reduces the genuine experience of sexuality, especially of women, by focusing not on what women feel, but on what the (male) viewer projects on to these images. This is not an educative, but an oppressive process.

I respect Andrea Dworkin and Catherine MacKinnon because they identified the damage as an offence to women, rather than as "corruption" of the viewer, and produced a legal mechanism for its control in the state of Minneapolis. It was adopted by the city council, but vetoed by the mayor. This is an ironic comment on those who equate pornography with democracy and freedom.

Louise Hunter

London E5

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