ABSTRACT
In the early 2000s, the cast of the Broadway musical comedy Avenue Q sang a catchy tune capturing the notion that the then-newly emerging internet popularity served a primary purpose for users: The Internet is for Porn. Feminism is inherently controversial since it challenges taken-for-granted beliefs about women and gendered lives within society, and insists on activism for social change, gender equity, and the empowerment of women. Even if women do acknowledge that feminism is still needed, many are reluctant to identify as a feminist, particularly young women. During the second wave of feminism in the 1980s, there was a whole genre of feminist magazines, videos, and writings about sexuality, and many feminists created their own sexual images as alternatives to mainstream pornography. Exploring the contemporary contexts of women’s sexualities, pleasures, and consumption of sexually explicit materials is usefully informed by the historical and ideological backdrop of the feminist Sex Wars.
