ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 reviews the trajectory of identity politics concerning pornography, especially in the context of race and gender. It begins by defining pornography for the purposes of the monograph. It reviews critiques of pornography from both liberal and conservative political orientations. On the right, local, state, and federal governments have attempted to regulate and even ban pornography. On the left, some radical feminists deride porn as a catalyst for the sexual objectification and victimization of women – for them, “pornography is the theory, and rape the practice.” It reviews the feminist of color critiques of portrayals of women of color in pornography, noting the uniqueness of such representations at the intersection of womanhood and Black identity. As such, this chapter attends to Miller-Young’s concept of “illicit eroticism,” Nash’s concept of “racial iconography,” and Jones’ concept of “the pleasures of fetishization.” Moreover, it reviews studies that analyze the presentation of non-white, fat, and older men in gay men’s pornography, which suggest a contradictory relationship between fetishism and empowerment in corporatized pornography. In other words, though such representations create space for marginalized communities, they also reinforce stereotypical beliefs and exclusionary sexual practices.
