Sex(ism), Identity and Intimacy
. . . in a Pornographic Culture
October 17, 2022 12:00 PM MDT
60 minutes
Please note: this session is available for Rachel’s Vineyard Team Members only
Description: From Internet pornography to MTV, popular culture bombards us with sexualized images of idealized women and men, and conveys powerful messages that help shape our sexuality.
These pictures jump off the screen and into our culture, and are now so common place that they seep into our gender identity, our body image, and especially our intimate relationships. The result is not a more liberated, edgy sexuality, but a mass-produced vision of sex that is profoundly sexist – a vision that limits our ability to create authentic, equal relationships that are free of violence and degradation.
In this thought provoking presentation, examples from pornography, magazines, television shows, and movies explore how masculinity and femininity are shaped by a consumer-driven, image-based culture, and the ways public images spill over into our most private worlds.
Based on the lifetime research of Dr. Gail Dines observing the growth of the pornography industry into mainstream culture, we will discuss how porn influences what boys expect our girls to do on dates, and how the porn culture shapes the behavior and fashion of young women.
This class is taught from a feminist perspective, with recognition that trauma in womenʼs lives can lead them directly into the industry or to acting out in relationships.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore how masculinity and femininity are shaped by a consumer-driven, image-based culture.
- Discuss how porn influences the expectations of boys/men, and how porn shapes the behavior and fashion of young women.
- Recognize that trauma in womenʼs lives can lead them into the industry or to act out in relationships.
