Renegade Evolution and her unconvincing revolution..

This is an old post from earlier this year that I am transfering from an old blog site.

As a feminist in the anti-pornography camp, I continue to educate myself about the harms of pornography. I find it important to not just seek information that echos my beliefs but information that opposes them.

Lately, I have been exploring a couple pro-porn blog sites that offer their take on what they perceive to be positive attributes of the porn industry.

These sites are..

Renegade Evolution
http://renegadeevolution.blogspot.com

and

Pro-Porn Activism
http://bppa.blogspot.com


WHY I ENCOURAGE DEVILS ADVOCATES:
I admit it has been difficult and uncomfortable to read the musings of these sites but I find it important to take a look at the other side. I'm sure I will find more sites, books, documentaries, etc that explain views that are different from my own. Admittedly, I don't expect my views to change but I hope to broaden the knowledge I already posses and most likely strengthen my current perspective. Of course if I come across something convincing from the other side, it will be important to explore that.

I have tried adamently to gain some perspective as to why some people are such strong advocates of porn. I especially do not understand men and women who claim that porn is a feminist issue. For the record I do not think that porn stars, strippers, sex workers of any kind are bad people. I actually do feel that sex workers should be protected from physical and medical endangerment by their employers. I do not believe that ALL Sex workers have been exposed to sex at a young age and/or have been sexually abused. Although statistically (and I wouldn't doubt that some of you our there might disagree with stats for various reasons) many are products of such things. I do have some strong theories as to why some are so supportive of porn. I will be discussing them throughout this post.

WHY SHE THINKS STRIPPING IS EMPOWERING
In viewing many blog posts from both the Renegade Evolution and Pro-Porn Activism sites, I noticed the theme was how great and wonderful porn and stripping are for these ladies. For example. The author of RE states that she knows that there are indeed many women that hate stripping and hate men because of what they have to go through physically and emotionally. That they mentally detach as much as they can just to get through. I'm glad she acknowledges this. I think the fact that so many women experience this is reason enough to have serious concerns. She however, feels quite empowered. This type of story is not anything new. There are sooo many women out there that claim to feel empowered as they spread their thighs, and toss their hair and swing round' a pole. To put it simply and bluntly, (although being blunt may turn some readers off immediately) I think those particular women are brainwashed by our patriarchal society.

This woman in particular separates herself from other strippers because she is supposedly more muscular than the average stripper, refuses to dye her hair blonde and has more tattoos than the average stripper. She says she doesn't receive vulgar comments on her breasts or butt (that she knows of) but rather questions about how she keeps in shape.

I feel that this woman isn't hearing herself. I don't think a woman has to be blonde to perpetuate stereotypes of women. Just as I don't think that "alternative porn" that is supposedly "made by women for women" or Suicide Girls models etc, equates to "healthy" or "sex positive" porn. She admits to the fact that she does not respect her audience. I am not impressed. The fact of the matter is, the audience and performers are using each other. So, there is disrespect all around. So, as a stripper you get to forget how these men view you simply because you don't like them?! It doesn't erase the perpetuation of misogyny. It doesn't erase the fact that sex is being sold. I personally cannot put a price on my body and do not want anyone to perceive that my sexuality comes in a comodified, stereotyped, boxed in package. Apparently, Renegade Evolution CAN put a prive on her body as she says that "When I can be doing my thing, and the money is landing at my feet, that is a power trip."

3 TYPES OF GUYS THAT WATCH STRIPPERS
In her blog posts Renegade Evolution talks about the 3 types of men that she encounters when she is stripping.
The 1st is "The Lonely Guy" who feels he is not appreciated by his wife or girlfriend at home, so he attends a strip club. She is not doing this man a service (although I'm sure he feels she is) but rather encouraging him to escape through objectifying other women. He is not attempting to heal himself, heal his relationship, seek other relationships or other healthy views.

The 2nd type is "The Regular Joes". She describes these men as those who do not proposition her and follow the rules. She goes on to say that, to "get complimented on how well you do it, that's the power trip". Of course they are going to like what she does! She is exploiting herself and these particular men are very grateful. Just because these men aren't trying to cross boundaries doesn't mean they aren't appreciative of the fact that she finds her job empowering. If women find stripping empowering then they are more likely to continue doing what they are doing.

Lastly, she describes, "The Assholes." She says, "Yep. There are assholes out there; men who assume that because you are willing to get naked and grind on dude's laps for money that you are in fact the worst possible definition of worthless whore." Is this really surprising?

If you are interested in the blog post I am reviewing click the link below.
(http://renegadeevolution.blogspot.com/2006/11/empowering-stripping-sex-work-hot-hell.html)


WHY RENEGADE EVOLUTION IS A PORN ACTRESS
Renegade Evolution also appears in porn films.

"And what I do is not the nice stuff, it ain't woman freindly, it is degrading and well, most of you all would not like it I am willing to wager. So why do I do it? Because I do like it. Those kinds of fantasies? Um, living proof right here that men are not the only ones who have em. And I have discussed my affection for rough, degrading sex, both giving and receiving at length previously, so I am not going to delve into that agian here..but let's talk about pwoer, and what I might find empowering or power trip worth about it."

First I'd like to say that whether a person involves herself in "the nice stuff" (softcore porn) or hardcore porn, exploitation still takes place. There is still a theme of domination and submission. It is still most likely geared towards the straight male gaze. The point of porn (straight porn) is to show women loving, needing sex and domination from a man.

RE goes on to say, "To put it bluntly, fucking makes me feel like a god. A god of what, I do't know but a god nonetheless (probably something primal and politically incorrect...do they have a god for that?) So yeah, sex is an automatic power trip for me."

This sentiment is nothing I haven't heard before. Many men feel this way as well. I've met men who speak bluntly about this. The penis is often used as a power tool. And rather than perceive sex as an act of mutual giving, it is about one person or both feeling like they are controlling the other. A "FUCK" is just that. It isn't surprising to me that a woman might feel this way at all. Perhaps she is taking her cue from men she's worked with and certainly our patriarchal culture. One doesn't have to go far to find this attitude and perspective. I however, wouldn't want to have sex with someone who wants only to inflate their ego and feel a power trip. I would feel violated.

"So yes this is all find and good, but Ren, why the hell do it on film for the viewing of others? Be a freak in bed as much as you like and all, but why film and sell it? And this is where it get's weird, y'all. I've mentioned that I don't mind being an object, and that I find sex and sexuality, all of it, fascinating and all that in mind, I do get off from the idea of other people getting off to me getting off. Exhibitionism at its finest and mot honest. And getting paid for it is nice too. However, I am not going to pretend to get off to the stuff that does not get me off for the viewing pleasure of others, so I do and film what gets me off. Which is not nice, respectiful, loving, romantic vanilla sex. In fact, that shit makes nme nauseous."

How is respectful sex "vanilla?" I can't help but think that this is a very narrow minded, limited, conservative view. I do not know this woman personally, but I can't help but wonder what her relationships are like. Perhaps that's an arrogant statement. But why do so many women feel that in order to express themselves sexually they need to show themselves off to the public? Whether it's a girl in a revealing skirt at a club that barely covers her butt, or a stripper/porn actress such as Renegade Evolution.

There are so many ways to learn to be in touch with one's sexuality. I am quick to say that women are not encouraged to discover what their own sexuality means to them (OR MEN FOR THAT MATTER!). I am soo tired of hearing (straight) women (sex workers, pop singers, actresses, models) insist that the road to expressing femininity and sexuality can be achieved by exposing their bodies to some degree. Really, it makes me ache. I feel it is so limited. There's nothing wrong with wanting to feel attractive. But does anyone notice that feeling attractive is often based on what OTHERS think? Particularly men? So, essentially these people are expressing themselves FOR men.

It is my firm belief that any woman who feels glorified through porn is brainwashed by our patriarchal society. To be willingly used up by men (and women alike) and to view it as an esteem booster is scewed. It makes me wonder if some women feel that there is no other avenue in which to feel less oppressed by men. If women want to feel heard and valued in a culture where men feel the need to be macho and competitive, perhaps some women feel that taking their clothes off will not only make them even with men but above them as well.


ROBERT JENSEN AND HIS ILK
I recently read a book entitled Pornography: The Prodution and Consumption of Inequality by Gail Dines, Robert Jensen and Ann Russo.

Professor, author, activist, Robert Jensen spoke about his own battles with pornography. That even as an anti-porn activist he finds that he can still succumb to the trappings of patriarchy and all it has taught him as he grew up. For instance, he spoke about an occasion where he was researching/watching pornographic videos with his collegue Gail Dines. During the film Dines spoke about her discomfort with what she was seeing. Jensen agreed with everything she had to say but at the same time felt an erection in his pants. He felt disgusted with himself but saw it as an opportunity to explore just why this was happening. That the experience could not be reduced to some biological reaction but rather a conditioning of patriarchy.


Here are some important excerpts that I highlighted when I read the book...


DISTORTIONS:
Opponents of feminist critique of porn often frame the issue as a question of offensiveness, suggesting that the critique is based on the subjective experience of feeling repulsed by porn. This is either a fundamental misunderstanding of the critique or a deliberate attempt to distort it. The feminist critique is an analysis of power and harm that focuses on oppression, not offensiveness.


AGAINST SEX?
So, in the one sense the charge that anti-pornography feminists fear sex is simply false, but in another sense, perhaps we all should fear the way in which a patriarchal culture defines and practices sex.

There is another level of fear at work in the porn debate. It is not a fear of sexuality, but rather an more pervasive fear within the culture that if we tell the truth about just how deeply many of us have been affected by a pervasive patriarchal sexual system, we may be left for a moment with nothing to take its place.

We face the challenge of reconstructing sexuality, which implies that for some time we might have to face great uncertainty about who we are as sexual beings and what kind of sex we want to have. In a hypersexualized, pornographic culture a world in which to not have sex is a sign of deviancy - such a process can seem frightening. But we could also see it as an opportunity for invention.


PLAYBOY:
From the start Hefner was clear about his targeted audience. He wrote in the first issue of Playboy published in 1953:

"If you are a man between 18-80, Playboy is meant for you.....We want to make it clear from the start, we aren't a 'family' magazine. If you are somebody's sister, wife, or mother-in-law and picked us up by mistake, please pass us along to the man in your life and get back to the Ladies' Home Companion.


NOVELS:
A more common scenario in pornographic novels involved women who were initially hesitant. The women did not at first understand her need to submit and learned along the way to crave sex and domination. The man's job was to force the sex on the woman until she realized her proper role.


ROBERT JENSEN:
For me, pornography intensified that tendency to see women first and foremost not so much as sexual beings but as sexual objects for men to view and use. For me, the immediate "sizing up" of a woman is institutionalized; that is, it takes active effort on my part to interrupt the process and refuse to objectify. The reality is, of course, that I often let the process continue, even though I am aware of what I am doing. that is one of the most basic privileges of being a man; I always have the option of ingnoring my own convictions and using a woman for my own fantasy.


DESIRE:
Do the desires exist independently and then get represented in pornography, or does pornography help create the desires? One convention of pornography that we discussed in the previous chapter leads me to think that in some ways, pornography can construct desire. Since the mid 1970s the cum shot - showing the man ejaculating onto the woman's body - has been standard of explicit pornography to provide visual proof of men's pleasure.

Did that desire arise from some 'natural' source? From a social construction view of sexuality, the concept of authentic sexual desire is problematic; there is no pure, natural sexuality that isn't mediated by culture.


VIOLENCE:
Pornography does no need to be overtly violent to be a part of a process by which violence is eroticized.