Abstract
One of the problems with the anti-porn feminist theory is that it narrows the diversity of women’s “perspective” of pornography by forever considering them as a “victim.” The theory thus fails to explain the existence of pornography for female “consumers.”
Previous studies on pornography for women have found that (1) it does not reflect the “correct” image of women, (2) “women” have firmly distinctive sexual desires, and (3) it is based on the same values as pornography for men, but problems remain in its analyses. As a solution to these problems, this paper points out the importance of analyzing gendered genres and focuses on “how female fans interpret categories of adult video (pornographic film) for men/women and watch them.” 11 women were interviewed to conduct a survey.
Findings of the survey are as follows: the female fans did not simply criticize porn for men, but naturally incorporate it into their fan activities because they are the “male actor’s fan” even though they are watching adult video for women, which itself was born from a criticism of mainstream porn. They (even women with traumatic experiences) watch adult films for men willingly, not reluctantly. In addition to cross-border watching, they question the necessity of such distinctions. In the context of genre studies, such fan practice is to deconstruct the genre by decoding. Hence, in the context of third wave feminism, this study seeks the possibility of reconstructing or subversiving femininity by focusing on “women” as “consumer” instead of “victim.”
