The pornographic body: embodiment or representation?

In this paper I discuss women’s accounts of how
they view sexualised images of bodies in
pornography and the media, and the effect this
may have on their behaviour and self-image.
Binary oppositions such as active/passive,
aggressive/submissive, and hairy/hairless
constrain both men and women. Arguably these
binaries are not ‘natural’ but are culturally
produced categories. Nowadays women
increasingly challenge these norms by refusing to
shave (‘depilate’) and by engaging in ‘masculine’
pursuits such as bodybuilding. Women challenge
binaries such as heterosexual/homosexual,
masculine/feminine, while both men and women
engage with representations in pornography in
subversive and unexpected ways.

Psychology of Women Section Conference,
University of Dundee,
10–12 July 2000.