“The valuation of women in pornography is a secondary theme in that the degradation of women exists in order to postulate, exercise, and celebrate male power”, (Dworkin, 1979). This is just one of the many statements she makes against pornography and the theme of male power as the driving force. Throughout her argument, she goes on to state that male power is not only the force behind pornography, but is also the controlling factor when it comes to the distribution of roles, economic control and the ways in which the models are used. Dworkin (1979) uses an image in Hustler magazine in order to illustrate her argument of male power as the major theme for pornography. The analysis of this photograph is very detailed and includes translations of what each item and act found on the image support her argument.
Hustler is a pornographic magazine published
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The bars which separate the woman and the reader are what define the image, without them, it has a different meaning. Without the bars, this would be an empowering image for a woman. She is facing the camera with a ‘come get me’ expression, enticing the reader, daring the reader to pick up the book and read it. Initiating sex can be seen as a powerful tool for women, as they are often depicted with the ability to deceive men using their sexuality. Or as their sexuality is seen as their strongest weapon against men. The hair, which represents a mane of a lion, could also be interpreted as a powerful symbol, as they are known to be the kings of the animal kingdom. It is important to look at both interpretation of this magazine cover in order to be able to answer the question; will banning this image help the feminist