Is pornography the issue here? The article raises some good points but goes a lot further than that.

So where are tween girls getting their ideas from? And who propagates this stuff? What do 13 year olds spend their money on? I imagine it isn't on port sites or violent video games. Who dominates the industries that sell this fake sexuality?

I think what needs to be recognised is the degree of generalisation on both sides of the argument. Saying that some men run the pornography industry doesn't mean that all men benefit from the profits made in the exploitation of women. Saying that some women desire 'patriarchal structure' doesn't mean that all women secretly deep down wish to be chained to the kitchen sink.

Having said that, the extent to which women in the pornography and prostitution industries are exploited is horrific, and vastly disproportionate to the number of men in the same industries. Just because a woman runs a brothel, doesn't mean prostitutes working in it won't be exploited based entirely on their gender.

Liberation:

Women fight in Target stores over so-called fashion designs created by the daughter of a pop star, they take time off work and are sucked in by all the hype.

Liberation?

As if.

Women - get a life, the only people you need liberating from are yourselves.

“Judging from your last post your way behind the curve. Blaming men for female behavior is so last century. You've been liberated baby. Now own up and suck it up. You are responsible”.

Oh dear, aqvarivs I was not saying that men are responsible for all women’s woes. I stated that women are liberated in a lot of ways but this article points out that we have a long way to go. I do think that your language could do with a bit of polishing. “Baby?” I don’t know how old you are, but I am in my 50’s with adult children. And suck what up? And what am I responsible for? It is this sort of flippant comment that makes me despair of people taking the concerns aired in this article seriously.

I looked at the links you provided, however I am interested in the power dynamics of the porn industry and these articles were not helpful in this area. I am interested in this because I believe that it is acceptance of the porn industry by both men and women that is a significant reason for the sexualisation of our children via the clothing and entertainment industries and the media. That is, it has had a spillover effect into other industries. The following articles raise some interesting points. None of these are Australian, but with globalisation are relevant to here.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/21/60minutes/main585049.shtml

http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/pornography&masculinity.htm

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,1001733,00.html

Of course we can all find articles and research to back up our opinions. That is the easy part. I don’t expect to change anyone’s mind but I do think that it is naïve of some to think that porn is not harmful, and to blame it all on women’s liberation demonstates a lack of concern that borders on egocentric.

People’s views change however, as they get older and it is amazing how different people’s views change when they have children

Lizzie4,

http://www.wendymcelroy.com/xxx/

I haven't read the book contained in the above link.

What I find interesting is that the same tired old arguements are used (Dowrkin & MacKinnon) about how porn exploits women.

Very few people will consider that porn is exploitive of men as well. Financially, emotionally, sexually and psychologically.

I will reiterate that our society struggles to come to terms with sex and sexuality. In some ways it is liberal and in many other ways it is repressive. I believe that the porn industry exists as a consequence of this repressiveness.

Society in general seems to have a love/hate relationship with sex and sexuality.

Some in society would like for all of us to be either asexual or at least homosexual.

Lizzie4, what ever your age or family status if your blaming porn, which has a diversity of definition, on sexual proclivity or for the taste of fashion designers it's a grand conspiracy. Look a little closer to home. Womans magazines owned and run by women for women. Teen magazines owned by women and run by women for consumption by young girls. And I've yet to see female fashion designers model next seasons designs as complete body coverings aka 1900 swimsuits. Your post hints at it being men behind the grand conspiracy and women IF they're involved at all, is because they're trying to make do in this crazy mixed up world or are victims, but the men are deliberate abusers.

Your other post wasn't an opinion, it was an excuse. Putting it all on the shoulder of men. Those days are done. Take responsibility for what your own sex does and quit crying victim. That's what it means to suck it up. Take the heat for your own doing and way of thinking.

I'd much rather catch my daughter with a porn magazine than a teen mag. I can discuss appropriate sexual imagery a lot easier than I can try to explain to her how the attitudes expressed in those articles are sexually and emotionally manipulating her to think and view herself as an object. And that if she comes to FEEL she doesn't match up to the standard she can have an operation or two or five and be remade in the perfect image women hold for themselves.
This is much more perverted to my wife and myself than nudity or pictures of sexual activity.