Violence and Obsenity in Sexualized Media

Collecting images as examples of violence and obscenity in sexualized media made me think a lot about what violence and obscenity really are. Who dictates what is considered violent and obscene in the media and where do I get the ideas I have about what I think is violent or obscene? For me, it is easier to detect and agree on what images strike me as violent, but I still found that there was a gray area. For example, the first image shows a woman's mouth bound, which could be portrayed as a violent act against her. However, it is hasty on my part to label it "violence" without knowing more about the context of the situation. Maybe she is a part of the kink community and enjoys this kind of sex play, or maybe she is not enjoying herself at all. Dwarkin, in her article "Against the Male Flood" suggests that images such as this add to the suppression and silencing of women and therefore constitute as violence towards all women.
The second image, taken from a new Showtime show "The Tudors", has appeared on billboards and magazine ads with the caption "King takes Queen". The fact that his hand is around her throat along with this caption suggest violence toward the woman by the man. I have not seen the show so I cannot say if this is true or not, but that is the impression that I got and I feel it is meant to give that impression. The woman does not all together look as if she is unhappy in the picture which also sends the message that women enjoy being dominated or treated with force.

Dictating what is considered obscene was more difficult for me than violence. The Obscenity law, as defined by Andrea Dworkin in her article "Against the Male Flood", includes nudity, public displays, lewd exhibition, exposed genitalia or buttocks, or pubic areas, sodomy, masturbation, sexual intercourse, and excretion. I feel even some of these examples, such as lewd exhibition, can be interpreted subjectively. I chose image three, an ad for a camera, as an example of obscenity not solely on the image but because the caption "What you choose to do with it is up to you." suggests the voyeuristic act of candidly taking photos, up girls skirts or otherwise, while they are not looking. The fact that there is not consent between both parties makes this obscene to me. One could even say it is an act of violence, if crossing barriers such as this can be viewed as a violent act against one's privacy. The last two examples have both obscenity and violence within them. The fourth example is the lyrics and music to Too Shorts "Invasion of the Flat Booty Bitches". The song has lyrics about slapping "bitches" and kicking their "flat butts". Violence towards women is especially common in certain genres of rap music and is normalized in songs such as this by presenting it as entertainment. The last example is a link to a recent article published in the Washington Post about the raid of the FLDS church compound. The article talks about how very young women were subjected to sex slavery for men much older than them. The use of force against one's will in any sexual act is both obscene and violent in my opinion.

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2. "The Tudors" on Showtime.

















3. Camera ad in magazine



4. Link to music and lyrics of Too Short "Invasion of the Flat Booty Bitches".

http://www.rhapsody.com/tooshort/cantstayaway/invasionoftheflatbootybitches/lyrics.html



5. Link to article about FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) about sex slavery for women and children involved in the recent compound that was raided in Texas.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/11/1207856831642.html