Is Feminist Porn Possible?

Abstract

This paper begins by exploring the feminist anti-pornography argument proposed by Rae Langton. This argument employs J. L. Austin’s speech act theory to maintain that pornography does not merely harm women (the traditional feminist anti-pornography argument), pornography constitutes harm itself. One outcome of this argument, if successful, would be that feminist porn would not be possible and that the phrase ‘feminist porn’ would be nonsensical. But, I argue, Langton’s argument is problematic and ought to be rejected. This opens up the possibility of feminist porn. Employing philosophical arguments on social construction and what Ian Hacking has called “looping effects,” as well as some writings by people who identify themselves as feminist pornographers, I indicate what such porn looks like and how it represents sexuality in ways that feminists should find less problematic than typical, heterosexual, mainstream porn.