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Toward a Third-Wave Feminist Legal Theory: Young Women, Pornography and the Praxis of Pleasure

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Toward a Third-Wave Feminist Legal Theory: Young Women, Pornography and the Praxis of Pleasure Pace University DigitalCommons@Pace Pace Law Faculty Publications School of Law 1-1-2007 Toward a Third-Wave Feminist Legal Theory: Young Women, Pornography and the Praxis of Pleasure Bridget J. Crawford Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/lawfaculty Part of the Law and Gender Commons, and the Law and Society Commons Recommended Citation Bridget J. Crawford, Toward a Third-Wave Feminist Legal Theory: Young Women, Pornography and the Praxis of Pleasure, 14 Mich. J. Gender & L. 99 (2007), http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/lawfaculty/243/. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law at DigitalCommons@Pace. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pace Law Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Pace. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TowardaThird-WaveFeministLegalTheory: YoungWomen,PornographyandthePraxisof Pleasure BridgetJ.Crawford† ABSTRACT This article critically examines a growing body of non-legal writing by womenwhohaveproclaimeda"third-wave"offeminismandsuggeststheways thatlegaltheorymightbeenrichedbythiswork.Scholarstypicallylabelthe nineteenth-century woman suffrage movement as the"first wave"of feminism, and view the legal and social activism of the 1970s as the "second wave" of feminism. The third wave of feminism, with its intellectual origins in the responsetotheClarenceThomasSenateconfirmationhearings,isareactionto the popular stereotype that feminists are humorless man-haters. Third-wave feminists proclaim their difference from second-wave feminists and celebrate "girlpower,"thejoysofmake-upandfemininity,thecomplexityofhumandesire andtheimportanceoffun. Using pornography as the central focus, this article explores the main themes and methods of third-wave feminism. Third-wave feminists view the makingandconsumptionofpornographyasamatterofpersonalpreferenceand activelyresistanyroleforlawintheregulationofpornography.Thesethird- wavewritingsaboutpornographyandotherissuesexpress:(1)dissatisfaction withearlierfeminists;(2)themultiplenatureofpersonalidentity;(3)thejoyof embracingatraditionallyfeminineappearanceandfeminineattributes;(4)the centrality of sexual pleasure and sexual self-awareness; (5) the obstacles to economic empowerment; and (6) the social and cultural impact of media and technology.Theprincipalmethodsofthird-wavefeminismarepersonalstory- telling,coalition-buildingandharnessingandinterpretingthemedia. Substantivelythird-wavefeminismisneo-legalinthesensethatitdoesnot imagineafullroleforlawinachievingequalitybetweenmenandwomen.The articleconcludesbysuggestingapossiblethird-wavefeministlegalapproachto internet regulation, domestic violence, prostitution, abortion, reproductive technology,childcare,andsexualharassment. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ……... 3 I. THIRD-WAVEFEMINISM ……... 8 A. OriginsofThird-WaveFeminism ……... 8 B. MajorWritingsofThird-WaveFeminism ……... 10 † VisitingAssociateProfessor,UniversityofPennsylvaniaLawSchool.AssociateProfessor, PaceUniversitySchoolofLaw.B.A.YaleUniversity1991.J.D.UniversityofPennsylvaniaLaw School1996.Born1969,Cleveland,Ohio.Forgenerouscommentsandconversations,Ithank Don Doernberg, Janet A. Johnson, Lissa Griffin, Melissa E. Murray, Audrey Rogers, Darren Rosenblumand[].LindaChorzewski,PatriciaLattanzio,ElizabethLuk,RichardPohlmanand DebraScottprovidedableresearchassistance. 2 BridgetJ.Crawford C. PrincipalIdeasofThird-WaveFeminism ……... 16 1.DissatisfactionWithEarlierFeminists ……... 17 2. MultipleNatureofPersonalIdentity ……... 19 3. JoyofEmbracingTraditionalFemaleAppearance ……... 20 andAttributes 4.CentralityofSexualPleasureandSexualSelf- ……... 21 Awareness 5. ObstaclestoEconomicEmpowerment ……... 22 6. SocialandCulturalImpactofMediaand ……... 23 Technology D. PrincipalMethodsofThird-WaveFeminism ……... 24 1. TellingPersonalStories ……... 24 2. BuildingCoalitions ……... 26 3. InterpretingandHarnessingtheMedia ……... 26 II. THESEXWARSOFTHESECONDWAVE ……... 31 A. PornographyisaFeministIssue ……... 31 B.DominanceFeminismandPornography'sHarms ……... 33 C.LiberalFeminismandCensorship'sHarms ……... 35 III.THETHIRDWAVETAKESONPORNOGRAPHY ……... 37 A. PornographyasSexualExpression ……... 38 B. PornographyasPerformance ……... 43 C. Pornographyas(JustAnother)Exploitation ……... 46 D. PornographyasthePraxisofPleasure ……... 49 IV.THETHIRD-WAVEFEMINISTAGENDA ……... 51 A.TheThirdWaveAgenda ……... 54 B.TheThirdWave'sNeolegalism ……... 54 V.TOWARDATHIRD-WAVEFEMINISTLEGALTHEORY ……... 55 A. Third-WaveFeministLegalGoals ……... 55 1. InternetRegulation ……... 55 2. DomesticViolence ……... 56 3. Prostitution ……... 57 4. ReproductiveFreedomandTechnology ……... 58 5. Child-Care ……... 59 6. SexualHarassment ……... 59 B. Third-WaveFeministLegalMethods ……... 60 CONCLUSION ……... 62 TowardaThird-WaveFeministLegalTheory 3 INTRODUCTION Feministsareugly,boringandshrill,accordingtotheircritics.Thepopular press stereotypes feminists as anti-beauty,1 anti-pleasure2 and anti-fun.3 Many youngwomentodayshunthefeministlabel,notwantingtobelumpedinwiththe bra-burning,hairy-legged,strident"women'slibber"ofthe1970s.Youngwomen whodoidentifythemselvesasfeministsgotogreatlengthstoexplainhowtheir brand of feminism is different from the feminism of their mothers.4 This self- proclaimed "third wave" of feminists consists of women who are too young to havetakenpartinthe"secondwave"of1970sactivism,letalonethe"firstwave" ofnineteenth-centuryadvocacyforwomen'srights.5Thesethird-wavefeminists 1 Writer Anna Quindlen quotes one professor as saying that "[t]here are a lot of homely womeninwomen'sstudies....Preachingtheseantimale,antisexsermonsisawayforthemto compensateforvariousheartaches–they'rejustmadatthebeautifulgirls."AnnaQuindlen,And Now, Babe Feminism, in “BAD GIRLS”/“GOOD GIRLS”: WOMEN, SEX, AND POWER IN THE NINETIES 4 (Nan Bauer Maglin & Donna Marie Perry eds., 1996) (quoting Clark University ProfessorChristinaHoffSommers). 2 See,e.g.,KathleenTrigiani,AsLongasMenLikeMr.MarsandVenusExist,3FEMINISTA! No.8,¶2,availableathttp://www.feminista.com/archives/v3n8/trigiani.html(“[I]fIhadtoadmit thatAndrea[Dworkin]hadavalidpointortwo,wouldmyfriendsthinkIwasanti-sex,anti-men, anti-pleasure,andanti-freespeech?"). 3 As Tucker Carlson, the conservative former co-host of the CNN program Crossfire, has said,"Thetraditionalanti-funfeministpointofviewisthatofcoursemenarebad,andtheymake womendobadthings."Crossfire(CNNtelevisionbroadcastNov.20,2002)(statementofTucker Carlson). 4 According to a 2001 Gallup Poll, 24.97% of surveyed respondents consider themselves feminists.GallupPoll,June11-17,2001(Q30:"Doyouconsideryourselfafeminist,ornot?"). Compare 1999 Gallup Poll, Feb. 3-7, 1999 (26.09 % those surveyed consider themselves feminists);GallupPollFeb.5-11,1986(10.25%respondentssurveyedself-identifyasa"strong feminist,"45.58%self-identifyasfeminist,27.65%identifyasnotafeminist,3.96%identifyas anti-feminist,and12.55%cannotsay);GallupPoll,Dec.17-19,1992(32.53%peoplesurveyed considerthemselvesfeminists);GallupPoll,Oct.10-11,1991(30.40%peoplesurveyedconsider themselvesfeminists).OneCBSpollreportsthat22%ofwomensaidthatbeingcalledafeminist would be considered an "insult." Carey Roberts, Feminine Mystique, of Feminine Mistake?, RENEW AMERICA,Feb.14,2006,http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/roberts/060214.Butsee Women’s Equality Poll: 1995, Peter Y. Harris Research Group, Inc. (poll prepared for the Feminist Majority Foundation showing that 71% women and 61% men consider themselves feminists). One young woman attributes her peers' aversion to feminist identification to the negativestereotypesassociatedwiththefeministmovement:"Thefeminismthatyoungerwomen areafraidof,itseemstome,isthefeminismthatassumethereisonepurewaytobeanditisanti- capitalist, super-serious and hostile to bikini waxes and Madonna." Katha Pollitt & Jennifer Baumgardner,Afterword:ACorrespondenceBetweenKathaPollitandJenniferBaumgardner,in CATCHINGAWAVE:RECLAIMINGFEMINISMFORTHE21STCENTURY310(RoryDicker&Alison Piepmeiereds.,2003)(statementofJenniferBaumgardner). 5 Some writers and scholars define third-wave feminists as those "whose birthdates fall between 1963 and 1973." Leslie Heywood & Jennifer Drake, Introduction to THIRD WAVE AGENDA:BEINGFEMINIST,DOINGFEMINISMat4(LeslieHeywood&JenniferDrakeeds.,1997). SeealsoLisaJervis,TheEndofFeminism'sThirdWave,MS.,Winter2004/2005,at57("Iwas bornin1972,rightsmackinthedemographicthatpeoplethinkaboutwhentheythinkaboutthe thirdwave."). 4 BridgetJ.Crawford bemoantheoldergeneration'sperceivedmonopolyonfeministleadership6andits failure to articulate a broadly inclusive (or even relevant) feminist movement.7 Thepopularpressandacademicdisciplinesotherthanlawhaveremarkedonthis incipient body of third-wave feminist writings,8 but legal scholars have not yet The word "feminism" is a twentieth-century term that describes a particular subsection of womansuffragists.SeeNANCYF.COTT,THEGROUNDINGOFMODERNFEMINISM3(1987)("The appearance of Feminism in the 1910s signaled a new phase in the debate and agitation about women’s rights and freedoms that had flared for hundreds of years. People in the nineteenth centurydidnotsayfeminism.Theyspokeoftheadvancementofwomanorthecauseofwoman, woman’s rights, and woman suffrage."). For a brief historical background of United States women's movement, see generally FEMINIST JURISPRUDENCE: TAKING WOMEN SERIOUSLY 1-16 (Mary Becker et al. eds., 2001). On the nineteenth-century woman suffrage movement, see generallyAILEENKRADITOR,IDEASOFTHEWOMANSUFFRAGEMOVEMENT1890-19201(1965).
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