UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE Satu Aalto UNPLEASANT PLEASANT PLACE The essence of a Porn Shop? Master’s Thesis Department of Journalism and Mass Communication April 2011 UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE Department of Journalism and Mass Communication AALTO, SATU: UNPLEASANT PLEASANT PLACE The essence of a Porn Shop? Master’s Thesis, 101 Pages Journalism and Mass Communication, Master’s Program of Places, Spaces and Transnational Relations (ISSS) April 2011 Aim: This study examines perceptions of place and space, and how porn shops fit into these perceptions. Place is understood as something concrete, whereas space is understood as something abstract. To exist, a space requires a place. In addition, this study observes how shame, stigma, taboo, and (fear of) other, are present. Research questions; ‘What and where is a porn shop in terms of Place and Space?’ and ‘Are the Other, Shame and Stigma placed when visiting a porn shop?’ were treated both empirical and theoretical ways. Approach: Conversational, philosophical and psychological; covering history of sexuality and porn, society in general, and different cultures. Empirical and theoretical fuse. Data: Collected by using participant observation; comparing results with the findings by other researchers, interviews and open discussion boards. Prime research method, both ethnography (naturalistic branch) and auto-ethnography. Conclusion: The term ‘Unpleasant pleasant place’ is accurate to describe the context of my study. However porn shops also fit into the idea of place, space, and non-place. Keywords: Non-place, Place, Space, Porn, the Other, Shame, Stigma, Taboo, Sexuality, Sex, Media, Porn shop, Feminism, Ethics, Media, Auto-ethnography. TAMPEREEN YLIOPISTO Tiedotusopin laitos AALTO, SATU: UNPLEASANT PLEASANT PLACE The essence of a Porn Shop? Pro gradu –tutkielma, 101 sivua Journalism and Mass Communication, Master’s Program of Places, Spaces and Transnational Relations (ISSS) Huhtikuu 2011 Tämä tutkielma tarkastelee tilan ja paikan käsitystä, ja sitä kuinka pornokauppa sopii näihin käsityksiin. Paikka ymmärretään konkreettisena, tila abstraktina. Ollakseen olemassa, tila vaatii paikan. Myös häpeän, stigman, tabun ja “fear of the Other” käsitteet ovat vahvasti läsnä. Tutkimuskysymyksiä, ‘Mikä ja missä pornokauppa on suhteessa tilaan ja paikkaan?’ sekä ‘Ovatko the Other, häpeä, stigma ja tabu läsnä pornokaupassa?’ käsiteltin sekä empiirisesti että teoreettisesti. Lähestymistapa on keskusteleva, filosofinen ja psykologinen; pornon ja seksuaalisuuden historiaa, yhteiskuntaa yleisesti sekä erilaisia kultuureja käsittelevä. Empiria ja teoria sulautuvat. Data on kerätty osallistuvalla havainnoinnilla, sekä strukturoimattomilla haastatteluilla. Löydöksiä, omia ja toisten tutkijoiden, verrattiin keskenään. Myös keskustelupalstoja tutkittiin. Primaarinen tutkimusmetodi oli sekä etnografia (naturalistinen) että autoetnografia. Tuloksena, termi ‘epämiellyttävä miellyttävä paikka’ on paikkansapitävä. Tosin, pornokauppa sopii myös tilan, paikan ja epäpaikan määritteiden alle. Avainsanat: Epäpaikka, Paikka, Tila, Porno, the Other, Häpeä, Stigma, Tabu, Seksuaalisuus, Seksi, Media, Feminismi, Etiikka, Media, Pornokauppa, Autoetnografia. Dedicated to a person living in the middle of place and space, concrete and abstract; in a space in which no one else can see into. With Love. INDEX 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research questions and problems involved and evolved .......................................................... 4 2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Methods in use .............................................................................................................................................. 8 2.3 The Inevitable; Ethical Issues and Moral Dilemmas ................................................................. 11 2.4 Auto‐ethnography and Self‐reFlectivity .......................................................................................... 17 3 A SHORT HISTORY OF PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUALITY ...................................... 22 3.2 Media and Pornographic Material .................................................................................................... 28 3.2.1 The case of RFSU, K‐Citymarket and Iltalehti ........................................................................... 32 3.2.2 Common sex toy ‐ Common porn shop? ....................................................................................... 35 3.3 Feminism and Pornography ................................................................................................................ 36 3.3.1 Theory and Practice ............................................................................................................................. 38 4 THE NOTION OF PLACE AND SPACE .................................................................... 45 4.2 The Betweenness oF Place ..................................................................................................................... 47 4.3 A Sense oF Place and Placelessness ................................................................................................... 49 4.4 Concept oF a Non‐Place .......................................................................................................................... 52 4.5 Concrete Non‐Place? ............................................................................................................................... 54 4.6 About DiFFerent Spaces ........................................................................................................................... 56 5 FROM NON‐PLACE TOWARDS UNPLEASANT PLEASANT PLACE ........................... 60 6 TABOOS. STIGMAS. ASSUMPTIONS. ................................................................... 66 6.2 The Famous Other ..................................................................................................................................... 73 6.3 Stranger knowing ..................................................................................................................................... 75 7 SELLING THE FANTASY ........................................................................................ 79 7.2 Me and Michael Stein on the Field ..................................................................................................... 82 7.2.1 Similarities and differences in findings: ...................................................................................... 82 8 CONCLUSIVE REFLECTION; A WORD AFTER ......................................................... 86 8.2 In‐between Place and a Non‐Place .................................................................................................... 88 9 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................... 94 1 INTRODUCTION “I feel privileged that I met C.G. Jung in the same times where he was searching and had no definite formulations. I remember how I said: `But what you say today is just the contrary of what you said last week,' and he answered: `That may be so, but this is true, and the other was also true; life is paradox.' It was a most stimulating experience.” – Tina Keller (Swan, 2006:505) In recent years, the sex-industry and its by-products have once again come to the fore. This is evidenced by an ever-growing discussion in the media about pornography, prostitution, erotic-dancers, illegal porn, escorts, adult toys and other related topics. Such discussion has been directly fuelled by recent studies in the field, such as: examining prostitution and prostitutes in Finland (Kontula: 2008), erotic dancers, prostitutes and corporeal globalization (Penttinen: 2004), porn in popular culture in Jokapäiväinen Pornomme (edit, Nikunen, Paasonen, Saarenmaa: 2005), Mediated Sex, Pornography & Postmodern Culture (McNair: 1996) or the sex industry as a whole (Williams: 2004). Whereas the field was earlier dominated by a hardcore feminist approach (Lederer: 1980, Dworkin: 1981, 1985, 1987, MacKinnon: 1993, etc.), recent studies have taken an approach both for and against the feminist perspective. Researchers seem to have moved away from the extremely black and white opinionated ideas that earlier characterized the field. It has become clear that the pornography industry, like many other study topics, can be seen as both disturbing and providing. Pamela Paul states; “One need not be a prude or a religious zealot to experience revulsion at the sight of certain pornography, just as one need not to be a depraved pervert or a lefty activist to use pornography.” (2005:10).In other words, researchers are now able to see pornography as both, as a good and bad thing, not just one or the other. Regarding Harri Kalha (2007:15), the word porn can presently be seen as endlessly versatile. It is a 1 phenomenon that manages to penetrate the whole visual culture of art, literature, and media. Although considerable research has been devoted to the actor, rather less attention has been paid to the places they might occupy. Indeed, little attention has been given to one of the most visible and concrete places for pornography and adult toys, the high street porn shop. So far I have managed to find only a few articles dealing with pornographic establishments (Berkowitz: 2006, Hefley: 2007, Stein: 1990). This may be considered surprising in light