Pornography | Chapter 4 Chapter Preface

The protracted study of pornography’s effect on women has led to a heated debate within the women’s movement between those who oppose pornography and those who defend it. According to writer Edward H. Hurley, the history of the feminist response to pornography can be divided up into three “waves.”

During the first wave of the feminist critique of pornography, which began in the early 1970s, feminists such as Gloria Steinem viewed pornography as a means of objectifying women and sex. Others, such as Helen Longini, stressed that pornography degraded women. First wave...

[The entire page is 282 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: