Full Description
Pornography, also known as sexually explicit material intended to cause sexual arousal, has been hailed by many as a growing public health crisis. Multiple states have now passed resolutions declaring pornography a harm to individual and collective health for inciting epidemics of sexual assault, human trafficking, and compulsive use. But research on the impact of pornography reveals a complicated story behind the straightforward narrative of abuse, including the repression of sex positive materials in the pursuit of pornographic containment.
Pornography and Public Health uses a rigorous evidence-based approach to explore the positive and negative effects of pornography on public health, revealing how pornography came to be considered a public health crisis despite the lack of US governmental support. While pornographic content varies widely, this book provides a holistic overview of the people who view pornography, what they are most likely to see, how content has changed over time, and how these changes appear to influence some users. Each chapter explores controversies related to important subtopics in pornography scholarship including aggression, body image, and problematic use, as well as acknowledging the benefits that porn and porn literacy can provide in some contexts. Drawing on meticulous research and close readings of the available data, Emily F. Rothman explores the implications of existing evidence for practice and policy and offers meaningful guidance for public health scholars interested in understanding, and resolving, one of the most complicated issues in health and human behavior of our time.
With unique academic insights, Pornography and Public Health avoids moralizing to argue that we can take steps to minimize possible harms from pornography while simultaneously protecting sexual liberty and promoting respect for pornography performers.
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Pornography as a US Public Health Problem
Chapter 2: Defining Pornography
Chapter 3: Pornography Viewers
Chapter 4: Pornography Content
Chapter 5: Pornography and Aggression
Chapter 6: Problematic Pornography Use
Chapter 7: Pornography and Intimate Partnerships
Chapter 8: The Effects of Pornography on Youth
Chapter 9: Pornography and Body Image
Chapter 10: Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
Chapter 11: Pornography and Human Trafficking
Chapter 12: The Occupational Safety and Health of Pornography Performers
Chapter 13: The Benefits of Pornography
Chapter 14: Pornography Literacy
