How can men ethically consume pornography? Feminist Advice Friday paid subscriber bonus
The constant centering of men's wants in the feminist discussion is exhausting.
A reader asks…
Is there any form of ethical material that young men can view while masturbating, or is even the most thoughtfully presented, woman-owned and operated images and videos still fundamentally just objectifying women?
Granted, porn is a terrible template for young men to model their own sexual behavior upon. But what are the healthy alternatives to point them to? While it's important to learn about consent and safer-sex practices, those lessons don't address the entirety of a sexual experience. And they won't likely get those lessons from their parents or from formal education.
(personal anecdote: my college course for future sex-ed teachers very explicitly excluded any discussion about how to fulfill their partner's needs, or any of the mechanical aspects of intercourse).
I'm also interested in hearing harm-mitigation strategies that are less problematic if not necessarily entirely ethical. Boys are likely to be unreceptive to appeals that they abstain entirely from porn.