A particular moment in the presentation stood out, among the many other amazing points, when Gail talked about what kind of woman is most prevalent in the upper echelons of the Porn Industry. That is, the white, blonde bombshell.
I am not a blonde naturally and I was much more grateful for my genetics after watching Dines presentation on the racist nature of Porn.
Putting black women together with images of the jungle, painting black women as inferior animals, along with the fact that women who are signed on and contracted within the major Porn companies are white and blonde, had me so angry I almost vomited. Not to mention the fact that whenever a company like Vivid has a contracted woman who happens to be a bit darker than white, the company quickly manufactures a bio that includes something about WHY she is a bit darker than the default blonde, blue-eyed white woman.
It struck me that if men are being socialized to lust after the blonde white women then those of us who actually give a shit about our society and our feminism could engage in a little culture jamming ourselves.
What if we had a global campaign that instructed blondes to dye their hair any other colour besides blonde? What if no pornified man could see examples of what he sees in porn on the streets he walks? We'll have one less category of comfort for the men searching for the image. The Blonde Bomb. Blonde Bombs Away. Bombing Blonde. Dyeing to Kill Porn. The Day the Blonde Bimbo Dyed.
I confess that I was incredibly happy my genetics didn't include the blonde gene. I also thought about my pubic hair and its blackness. It made me feel rebellious. Eccentric. *I* am NOT like those images. When men see me on the street, they will not see what is admired as the ultimate fucking experience, and thank the stars for that.
Doubly thank the stars for the ability to dye our hair. This is an example of a time where the fact that women CAN change is in our interest to do so.
Yes, I realize that some of you will protest with the 'why do WE women have to change?' Well, like any good culture jam, sometimes you must take the initiative, buy the black, red, or purple hair dye and go to town.
It's a minor rebellion perhaps but one worth engaging in from where I sit. I mean, hell, we burned our bras, so why the hell not?
No comments:
Post a Comment