Dr. Rebecca Whisnant at Legal Challenges to Gender-Based Violence session

Dr. Rebecca Whisnant presented a "From Jekyll to Hyde: The Grooming of Male Pornography Consumers" at the Legal Challenges to Gender-Based Violence session in conjunction with the American Political Science Association conference in September 2010.

"From Jekyll to Hyde: The Grooming of Male Pornography Consumers"

Research has documented the prevalence of violence, humiliation and aggression against women in contemporary mainstream pornography aimed at heterosexual men and boys. Some men and boys experience ethical qualms upon encountering such material; these qualms could lead consumers to reject either the particular material in question or pornography as a whole. Thus, in order to keep profiting from the male consumer, the industry must find ways to quash whatever ethical concerns he may have: the consumer must be groomed to accept sexual dominance and sadism against women. This presentation examines how such grooming takes place, both within pornography itself and within online networks of pornography consumers. Common techniques for breaking down consumers’ ethical boundaries include male-bonding appeals, humor and joking, catering to anxious masculinity, and encouraging self-fragmentation. As a result of these grooming processes, the male porn user becomes both abuser and abused, both consumer and consumed.