Loftus talks about
"Watching Sex"
Review/interview by Ivan Liu
The International Examiner: the Journal
of the Northwest Asian American Communities
March 19, 2003
David Loftus has never shied away from the controversial. In an examination of a subject that has been much debated by feminists, theologians, and the general public, Loftus tackles the subject of pornography and its influence in his new book, Watching Sex: How Men Really Respond to Pornography.
Written in response to those who have criticized porn for being pro-violent and degrading to women, Loftus uses the personal experiences and stories of nearly 150 men he interviewed to challenge these notions, and explores the many facets porn plays in our sexuality.
"The idea for this book goes back to when I was in college, during the women's movement," says Loftus. "The women's movement was about the right to participate in creating reality for yourself . . . yet women projected their reality onto men by telling them what negative messages were sent by pornography. Years went by and nobody said anything, so I thought that it was time someone called them on it."
The interviews, which include men from all different walks of life, add powerful narratives which give us a glimpse into the psyche of the men who use porn, many from different cultures, backgrounds, ages, and sexual orientations.
"I put together this super questionnaire . . . 10% of the interviews were done in real life. A lot of it was done over the Internet. It was a long involved process. The goal was to get as broad as a perspective as possible," says Loftus.
Tackling the many controversial subjects attached to pornography and how society views it, Loftus goes into the subjects with an unflinching eye -- from men's first exposures to pornography, how they use pornography, sharing pornography, what men like to see in pornography, to the appeal of lesbian porn, and the image of men in porn.
"When the book came out people expected it to be raunchy . . . they were actually surprised that it was very much like a sociology textbook," says Loftus.
When asked about Asian representation in pornography, Loftus, who is half Japanese American, replied, "There's a healthy sub-culture of Asian women in porn. There's always a small racist angle -- women from minority cultures are seen as pliant and agreeable. They're also going to be more erotic because they seem closer to the animal. I think people are turned on by something that is different."
In giving voice to the men who use porn, Loftus dispels common generalizations made about the effects of porn and its audience. Arguments that "men cannot separate fact from fantasy," "porn is addictive," and "porn causes men to be violent" are all challenged in the book.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Watching Sex is the way that it humanizes the consumers of porn -- through the voices of the men interviewed, we are not left with the idea that consumers of porn are immoral, or that they use porn with the intent to degrade others. Instead, it gives us a forum to understand why we use porn, and how we respond to it.
Loftus, who will be appearing at the Elliott Bay Book Company on March 22 to promote Watching Sex, says he isn't sure whether he'll read parts from the book, or open the room up for discussion and interact with the audience. One thing is for sure though -- this is one "taboo" subject you don't want to miss.