Sex and Psychology Podcast

Episode 351: The Pornification of America

5 snips

Dec 6, 2024

Bernadette Barton

Dr. Bernadette Barton, Professor of Sociology and Director of Gender Studies at Morehead State University, explores the intricacies of today's highly pornified culture. She discusses the rise of raunch culture, its impact on women's sexuality, and the contradictory existence of both raunch and purity cultures. The conversation delves into the transformation of porn accessibility, the need for comprehensive sex education, and the importance of porn literacy for youth. Barton critiques the societal norms that shape our understanding of sexuality in a hypersexualized world.

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INSIGHT

Defining Raunch Culture

Raunch culture is the hyper-sexualization of culture, presenting women as sex workers.
It incorporates elements of the sex industry into mainstream media, like dress and attitudes.

INSIGHT

Origins of Raunch Culture

The rise of raunch culture correlates with the rise of readily available internet porn.
Easy online access normalized pornographic expectations, influencing mainstream culture.

ANECDOTE

Accessing Pornography in the Past

Accessing porn used to involve going to a physical store with a roped-off section.
This public act and interaction with a cashier created shame and changed the relationship with porn.

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These days, it seems like sex is everywhere you look. We live in a very pornified culture in many ways, but it wasn’t always like this. So what changed? In today’s show, we’re going to explore the rise of “raunch culture.” Some of the topics we’ll discuss include the effects of living in a hypersexualized society, the mixed messages that women receive about sex, and why raunch culture and purity culture co-exist.

I am joined once again by Dr. Bernadette Barton, a Professor of Sociology and the Director of Gender Studies at Morehead State University. Barton is co-editor of the new book Sex Work Today: Erotic Labor in the 21st Century. She is also author of the book The Pornification of America. Her research and teaching explore contemporary issues of gender, sexuality, religion, culture, happiness, and the sex industry.

Some of the specific questions we answer in this episode include:

What is “raunch culture?”
When and why did our culture start to become so highly pornified?
Is raunch culture empowering to women?
Is the hypersexualization of society a sign of sex-positivity?
Raunch culture and purity culture seem at odds with one another, so how do they exist simultaneously?

You can get 30% off Sex Work Today when you input code NYUP30 at checkout on nyupress.org.

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