Victim’s response and alcohol-related factors as determinants of women’s responses to violent pornography. Psychology of Women Quarterly

Women suffer a variety of detrimental effects from exposure to violent pornography. This study examined the role of specific situational cues embedded within a violent pornographic story, as well as alcohol consumption and alcohol expectancies, to determine potential mechanisms through which these effects occur. Female social drinkers (N = 123), recruited from the community at large, participated in a between-subjects factorial experiment varying two situational cues—victim response (pleasure vs. distress) and story character beverage consumption (alcohol vs. mineral water)—and participant beverage consumption (alcohol vs. placebo vs. tonic). Results indicate that participants ’ identification with the victim plays a key role in affecting their responses and that alcohol-related factors appear to exacerbate the negative impact of pornography. Feminists have long claimed that pornography1 is detrimen-tal towomen (cf.Dworkin, 1981; Russell, 1993). Substantial evidence exists showing that, among men, exposure to pornography, especially that which contains violence, fos-ters rape-positive attitudes and behaviors (see, e.g., Mala-muth & Donnerstein, 1984). Less research has been di-rected toward assessing the effects of exposure to pornogra-phyonwomen.Becausepornography is gearedprimarily for male consumption, many have assumed that women have little or no contact with it, except for those who participate in its production. However, several studies have shown that women, from as early as adolescence, have contact with ex