Third Wave Feminism

Third-wave feminism has become synonymous with sex-positivity and the empowering nature of sexual activity. Sex-positivity has been defined as: “a celebration of sexuality as a positive aspect of life, with a broader definition of what sex means and what oppression and empowerment may imply in the context of sex.” This emergence of sexual positivity has created friction in the past, with ‘the feminist sex wars’ splitting feminists into liberal and radical camps. Despite this, the third-wave and sex-positive movement has continued and has gone as far as to encourage the consumption and creation of ‘feminist porn’ as a loose resource of discovering one’s sexuality. As described by Shine Houston, a founder and producer for Pink and White productions
With the endorsement of viewing pornography also comes the endorsement of increasingly demeaning sex acts such as anal penetration, deep-throating, and fisting to name a few. Alongside the consumption of pornography, dominant and submissive relationships are not seen as problematic but the power imbalance can even be seen as empowering - as described in How to be a Healthy and Happy Submissive “feeling a need or desire to be dominated does not mean that you are … not a ‘good feminist’”. By looking at three key institutions of sexual behaviour: BDSM, pornography, and sex-work, this project aims to analyse the contrast between third-wave and second-wave feminist politics in relation to these areas in an effort to conclude whether or not third-wave and sex-positive feminism is harming
Modern strands of second-wave feminism are often associated with identifying patriarchy as the overarching oppressor, and therefore calling for the destruction of patriarchal society and promoting female liberation from male oppression. Second-wave feminists believe that the actions that third-wave feminists believe are empowering or liberating are actually oppressive and this is because it harms women on both a micro and macro level. While third-wave feminists support and encourage the consumption of pornographic material second-wave feminists believe that it should be eradicated as a form of entertainment; even ‘feminist porn’ replicates heteropatriarchal ideas of female submission. Sheila Jeffreys stated that “the new feminist erotica looked a lot like the old antifeminist pornography: it eroticized dominance and submission” showing that even ‘feminist porn’ mimics the patriarchal stereotypes seen in traditional porn and society as a whole. This type of sexual activity is not empowering or liberating for women, and by partaking in these sexual acts women are perpetuating the idea that they are naturally subordinate or submissive. Not only does pornography replicate gender stereotypes in