Session 6: Body, Feminism, and Porn

Table Manners
May 19
5 min read

Sunday, January 19, 2024

Participants: 5

Overcoming Gender Roles: Session Six

“Body, Feminism, and Porn”

Women’s Bodies and Abortion

We discussed problems around access to the morning-after pill. In Japan, it’s commonly understood only as treatment after rape, whereas abroad some couples even use it casually as contraception. One participant was asked by a foreign couple, “Where can we buy the morning-after pill?” In Japan today, it requires a doctor’s prescription and must be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. As a result, some people who need it can’t get it and end up having abortions.

Under the Maternal Protection Law, abortion is permitted only before 22 weeks’ gestation, based on when a fetus could survive outside the mother. But opinions differ—depending on religious or cultural background—about when life acquires human rights. Some held that life begins at implantation, others at ovulation, and still others even at the egg or sperm stage. For example, one person pointed out that “sperm that never fertilizes dies,” suggesting that even eggs and sperm are living individuals. We listened closely to these varying perspectives on the stages of life.

Recently, a compensation system for victims of the old Eugenics Protection Law went into effect. Victims who were forced to undergo sterilization or abortion—and their spouses—will receive compensation. We reflected on the era when the state compelled abortion under criminal law, and discussed whether today’s Maternal Protection Law truly allows women full freedom to choose for their own bodies—taking into account access to the morning-after pill and the role of spouses.

Gender Differences in Revealing Clothing

Perceptions of how much skin is too much vary by country and region. Even wearing the same outfit can feel “too revealing” or not, depending on one’s upbringing and current environment. Some participants wondered, “Does hiding something only make people more curious?” Others asked, “When I choose a design that draws the eye to the chest, am I really choosing for myself—or am I choosing to suit a man’s preferences?” Some found that frustrating. Meanwhile, others pick out clothes for their indifferent spouses, showing how varied the reasons and backgrounds are for choosing one’s level of exposure.

There was also a view that women enjoy more freedom in dress. For example, while it’s normal for women to wear pants, men rarely pick skirts for the sake of coolness in summer. Even as unisex school uniforms become more common, such fixed ideas about clothing are hard to overcome. In both genders, then, we see constraints on dress choices rooted in gender.

These attitudes have changed over time. In the past in Japan, it wasn’t unusual to see mothers nursing on the train with their breasts exposed. We offered several reasons why that disappeared: as families became nuclear, it was harder to nurse without hiding, so exposure was accepted; the shift from kimono to Western dress increased visible nursing; and women’s breasts were openly recognized for their maternal function. Today, many mothers hide under nursing covers in front of in-laws or nurse in private rooms at their parents’ homes. We felt that societal values shift not only by region but also by era.

How Oversimplification Silences Voices

Even within the “straight” sexual orientation, there are many differences. Yet, for the sake of concise discussion, people often lump everyone together as “straight.” If you try to explain every nuance, the conversation never reaches a conclusion, and someone asks, “So what exactly are you saying?” By simplifying complex issues, the essence can become hidden. This has happened in the history of the women’s movement: to make women’s demands easier to present, diversity of sexual orientation was excluded, and lesbians were marginalized within the movement. In any movement involving people from diverse backgrounds, simplification helps understanding but risks sacrificing that very diversity. Sometimes, in order to boost TV ratings, shows are produced that strip the content down to neat, clear-cut opposites, making them “easy to watch.”

Some people want the conclusion immediately; others want to share the whole complicated process. One participant suggested that men feel uneasy without a clear conclusion, while women tend to accept ambiguity and avoid rushing to judgment. Looking back at history, even women’s voices have been silenced: during the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement, women were not allowed to speak on rights, so men read their speeches for them. Such environments, where the stakeholders couldn’t speak directly, made it hard to convey passion and conviction.

That “male-centered” bias remains in some areas today. For example, at weddings it’s customary for only the groom to give a speech. We recognized that men still often occupy the “speaker” role in many contexts.

Porn and Sexual Expression

“Erotica vs. Porn - the Difference”

Finally, we discussed sexual expression in pornography. One opinion was that violent sexual scenes serve men’s desires to dominate and possess. Pornography often centers on male desire, with far fewer expressions reflecting women’s sexuality. Others countered that male and female sexual desire might genuinely differ. When violent scenes appear in porn shoots, questions arise about whether the actors’ human rights are respected. In mainstream films and media, by contrast, women’s nipples are prohibited regardless of context, revealing an imbalance in how sexual expression of male and female bodies is regulated. We debated what criteria should distinguish erotica (literary or artistic sexual expression) from pornography, and how our own values shape those boundaries.

“Childrearing and Pornography”

Discussion also arose from the standpoint of childrearing and pornography consumption. One participant argued that instead of simply banning pornography, we should teach that “porn is fantasy.” In practice, some adult‐video directors and performers are doing outreach to show what really happens behind the scenes of shoots, so that young people learn not to confuse fantasy with reality.

However, the advance of AI technology has created new problems. With AI tools, even children can easily map a person’s face onto pornographic videos—and when such deepfakes circulate on social media, the victim’s human rights are violated. This echoes earlier incidents in which fake images of idols were circulated, but today’s technology makes the harm far more serious. In this context, what measures are needed to protect the “human rights of the body’s owner”?

Future Challenges

In this reading group we tackled issues from women’s bodies to clothing choices, from sexual representation to how we convey complex debates. From our discussion three key needs emerged:

1. Promote Understanding of the Morning-After Pill

We need a society—and an informed public—where women can make choices about their bodies with minimal physical and mental burden, and where the morning-after pill is better understood and accessible.

2. Cultivate a Culture That Embraces Complexity

To ensure that marginalized voices aren’t lost when debates are oversimplified, we must learn to accept complexity as complexity.

3. Safeguard Human Rights in Sexual Expression

We need to curb human-rights abuses enabled by AI in sexual media, protect performers on set, and reinforce sex education that distinguishes reality from fantasy and emphasizes informed consent.

In compiling these minutes, we felt keenly how difficult it is to hold on to nuance when putting complex issues into words. In our next session, we hope to resist the urge to simplify specialist terms and instead keep sharing everyone’s own vocabulary.

Minutes prepared by Danshiro

References

"Grasping Gender Studies"Written by Yuki Senda, Yuko Nakanishi, and Kaoru Aoyama

Chapters 7: Body and Gender
Chapters 8: Feminism and Gender

This introductory book offers foundational insights into gender studies, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding gender dynamics. Written in an accessible tone, it is an ideal starting point for readers.