Contemporary Sexuality - March 2009 - (Page 13)

which their bodies respond in an atmosphere of love and support. Ina May Gaskin reports that women labor and give birth differently in the presence of other sympathetic women. I cannot overstate the importance of this movie for health educators, sexuality educators, obstetricians and gynecologists, women planning a pregnancy and those already pregnant and planning for their child’s birth. It is affirming and informative, and it challenges women to “take back your birth.” Childbirth can be a transforming experience when it is allowed to happen naturally and, as the filmmaker illustrates, “ it has the potential to change how a woman feels about herself forever.” Reviewed by Linda Newhart Lotz, MSW, PhD, an AASECT-certified sexuality educator and diplomate in sex therapy. Lotz lives in Gainesville, Florida and can be reached at swansong51@aol.com. ——— The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality & Relationships Open Lens Media, 2008. DVD, $250. “If you are bothered by [pornography], there is nowhere for you to go.” — The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships As a sexuality educator, I considered purchasing “The Price of Pleasure” to use during my Erotic Justice seminar. I had hoped it would deliver on the promise found on the DVD case: “The Price of Pleasure provides a holistic understanding of pornography.” However, after being given the chance to review the film, directed by Miguel Picker and Chyng Sun, I found this documentary to merely be a secular second-cousin to the anti-sex content that can be found on any number of fear-based, hyper-religious websites. Opening with a happy heterosexual couple talking about how pornography use is a private decision and following with short interviews of women stating that they aren’t “opposed” to sex, the piece leads us into listening to college students, professors, authors, media consultants, porn producers, porn stars, salespeople, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, TV shows, and husbands and wives who talk about their ideas and/or experiences of pornography. The movie’s focus is on image pornography styles, mainly exhibited on the Internet and in DVDs. Shots of magazines, comics, books and games are remarked upon. Missing is the mention of written or audio pornographic materials. The chapter headings serve to illuminate the directors’ and societies’ common questions of porn. However, the way they are answered only serves to aide in the idea that: 1. Pornography is oppressive and violent towards women. March 2009 Vol. 43, No. 3 | www.aasect.org 2. Pornography is insidious in its negative effects on male/female intra- and inter-personal relationships. That this documentary purports to take an “honest and non-judgmental” stance on pornography is quite a problem. Although done in a subtle manner, the film is too biased to be considered objective. From its fear inspiring Vincent Price-esque editorial comments, to its cherry picking of the research, I found example after example of intention to subtly persuade the viewer. Anti-porn interviews were with the affable college-educated elite, while those depicted as pro-porn were anonymous, blank-faced loudmouths. A seemingly conscious directorial effort was made to gloss over happy people having sex, but lingered over graphic images. Do we really need to end the film on a twenty-one second close up of a girl’s face saturated with cum? The Price of Pleasure failed to give a balanced depiction of pornography. Yet as a sexuality educator I feel it is integral to my job to do so. With so many other reviews and discussions of pornography available, it’s unclear to me how much utility one could get out of such a film. And given the $250 price tag, my wallet will be happy to know that this video will not be given a spot on my bookshelf. Reviewed by Megan Andelloux, an AASECTcertified sexuality educator based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She can be reached at hiohmegan@gmail.com. Her website is ohmegan.com. ——— The Return of Desire By Gina Ogden. Trumpeter, 2008. $14.95. If you are a therapist working with couples, a friend listening to another friend complain, or a woman disheartened, disenchanted and disconnected from your sexual self, then you know how loudly the laments “I’m just not in the mood” or “I have no desire anymore” echo from the bedroom. With The Return of Desire, there is now a terrific resource available to professional and lay audiences alike that offers insight, understanding and most importantly answers to this confounding and pervasive problem. The Return of Desire, by Gina Ogden is an eloquently written and remarkably concise book in its approach to tackling the elusive nature of desire. In a forthright manner, she dissects the complex problem posed by the lack of desire. continued on page 14 “I found this documentary to merely be a secular second-cousin to the anti-sex content that can be found on any number of fear-based, hyperreligious websites.” — Megan Andelloux Contemporary Sexuality 13 http://www.ohmegan.com http://www.aasect.org

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Contemporary Sexuality - March 2009 Contents Member Profile AASECT Conference Registration Form and Information Quick Hits: Sex in the News Book and Media Reviews Educational Opportunities

Contemporary Sexuality - March 2009

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