Widely available extreme pornography on mainstream platforms is eroticising masculine dominance and normalising sexual violence, according to leading law professor Clare McGlynn.
These warnings form the basis of her new book ‘Exposed: The Rise of Extreme Porn and How We Fight Back’.
Professor McGlynn, a leading expert on violence against women and girls, says this content is driven by the algorithms of powerful platforms with business models that push more extreme porn to keep us engaged.
She calls on the Government to take greater steps to regulate pornography.
The book examines how porn is now more accessible than ever with mainstream sites dominated by racist, misogynistic, and sexually violent material, described as ‘patriarchal porn’. It shows that with minimal moderation, the platforms don’t just host it, they push ever more extreme content into view, whether users want it or not.
With around half of British men watching porn regularly, Clare argues that the consequences are far-reaching.
The extreme content on these easily accessible mainstream platforms eroticises inequality and normalises violence against women and girls. This affects us all, even if you’re not watching it, as these messages seep into all aspects of our lives.
Clare specialises in the legal regulation of online abuse and extreme pornography and has worked on law reform changes over many years alongside charities and activists. This has included successful campaigns to criminalise “rape porn” and pioneering new laws on image-based sexual abuse and sexually explicit deepfakes.
The law on deepfakes was rapidly introduced after millions of women were targeted in the X/Grok scandal.
In her research, she has found that one-in-eight titles on mainstream pornography sites describes sexual violence.
Patriarchal porn is not hidden or niche, and it’s shaping our culture, our politics, and our freedoms in endlessly negative ways. If we are serious about sexual freedom, we must confront the realities of what is being promoted and consumed.
/filters:quality(70)/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/research-/new-research-and-business/Research-and-Business-Partnerships.png)