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I have spent a great deal of time thinking about and honestly, grappling with, the sex industry and today’s narratives around sexual liberation. It’s often marketed as glamorous and empowering for women, but I’ve found myself questioning who it actually serves, and at what cost.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Dr. Rebecca Whisnant, a professor of philosophy at the University of Dayton. We talk about feminism, what it really means, and how the word has been misunderstood, misused, and in many ways stripped of its integrity. Instead of being a movement to end all forms of oppression, feminism is now often co-opted to sell capitalistic and patriarchal ideas.

We also explore the language we use around the sex industry, like the term sex work, and how it can obscure the realities of systems built on exploitation. Dr. Whisnant shares insight on how pornography and prostitution are connected to broader public health issues, especially for young people who are growing up in a culture shaped by these influences.

Rebecca Whisnant is a professor of philosophy at the University of Dayton, where her research and teaching focus on ethics and feminist social theory. She co-edited the anthology Not For Sale: Feminists Resisting Prostitution and Pornography, and her recent articles include “Pornography, humiliation, and consent” and “But what about feminist porn?: Examining the work of Tristan Taormino.” Dr. Whisnant is vice president of the board of directors for Culture Reframed, a national nonprofit organization addressing pornography as the public health crisis of the digital age.

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3:57 Defining feminism

5:38 Contradictions in the connotations of “feminism”

8:51 Are sexuality and pornography empowerment or exploitation?

13:17 How to critique the sex industry without shaming someone who is forced to work in it

16:07 The social costs of sexual commodification

20:44 Informed consent & choice: Is agency truly possible in the porn industry?

25:06 The impact of porn on intimacy & relationships

30:16 How porn dictates women’s experience and removes pleasure, safety, and enjoyment

33:43 Sex robots and porn: how they avoid the human elements of relationship and connection and don’t solve loneliness

Behind Closed Doors Extended Interview includes:

37:21 Hyper-capitalism, fascism, pornography, and the patriarchy are fodder for our loss of human decency

42:03 The competing demands of sexual visibility and “liberation”

45:14 How the sex industry exists because of men and their choices, not women and their choices

48:43 Culture Reframed and the plethora of feminist literature that remains relevant and urgent

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