Feminism and Pornography (A Response to Gaines)

Since studying gender and feminism, I've developed very conflicting thoughts about pornography. On a suffice level, I'm a huge supporter. I believe sexuality should be explored and widely practiced based on each individual's preference. In a sense, pornography is a healthy expression of sex and sexuality, however, a predominate amount of pornography is filmed through the male-gaze and can be demoralizing towards women, which can clearly be very problematic. First, porn, a fabrication and exaggeration of sex, has become a major tool for teenagers and young adults to learn about sex and sexuality, which becomes problematic when people develop unrealistic expectations of sex. Second, there is the issue regarding female arousal. What happens when women become attracted to and aroused by this median specifically designed by male satisfaction? A very strong reoccurring theme in porn is male-dominance over women, which can pose many issues when these aggressive sexual acts are transmitted from the film to the consumer's bedroom. Is porn in its current state detrimental to feminism? Why is there a significant amount of pornography with strict male viewers only intentions yet a incredibly small amount of porn made for a female audience? Essentially, the porn industry doesn't believe in female sexuality, other than her sole existence is to please her male counterpart. The biggest issue with porn is that it eliminates female sexuality and therefor allows men to create and develop one for her, making her a tool for his sexuality.