Blog Entry #3- PETA launching a porn site

In August PeTA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) announced that they would soon be launching an XXX porn site as their next clever marketing endeavor. It is well known that PETA has been using sex to get peoples attention about animal rights for a long time. With the help of a plethora of celebrities, PeTA has managed to become both controversial and very popular in the media for this reason.

I have always struggled with supporting PETA because they continually objectify women in the name of animal rights. Being a vegetarian for six years I have to admit that PETA has been a reliable source of all things vegan and vegetarian, but really?? As a feminist and an animal rights activist this is complete bullshit and quite embarrassing. Will watching porn followed by images of animal cruelty really want to make you touch yourself while simultaneously re-evaluate your choice to eat meat/wear fur etc.? Trying to make the public aware of the exploitation of one species by heavily exploiting another is pretty hypocritical in my book.

This continuous sexualization of vegetarianism brings about some harmful ideologies presented in the campaign. Ideology as explained in Viewers Make Meaning pg 52 "is the necessary representational means through which we come to experience and make sense of reality." In PeTA's case, a harmful reoccurring ideology is if you become a vegetarian you will have a hot bod, or becoming a vegetarian means becoming sexy or sexualized, especially now that viewers have the option of watching XXX porn and animal cruelty videos at the same time? Attractive photo-shopped celebrities, models and unrealistic looking women and men are the only ones to grace the covers of PeTA's advertising campaign, will these types of people also be involved in the X-rated videos? Midriff advertising also plays a large part in this, as there is a HUGE emphasis on the body to sell PeTA's messages, and definitely a pronounced discourse of choice and empowerment. The women depicted in these images and probably on the XXX site are oversexualized because they choose to be, for a greater cause. Also, many of them are considered to be pretty powerful women, celebrities who are wealthy and successful.

There is also this equating of women to animals being tortured and caged that really bothers me. Why are men never shown shackled and tied to bed posts or caged? No doubt a strong message, but what exactly is the direction here? I think it's safe to say PeTA is reiterating the oppression of women on many many levels. Because of this they are probably going to alienate and offend a lot of their supporters (like myself!) interested to see how this XXX business will turn out.