TwoStatesBride describes âring pornâ in an online wedding forum as âcontemporary, but still feminine, and i LOVE the contrasting metals.â TwoStatesBride identifies a style that modifies normative femininity. I analyze wedding forum participantsâ employment of the term âporn,â with its traditional association with danger and masculine viewing, to share pleasures in feminine âwedding pornâ depictions. These brides constitute âgoodâ erotica as different than concerns about male partners watching pornography. Bridesâ public posts about pleasure, danger, representations, and porn reenact a version of the US âSex Wars.â I employ feminist analysis, humanities forms of close reading, and internet studies to argue that when wedding forum participants associate their practices with âpornâ and intimately engage brides, they offer some intervention into traditional conceptions of wedding femininity. Such practices may seem to consistently support norms, but these bridesâ use of digital technologies correlates weddings with shared pleasures and dangers rather than heterosexual coupling.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 153 | 153 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 5 | 5 | 0 |
TwoStatesBride describes âring pornâ in an online wedding forum as âcontemporary, but still feminine, and i LOVE the contrasting metals.â TwoStatesBride identifies a style that modifies normative femininity. I analyze wedding forum participantsâ employment of the term âporn,â with its traditional association with danger and masculine viewing, to share pleasures in feminine âwedding pornâ depictions. These brides constitute âgoodâ erotica as different than concerns about male partners watching pornography. Bridesâ public posts about pleasure, danger, representations, and porn reenact a version of the US âSex Wars.â I employ feminist analysis, humanities forms of close reading, and internet studies to argue that when wedding forum participants associate their practices with âpornâ and intimately engage brides, they offer some intervention into traditional conceptions of wedding femininity. Such practices may seem to consistently support norms, but these bridesâ use of digital technologies correlates weddings with shared pleasures and dangers rather than heterosexual coupling.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 153 | 153 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 5 | 5 | 0 |