Political Pornification

How Political Pornification Harms Women
This video examines the “pornification” of candidates and voters in the 2008 and 2016 election cycles.

Donald Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood comments about “grabbing” women “by the pussy” was only the tip of the iceberg. From journalism, to viral videos, to online commentary, to pop culture, to get-out-the-vote campaigns, pornification infected entire campaigns and, through them, created a highly sexualized and deeply misogynistic political culture.

The results are terrifying. Pornification paved the way for Donald Trump’s presidency. More broadly, it places all future women presidential and vice-presidential candidates at an electoral disadvantage.

For more information:
Dr. Karrin Anderson
Professor of Communication Studies
Colorado State University
karrin.Anderson@ColoState.EDU

On the Web:
https://youtu.be/SRYa3PXHPQ

Further Reading:
Karrin Vasby Anderson,
“’Rhymes with Blunt’:
Pornification and U.S.
Political Culture.” Rhetoric
& Public Affairs 14 no. 2
(2011): 327-368.