I thought, Who the hell is Belle Knox?
That's one benefit of monitoring the manospherians: they're constantly introducing me to names and stories that would otherwise have entirely escaped my notice.
Turns out Belle Knox is a 19 year old Duke University student who was doing a little porn on the side to pay tuition. As the manosphere would have us believe, this has become a widespread phenomenon, and yet another portent of the imminent Collapse of Civilization. Knox was outed by a classmate and quickly became subject to a horrendous, still ongoing torrent (well, what passes for a "torrent" on the internet) of public
Still, I had to wonder why this New Misogynist was so angry at poor Belle? After all, she's thin, pretty enough (an "8" at least), and she makes porn, a genre I imagine this young man enjoys on a regular basis, along with 77% of his demographic.* Physically (which is to say, in the only way that matters), she's the feminine ideal of wannabe rock stars and horny young PUAs, and judging by her demeanor on camera, quite a charming, articulate young lady.
The manospherian tweeter went on to grumble, "This is what a feminist looks like: self-mutilating, living in a crappy apartment, getting fucked for a living," and links to a predictably exploitative story in the Daily Mail that focuses on the severe depression Knox had suffered as a younger girl, who as a former "cutter" still bears the scars without shame. There is a subtext behind the rather shocking photos, of course: Only emotionally damaged people become porn actors.
I have to take that tabloid story with a few grains of salt because Belle Knox appears to be exploiting her, uhm, exposure for all it's worth, engaging in a blizzard of buzz, appearing on talk shows such as "The View," and making her brazen debut as a stripper. And frankly, she looks to be having a lot of fun with her moment in the spotlight.
And then I realized what Matt Forney's real beef was: Belle Knox has identified herself as a "feminist." (Never mind that there are plenty of "feminists" who wouldn't necessarily agree.) See, she's taken what the New Misogynists (and to be fair, most of the American public) see as "degradation" and proceeded to spin it into into a platform from which she can be be heard above the din, reveling in her fifteen minutes, and earning admirers for her sheer guts.** It is for this transgression that Belle Knox must be punished!
For someone like "The Real Matt Forney," who has courted notoriety with every fiber of his being, yet still hasn't managed to sell a single $5 ad space on his website, the "overnight success" of this belle du jour has got to irk.
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| Typical feminist / shameless hussy |
* More fun facts about Americans' porn habit can be found here.
** My own views on pornography are ambivalent. Basically, there is porn, and then there is porn. Had I a daughter or a son, I would rather they didn't get involved in the sex industry for a myriad of reasons. However, I have to credit Ms. Knox. She's a role model for anyone seeking to turn the tables on "shamers." I wish her the best in all her future endeavors.
Poor Matt! Those 5-buck writing gigs endorsing some really hacky fiction on his site (can't even call it "pulp") and those reviews at Amazon praising other manospherian's e-books.
ReplyDeleteIs this what the boys are talking about when they say "going Galt?
I was equally ignorant of Belle Knox until very recently, kept wondering if they were talking about bell hooks.
ReplyDeleteNow I am one of these feminists who believes the notion that pornography is empowering is a pile of crap. While it is better to be a willing participant in your exploitation than a unwilling one, it's still exploitation, it's still the reducing of women's sex to a consumable commodity.
That said, why on earth would I or anyone else have anything against Belle Knox personally? She's done nothing to me, I might not agree with her choices but they're her choices to make, she's not hurting anyone except perhaps herself, why should I or anyone else condemn her?
It all goes back to this need to punish women who are sexual, and accessable. Hateful comments are still being directed against Amanda Todd years after her death, and that poor girl only flashed her breasts a couple of times, and she did what the bullies wanted and killed herself. How much more outrage will Ms Knox attract for choosing and PROFITING from displaying her body? In that regard I applaud her, for not scurrying away and hiding in shame, but facing the music and dancing. I hope she graduates with honours and then takes off for some country where sexual attitudes are a mite less hypocritical.
Does anyone remember Tabatha Cash? Probably not. She was a very successful porn actress in France during the nineties who was known to also be studying a law degree. No one seemed to make a big deal about it. She's since got married, retired from porn and faded into relative obscurity, because a porn star going to school in France wasn't such a big deal back in the nineties. Is it me, or has the world gotten more puritanical in the last decade?
Sorry - how can it be exploitation if she is the one doing it?
DeleteAnd how is it exploitation if she is getting paid - isn't that the definition of a job?
The world has a serious dichotomy when it comes to puritanism. People who are puritanical in nature have gotten more extreme.
And - many of them are not aware of their puritanism... Like suggesting that one can exploit themselves for money...
What do you think of my take on this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.men-factor.blogspot.com/2014/03/pornography.html