@ Maggie: nice linking to a video featuring a more real, unedited Betty Dodson on porn in fact embracing very hardcore porn. This article by Dodson on the porn wars is also pertinent to this thread: http://dodsonandross.com/blogs/betty-dodson/2011/04/porn-wars.

And I actually find Dodson’s critique of porn in the above video extremely crucial in its focus on a growing number of women requesting cosmetic surgery of their genitalia based on what they may see in mainstream porn; a growing trend I cover here: http://www.lovesexfamily.com/2011/04/womens-genitals-infantilized.html.

@ Theresa and Epiphora: Having researched Dodson’s work for my book on New porn. By women, for women and men, I know that Dodson–as a sex-positive artist, writer, masturbation activist, and filmmaker–has indeed been aware of and supported & promoted “all the amazing pro-woman, pro-gender variances, pro-body diversity, and feminist porn that has come out over the past 5 years” – and before that.

It’s hard for me to tell from this small bit whether Betty is anti-porn or whether she is blaming porn for some behaviors and choices that women are making. (Maybe that is anti-porn?!?) I agree that it’s sad to see women or men augment themselves simply because they feel they have to versus because they want to, but I hardly blame porn for this. I imagine there is just as much physical alterations happening outside porn as inside it. (No pun intended!) If someone wants to make themselves look different than I believe that is their choice.
What I found most odd about what Betty was saying was that she seemed unaware of all the amazing pro-woman, pro-gender variances, pro-body diversity, and feminist porn that has come out over the past 5 years. (In fact I’m pretty sure that some of her friends/allies have been making it.)