--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pornography is about dominance. Erotica…" description: "\"Pornography is about dominance. Erotica is about mutuality.\" — Gloria Steinem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d79/gloria-steinem-277_dominance_pornography-is-about-dominance-erotica-i_150161.jpg" --- # Pornography is about dominance. Erotica is about mutuality. ![“Pornography is about dominance. Erotica is about mutuality.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d79/gloria-steinem-277_dominance_pornography-is-about-dominance-erotica-i_150161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d79/gloria-steinem-277_dominance_pornography-is-about-dominance-erotica-i_150161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d79/gloria-steinem-277_dominance_pornography-is-about-dominance-erotica-i_150161.jpg) > “Pornography is about dominance. Erotica is about mutuality.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pornography emphasizes power over another, while erotica focuses on shared pleasure and equality. **In simple terms:** Porn shows dominance; erotica shows mutuality. Key Takeaway Seek consensual, equal intimacy. Themes power dynamics sexuality consent gender equality Mood reflective critical Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - media analysis - relationship counseling - sexual education Key Concepts feminism ethical intimacy Questions to Reflect On - How does consent change intimacy? - What role does equality play in desire? A Different Perspective Power imbalance can harm relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Erotica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erotica/) [Pornography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornography/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [Pornography reveals that male pleasure is inextricably tied to victimizing, hurting, exploiting; that sexual fun and sexual passion in the privacy of the male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-reveals-that-male-pleasure-is-inextricably-tied-to/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Pornography is the essential sexuality of male power: of hate, of ownership, of hierarchy; of sadism, of dominance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-is-the-essential-sexuality-of-male-power-of-hate-of/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Pornography is not egalitarian and gender-free. It is predicated upon the inequality of women and is the propaganda that makes that inequality sexy. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/pornography-is-not-egalitarian-and-gender-free-it-is-predicated-upon/) [Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/) > [“I’m not going to deny that I want to fuck you. I can’t promise a future or that I’ll be some sniveling boyfriend who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-hess/i-m-not-going-to-deny-that-i-want-to-fuck-you-i-can-t-promise-a/) [D.L. Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-hess/) > [“You only get what you give away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-onyx/you-only-get-what-you-give-away/) Jade Onyx > [“Join us. Play the game. It will bring you an untold number of rewards and you will finally have some direction and purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-hopkins/join-us-play-the-game-it-will-bring-you-an-untold-number-of-rewards/) Martin Hopkins > [“The slick concrete reflected the facades of the work weary - grey, cracked and old, but more importantly, trodden upon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-hopkins/the-slick-concrete-reflected-the-facades-of-the-work-weary-grey/) Martin Hopkins > [“Erotic fiction is written for a class. To understand and enjoy it, either you should have the class or the classy open mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/erotic-fiction-is-written-for-a-class-to-understand-and-enjoy-it/) Himmilicious > [“In their book Warrior Lovers , an analysis of erotic fiction by women, the psychologist Catherine Salmon and the anthropologist Donald Symons wrote, "To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-their-book-warrior-lovers-an-analysis-of-erotic-fiction-by-women/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Erotica is simply high-class pornography; better produced, better conceived, better executed, better packaged, designed for a better class of consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/erotica-is-simply-high-class-pornography-better-produced-better/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Nothing is wrong with me, Dan. Whats wrong with you? she said in the same eerily quiet voice, dark eyes fixated on Dan, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-hopkins/nothing-is-wrong-with-me-dan-whats-wrong-with-you-she-said-in-the/) Martin Hopkins > [What turns me on is erotica; what turns you on is pornographic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/what-turns-me-on-is-erotica-what-turns-you-on-is-pornographic/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [“I know people think erotica is just a romance novel with rougher sex. It's not. If it's a subgenre of anything, it's horror. Horror?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/i-know-people-think-erotica-is-just-a-romance-novel-with-rougher-sex/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [Obviously, untangling sex from aggression and violence or the threat of it is going to take a very long time. And the process is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/obviously-untangling-sex-from-aggression-and-violence-or-the-threat/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The problem is, for men and women, the idea that sexuality is about dominance and submission, when, in fact, cooperation is a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-problem-is-for-men-and-women-the-idea-that-sexuality-is-about/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Dominance quotes > [I believe Saddam Hussein's strategic objective was, and remains, to assert dominance over the Gulf region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-berger/i-believe-saddam-hussein-s-strategic-objective-was-and-remains-to/) [Sandy Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-berger/) > [Check your testosterone levels. Every study on evolutionary psychology has correlated testosterone levels with dominance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cernovich/check-your-testosterone-levels-every-study-on-evolutionary-psychology/) [Mike Cernovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cernovich/) > [“I’m not going to deny that I want to fuck you. I can’t promise a future or that I’ll be some sniveling boyfriend who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-hess/i-m-not-going-to-deny-that-i-want-to-fuck-you-i-can-t-promise-a/) [D.L. Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-hess/) > [Naval dominance of European waters was the largest, longest, most complex and expensive project ever undertaken by the British state and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-rodger/naval-dominance-of-european-waters-was-the-largest-longest-most/) [Nicholas Rodger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-rodger/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I think that the global consciousness concerning all those elements that produce tension, fractions of societies, is changing in the sense that we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilberto-gil/i-think-that-the-global-consciousness-concerning-all-those-elements/) [Gilberto Gil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilberto-gil/) > [It is way less certain to be a wonderful business in the future. The threat is alternative mediums of information. Every newspaper is scrambling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-is-way-less-certain-to-be-a-wonderful-business-in-the-future-the/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Control over a woman is the only form of dominance most men possess, for most men are merely subjects of more powerful men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/control-over-a-woman-is-the-only-form-of-dominance-most-men-possess/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Unlike all other founders of a religious faith, Christ had no selfishness, no desire of dominance; and His system, unlike all other systems of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-william-howitt/unlike-all-other-founders-of-a-religious-faith-christ-had-no/) Alfred William Howitt > [“That was the way of things. He had heard of philosophers who claimed that it was possible to belong to neither group, that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-cameron-cooke/that-was-the-way-of-things-he-had-heard-of-philosophers-who-claimed/) R. Cameron Cooke > [“His gentleness was uncompromising; because he would not compete for dominance, he was indomitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/his-gentleness-was-uncompromising-because-he-would-not-compete-for/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Well, within my business, visual art, the intake is 75 per cent female and yet you look at who has showed their work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/well-within-my-business-visual-art-the-intake-is-75-per-cent-female/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [In its purest sense, nicknaming is an elitist ritual practiced by those who cherish hierarchy. 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Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/beauty-is-a-currency-system-like-the-gold-standard-like-any-economy/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) Browse all 288 Dominance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pornography is about dominance. 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