Pornography of Meat

Be the first to write a review

Overview

How does someone become a piece of meat?

Carol J. Adams answers this question in this provocative book by finding hidden meanings in the culture around us. From advertisements to T-shirts, from billboards to menus, from matchbook covers to comics, images of women and animals are merged - with devastating consequences.

Like her groundbreaking The Sexual Politics of Meat, which has been published in two ...

See more details below
Hardcover
$22.50
BN.com price
(Save 9%)$24.95 List Price
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (5) from $9.65   
  • New (1) from $33.58   
  • Used (4) from $9.65   
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

How does someone become a piece of meat?

Carol J. Adams answers this question in this provocative book by finding hidden meanings in the culture around us. From advertisements to T-shirts, from billboards to menus, from matchbook covers to comics, images of women and animals are merged - with devastating consequences.

Like her groundbreaking The Sexual Politics of Meat, which has been published in two editions, The Pornography of Meat uncovers startling connections:

Why pornography demonstrates such a fascination with slaughtering and hunting

Fixations on women's body parts expressed through ads for the breasts, legs, and thighs of chickens and turkeys

Animals to be eaten as meat presented in seductive poses and sexy clothing

Back-entry poses in pornography, implying that women - especially women of color - are like animals: insatiable

How meat advertising draws on X-rated images

Why at least one prominent animal-rights group is actually "in bed" with pornographers.

With 200 illustrations, this courageous and explosive book establishes why Adams's slide show, upon which The Pornography of Meat is based, is so popular on campuses across North America and is reviled by the groups she takes on with insight and passion. From the rise of chain steakhouses to the language of the hunt, from the halls of government to the practice of artificial insemination on farm animals, The Pornography of Meat shows exactly how harm to others parades as fun.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
The author of The Sexual Politics of Meat returns with an emotionally charged volume based on her traveling lecture-slide show. Adams, a crusader for the rights of women and animals (or, as she calls them, "nonhumans") charges that both have long been portrayed as consumable, mouth-watering slabs of meat, and she provides graphic backup for her argument in the form of advertisements, signs, photographs and illustrations (e.g., "Strip Tease," reads a billboard for a steak house). The advertising industry is the primary culprit in the "thingification" of women and nonhumans, she says, an argument whose first part will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Jean Kilbourne's pioneering critiques of the industry's portrayal of women. That advertisers often exploit women's bodies to sell products and that most factory farms treat animals abominably are incontrovertible facts. But Adams's use of familiar hierarchical oppositions (woman is "not man" and animals are "not human," with the "not" always being subordinate) to argue against such industries sometimes undermines her points, by reinforcing, rather than subverting, such binary constructs. Advertising is patriarchy's "self-promotion," she says, and we must "Stop consuming nonhumans. Stop consuming women and children." Adams is an admirable zealot, and it's too bad that this book doesn't include any kind of post-feminist sensibility to add depth and nuance, because it can wind up sounding shrill, strident and outdated. While Adams's chick/chick parallels, among other arguments, are certainly provocative, some readers may struggle with her assertion that "the line between the pornographer's works and the actuality of female [meat] animals' lives may be nonexistent." The 200 black-and-white illustrations are startling, and perhaps the book's best feature-they document broad spectrums of culture and speak to powerful trends of exploitation. Adams's arguments captivate, but when her prose sometimes jumps erratically from one critique to another, the book can feels too much like the slide show narrative that inspired it, or a free-association protest. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Is meat consumption linked to physical and sexual violence? Feminist, vegetarian, and activist Adams (The Sexual Politics of Meat) thinks so, and in 16 provocative essays she tells us why. These essays explore such diverse topics as the objectification of animals and women, the power of exploitative language to devalue, female bodies and body parts as advertisements for meat products, and the sexist aspects of lynching. In the especially controversial "Male Chauvinist Pig?" Adams deplores PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) use of nude photographs and posters and argues that there is no need to exploit women to save animals. Each essay is supported by documentation, including a dazzling array of visual images that reproduce cartoons, posters, magazine covers, restaurant menus, advertisements, etc. These images, some of which are disturbing and difficult to view, significantly heighten the book's impact and are its best feature. Even readers who do not share Adams's views should find themselves challenged and perhaps even enlightened by this unique work. Highly recommended for academic libraries and for public libraries with collections in vegetarianism.-M.C. Duhig, Lib. Ctr. of Point Park Coll. & Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780826414489
  • Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group
  • Publication date: 4/24/2003
  • Pages: 192
  • Sales rank: 949,768
  • Product dimensions: 6.35 (w) x 9.45 (h) x 0.68 (d)

Meet the Author

Carol J. Adams is an activist and author of The Pornography of Meat, Living Among Meat Eaters, and many other books challenging a sexist, meat-eating world. She is a sought-after speaker throughout North America and Europe, and has been invited to more than 100 campuses to show "The Sexual Politics of Meat Slide Show," which is always being updated to include contemporary cultural representations.

Read More Show Less

Table of Contents

What Pornography?
More than Meat Man to Man Yoked Oppressions Beasts Hamtastic Body-Chopping Armed Hunters Hookers The Fish in Water Problem Anthropornography I Ate a Pig Average White Girl Hoofing It The Female of the Species Male Chauvinist Pig?
Epilogue Acknowledgements Citations Copyright acknowledgements.

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)