Ecoporn, Not the Porn that You're Thinking of, but Just as Bad

I first read the title of this article “Ecoporn” and thought about what that could possibly mean. I thought maybe it has nothing to do with porn in itself but perhaps it is some term created by a crazy theorists to describe something in nature or having to do with the ecosystem. Once I began reading I realized that ecoporn does in fact have similarities to actual pornography. Just when I thought English Theorists could no longer throw a curve ball our way, here we are introduced to ecoporn! I am happy to say that although the term may sound absurd, I learned something new from Bart Welling as he does make several interesting and valid points. 

This is not ecoporn

(Image: http://www.worth1000.com/entries/499820/frog-legs) 

 This is ecoporn

(Image:http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/great-white-shark-snapped-mid-air-with-fake-seal-between-teeth/story-e6frfq80-12265275716390)

One section that helped me to understand why the discussion of ecoporn is even relevant, is when Welling gives the definition of, “greenwash, defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘Disinformation disseminated by an organization, etc., so as to present an environmentally responsible public image” (Welling 54). He later refers back to Jerry Mander saying, “Ecopornography is like “real” pornography, Mander implies, because it masks sordid agendas with illusions of beauty and perfection”(Welling 54-55). These two passages stood out for me because they give such a strong introduction as to what ecoporn is and why it matters.

For me, I interpreted that the the importance of understanding ecoporn is caused to due to the fact that it is a method of falsification and deception. Even in watching documentaries of animals in nature or footage that we feel is capturing nature as is, it will never truly be so. To some extent, what we see is real, but like real pornography, it is set up in a way that is tailored so that we see what we want to see. 

What I found particularly interesting was the parallelism between women and nature as well as men being the viewers. Welling refers back to the ideas of Susanne Keppeler when he says, “...ecoporn places the viewer in the role of the “male surveyor,” the all-seeing male subject to Nature’s unseeing, aestheticized female object” (Welling 58). The metaphor ultimately labels the viewers of nature documentaries and images idealizing nature the same way men idealize women in pornographic film or images.  (Image: http://www.jokeroo.com/pictures/other/human-statue-vs.-panther-shadow.html#)

After reading Welling’s text, I have for the first time thought of the term “Mother Nature” completely different. I have always thought of the parallel between women and nature as a positive thing. Welling, however, has completely deterred me from having such views anymore. I once thought of the parallelisms of femininity and beauty in women and nature to be positive and dignifying. He says, “...on a distant female Nature that can only be penetrated, literally and figuratively, by male figures, male technoculture, and male narratives” (Welling 61). It is almost as if females are placed back in a state of being inferior  to men. I am now led to believe that such such similarities are instead degrading, at least they are according to Welling. 

Another point that Welling addresses is the irony of humans and their attitudes towards animals and nature. He gives the example of the popularity of the “Protect the Panther” Florida state panther license plate. He says, “...despite the irony involved in emblazoning a pro-panther message and the image of a healthy panthers on hundreds of thousands of the vehicles that collectively pose one of the greatest threats to the panther’s survival” (Welling 63). Again, we are falsely creating this image that humans are making an effort to protect panthers, when it is our existence that is a threat to them in the first place. 

I think that Welling’s key points create awareness about understanding what is real and what appears to be real. In learning about situations such as the Florida Panther license plates I have a new outlook on what can be truly beneficial to a cause and something that appears to be helpful but is simply irony leading us to believe that we are actually making a difference. 

-GABI

Works Cited: 

“Frog Legs” Photograph. Photo Effects Contest.Worth 1000. Web. 16 September. 2013

“Great White Shark”Photograph. Travel. news.com.au. Web. 16 September. 2013

Welling, Bart H. “Ecoporn: On the Limits of Visualizing the Nonhuman.” Ecosee: Image, Rhetoric,               Nature. Ed. Sidney Dobrin and Sean Morey. Albany: State U of New York P, 2009. 53-77.