The Production, Marketing, and Consumption of Sexually Explicit Material in Our Sexually Conflicted Society: A Public Policy Dilemma

The production, marketing, and consumption of sexually explicit materials are contested issues for marketers, consumers, policymakers, and the general public. Analysis of the current controversies about sexually explicit material is provided through consideration of (1) the nature of such materials in their various forms, (2) the consumer-protecting versus the choice-enhancing dilemma posed by them, (3) the value-based segments involved in this dilemma, and (4) the available research on the material's alleged “harms” and “benefits.” Finally, alternative policy formulations and remedies are considered in terms of seeking the appropriate degree of legal/regulatory invasiveness and applying various marketing-derived and/or related options.