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Yesterday someone called #Lowborn 'poverty porn' - while it's always shitty to have people not like your work it goes with the territory & I just know some folk won't. However I take particular issue with the term...a thread...
It's deeply derogatory to conflate the word porn with a woman's lived experience or that of experiencing poverty. It's not dirty or shameful or something sordid to be consumed for guilty, voyeuristic pleasure. It's my actual life.
To be a man and use 'poverty porn' as a snappy critique about a book by a woman in which she does the deeply painful, exposing but necessary of speaking openly about teen sexual assaults, rape & abortion just reinforces the concept of victim shaming.
No one would *ever* use the term porn (in the same negative context) about middle or upper class people writing about their own experience was writing any form of porn.
I stupidly got it into with this person & afterwards has my first (hour long) panic attack in 11 months & then was awake all night. Words fucking matter & whatever you think of my writing I don't deserve that - especially not 7 months pregnant.
Critique all all you like - I've had a decade & am used to it. But don't use language that is demeaning & deeply offensive because you can't be arsed finding the right ones
Adding that I don't think the consumption or production of actual porn is shameful etc (if ethical) but I think we all know this term used like this is meant to be derogatory.
Adding I really don't want this to become about bashing that person (I've deliberately been vague to avoid this but for context to avoid assumptions I will say they identify as working class) This is about that term & how offensive it is then, all the times before & in future.
