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Was Linda Lovelace A Victim?
Linda Lovelace (Boreman) grew up in an age and within a social setting where feminism and women's rights played no part. Men were expected to be strong and to rule the family. Women could be strong also (Linda's mother appears to have been a strong woman), but 'a woman knew her place'
Hitting a woman was not exactly encouraged, but accepted as 'a way of life' for many. And the law allowed a man to rape his wife. In fact, the scenario of a brutal man and a woman with a 'victim personality' was a catalyst repeated again and again.
In Linda Lovelace's autobiography, Ordeal, she says "When you watch Deep throat you are watching me being raped", which right wingers, radical feminists, and religious zealots have used to attack the whole porn industry.
But was it really the porn industry that made Linda Lovelace a victim? Personally, I don't think so. Let's look at this scenario:
In one corner, we have Linda Boreman, a girl who is considered attractive and, up until now, she has avoided male attention. But as time progresses, she develops sexually and also realises that her looks are among her few assets to survive during hard times.
She soon loses her son to adoption and is devastated. Her devastation is made worse when she is in a serious car crash. It leaves her scarred and probably traumatized. She may well feel she is not as attractive as she once was and she seeks reassurance that this is not the case.
Linda Lovelace was also brought up to believe a woman does what she is told, or accepts the consequences. She also needs 'her man' to provide her with security. A potent mix for male exploitation you could say. I would say Linda Lovelace was fragile and open to abuse from anyone, not just a male.
Meanwhile, in the other corner, we have Chuck Traynor. An ex-Marine with little hope of making it big in a legit career. But, like many ex-military men, he feels he is owed something and he is also, like so many Americans, looking for ways to achieve 'The American Dream'.
Chuck Traynor is strong and well-built. He also has a violent temper (a backlog perhaps from his military experiences?). He sees nothing wrong in hitting a woman. He sees nothing wrong in controlling her either.
Some were later to say that Traynor was psychotic. Whether right or wrong, the salient fact is that men like Traynor existed in their millions in the early 1970s.
Chuck Traynor's second wife, the famous pornstar Marylin Chambers, was also to come under his control. But Chambers appears to have been made of different stuff than Linda Lovelace. She accepted Traynor's controlling nature in her own way. Whether Chambers was entirely happy with this, we will never know, but she did remain with Traynor for many years.
Linda Lovelace, on the other hand, was already scarred and unsure of herself. Rather than having her ego boosted by Traynor's obsession with controlling her, it drove her deeper into a pit of despair.
When the two corners met, the meeting was composed of two scarred individuals, both with enormous hangups. One a controller, and one a victim looking for acceptance and ready to submit. This violent mix was to shape the life of Linda Lovelace.