Porn Perspectives

"But it's not PORN porn": my response to Huffington Post interview

2010-02-05T15:45:44-05:00

I was mentioned on the Huffington Post this morning, which is always an effective way to rouse me out of bed. The context was a discussion about porn (among other things) between Nona Willis Aronowitz, the author of Girldrive, and Chauncey Zalkin, a brand strategist and writer.

The interview is worth a read if you've got time. It covers different areas of Girldrive and issues of interest to women, but let's cut to the chase. We're here to talk about porn.

Joanna Angel, self-proclaimed feminist porn star, with her porn entourage. (source)

The conversation got a bit muddled, so I feel the need to clarify a number of points. Though I do give props to Nona, who did a stellar job of explaining her ideas about porn (she went to the same college as I did and she wrote her thesis about porn TOO...it's like we're twins).

I really don't mean to pick on Chauncey. She doesn't position herself as an expert on porn, so I don't want to overanalyze her every word. She has not thoroughly researched porn or the porn industry, and is basing her ideas on second-hand information and stereotypes. That is totally normal. In fact, I'll make the rest of this post about "Porn Skeptic", which is a stand-in for people like Chauncey who mean well, but don't have the full facts about today's porn industry. I've heard her arguments a million times, and I'd really like to do what I can to take the stale half-truths out of circulation.

See how it is? (source)

So let's sit down for a second and have a little chat about porn. Our Porn Skeptic implies and outright asserts a few things that we need to discuss. Her points are in bold below, with my comments following:

Porn which shows women having a good time (Nona's and my definition of feminist porn) - is "art" rather than "mass turn on"
Only "rich white academics" or people in gender studies courses are aware of this feminist porn

Far as I can tell, our Porn Skeptic agrees that while some types of porn are unobjectionable (porn where women's pleasure is evident), not very many people know about or watch this porn. In fact, it's potentially not even "real" porn. (My assumption is that her definition of "porn" is that which is necessarily objectionable--a common definition.)

Susie Bright being intense

To bolster her point, our Porn Skeptic points out that Vivid Entertainment is much more popular than sex writer Susie Bright. Ok, yes, the largest porn production company in the world is in fact better known than a single writer. But the story is more complicated than that. Vivid employs feminist pornographers including Eon Mckai (who directs for Vivid Alt, an arty, edgy Vivid imprint) and Tristan Taormino (responsible for Vivid's educational imprint Vivid Ed). Both imprints produce quality, non-exploitative, women-focused content. Vivid wouldn't keep making the stuff if it weren't selling and winning awards. Meanwhile, Susie Bright is not terribly marginal; she has written a bestselling book about sex, and regularly appears in the mainstream media.

Tristan Taormino teachin' stuff

Perhaps the best trump card (to which our Porn Skeptic cannot argue) is Oprah. Who can argue with Oprah? Even Oprah agrees women are watching more porn, since studies show a third of visits to adult websites are by women, who conceivably aren't interested in watching exploitation of other women.

It's really a different story when both people are clearly engaged and having fun.

So if our Porn Skeptic and I can agree that there is some type of porn which is unobjectionable, then I propose this: let's spread the word about this good porn. Let's shout it from rooftops. Let's mention it in articles on the Huffington Post. But no matter what, let's not sweep it aside, label it irrelevant, and continue to criticize all porn as if it doesn't exist. Deal?

"Porn is a mammoth industry and most of it is comprised of drug addicted young women without much if any support system."

Our Porn Skeptic is absolutely correct that porn is a mammoth industry. People really like watching porn, and they will probably continue to do so...which is why I think it'd be grand if we could help spread the word about sex-affirming, women-positive porn out there. Perchance some Porn Skeptics might even be interested in watching porn, if only they knew about this fantastic content.

To our Skeptic's second point, there are indeed drug addicted people in the porn industry--but it's unclear why the fact of some people's drug use is an argument against pornography. Working in porn offers fast money for people with little education or experience, so it attracts people who need fast money and have little education or experience. Some people use drugs, and some people don't. The people who stick around in porn typically are not drug addicts, and few legitimate porn outfits have much tolerance for substance abuse. The industry has advocacy groups in place to help assist people who need help, and some even offer medical services like STD testing (which is a prerequisite for work in the industry).

The comparison of Jenna Jameson to Martha Stewart is "ludicrous" because being a women who creates a media empire is not necessarily a positive thing

This comment is a response to my famous Jenna-Martha comparison: each woman built a brand around herself, and then extended that brand to a range of products. (In Jenna's case, that meant a strip club, sex toys, and a mold of her vagina. In Martha's, it was a magazine, a line of paint colors, and bath towels at Kmart. You see the similarity, no?) Consumers followed the woman-brand to its furthest reaches, because each woman did a fantastic job of establishing a relationship with her audience. Consumers knew that with the Jenna/Martha label, it had to be good.

The reason I draw the comparison is twofold. The comparison underscores that porn operates like any other industry--it just happens to sell sexual images. It also demonstrates that women in porn are not all "drug addicts without much of a support system." In fact, women are able to take advantage of technology and evolving business dynamics to create a successful career for themselves. They can find self-determination, financial stability, and fame. Jenna is an extreme example; most ambitious women find success on a smaller scale. For many women, creating porn is sexually gratifying and even a creative outlet. That sounds pretty positive to me.

The idea of kids growing up accessing porn online is worrisome

I completely agree. It freaks me out to think what kids these days have access to online. I'm all for parental monitoring (notice I don't say government censorship) and open discussion with kids about what they're seeing. I also think this is a huge reason why it's important to support sex- and women-positive porn. If people are going to be exposed to porn from a young age--and it seems this is an inevitability--I at least want it to be respectful, realistic, and life-affirming.

* * *

That's all for today. I hope I've done our fearless Porn Skeptic's viewpoint justice and enlightened at least a couple minds out in the Internet ether--please feel free to leave comments to continue the discussion, tell me I'm crazy, and so on.

Further reading: In Which Women Are Changing The Sex Industry From Inside (This Recording)

A more chaste porn star

2010-01-26T12:51:00-05:00

First of all, I want to make clear that Jenna Jameson did a knock-out performance on Oprah in November. Like, perfect 10. Her publicist and speaking coach must've worked overtime, but Jenna said all the perfect things you want a porn start to say on Oprah. (It's not that I think her words are untrue; her level of self-awareness and eloquence was just off the charts higher than anything I'd seen from her before.) If you missed it, check out this play by play.

Ok, so that glowing review aside, I did take exception to one part of the interview where Jenna claims she's not like "other women" who have lots of partners and are called sluts/whores. According to Jameson, because her primary partner on camera was her husband, she's somehow more chaste (my word). Take a peek:

Look, the world's biggest porn star DOES NOT need to defend her chastity. No woman does, but particularly a woman whose sexual performances have made her a millionaire and a global brand. Like, whatever you did, you did good. Also? You got paid to have sex--to most people keeping tabs on the morality scale, that's a big no-no.

My issue is that Jenna is separating herself from "others" who (she implies) ARE deservedly called sluts. That's unkind to her fellow ladies of the set. Most women in porn are honest ladies who just want to make a buck--they don't deserve scorn for violating some outdated notion that women should retain their purity. Not everyone finesses a porn career having sex with as few partners as Jameson. Jenna really set a new paradigm in her career, but it isn't helpful for her to then separate herself as somehow more "pure" and "chaste" than other porn stars.

Prediction: in the next few years we'll see a move away from women's liberation-via-girl's-gone-wild (and the ancillary strip pole dancing classes), towards reclaimed chastity. Seriously, not having sex will be the new hot thing.

You don't have to be slutty just because you watch porn

2010-01-12T20:25:00-05:00

The phemonenon of women watching and enjoying porn is growing. Everywhere, including Idaho. Trust me on that. The phenomenon of women talking about how they watch and enjoy porn is also taking hold--though this time it's mostly limited to liberal enclaves and major cities. But still, it's a start.

I've noticed an interesting dynamic start taking place among these women who talk about porn. A man watching porn is just doing what men are assumed to do. No biggie. But for a woman to watch porn, and then tell people is a radical revelation, and people assume she somehow acts like the women in the porn movies.

It's happened to me a few times - people I meet are aware of this blog and my area of study. When I mentinon that I advocate sexual conservatism I get looks of shock. "Don't you think that's kind of incompatible?" they ask.

Of course not! Watching porn is about entertainment. On a cerebral level, it's accepting that everyone is a sexual creature, and sex can be a creative (if efficacious) sexual outlet. Not sleeping around is a personal decision based on real life experience and a sense of one's own personal values for behavior in the real world. Totally different.

I suppose it doesn't help the case that many of the biggest women's porn advocates--Tristan Taormino, Violet Blue, Nina Hartley, Sasha Grey--also broadcast a libertine sense of sexuality. I can see how people could conflate personal sexual practices with porn viewing practice.

But I am here to tell you, dear readers, that they are NOT the same thing! You can both watch porn and exist in a monogamous relationship. You can both watch porn and not sleep with someone on the first date. You can both watch porn and not like backdoor sex. In fact, watching porn may help you hold your ground under pressure--you get to indulge your wildest fantasy while still maintaining your personal values

Learn all my secrets - I'm in a book!

2010-01-06T11:53:00-05:00

Illustrious readers, I am pleased to announce that I was featured an a book, discussing porn. No, I didn't write the book (that's for later), but I had the honor of being included among several impressive women in Nona Willis Aronowitz and Emma Bee Bernstein's book Girldrive.

The book is the culmination of a months-long road trip the writer and photographer friends took all around the country, interviewing women of all ages about their relationship to feminism. From well-known figures like Kathleen Hanna and Erica Jong, to your truly, the variety of opinions and insight is breathtaking. Oh, and I should mention that I was interviewed alongside my MOTHER, who also has a lot to say about porn...if you are curious why, you'll have to read the book!

In any case, I highly encourage you to pick up the book (and turn to p 49)--if I had a daughter, I'd absolutely want her to read it.

Porno Linkyfun

2009-11-29T16:10:23-05:00

I come across tons of interesting porn-related links each week, but I'm only inclined to write full posts on a small number of them. I hate to deny my faithful readers a regular dose of fascinating porn news, so I'm instituting a new feature on Porn Perspectives called Porno Linkyfun.

My aim is to make this a weekly feature, but I look to you (and your page hits) to see if this is a feature with staying power. Ok, on to this week's links:

Sasha Grey discusses porn, prostitution, and politics in an intelligent interview with Dazed Digital.

An adults-only MiKandi app market allows users to view porn on their Android phones (as history has shown, when you're having trouble grabbing market share, go for porn). Apps for jailbroken iPhones are coming soon.

Meanwhile, China's cracking down on mobile phone porn.

Cool blog post: An economist and academic addresses self-regulation in the porn industry, in reference to the recent HIV scare.

Porn Industry Primer

2009-11-18T11:59:00-05:00

Below is a brief piece of reporting on the porn industry. The creator is Vaguard, from Current TV (my favorite source for hilarious Sarah Haskins videos).

While not exactly an in-depth investigation, it's nonetheless a decent primer on porn's relationship with technology and the issues facing the industry.

Watch for the bit towards the end about how pornstar Jessica Drake builds relationships with fans, who become invested in her success. Dare I suggest this could be the industry's salvation?

Jenna & Violet on Oprah

2009-11-17T13:20:46-05:00

Jenna Jameson and Violet Blue will be on Oprah today. This is huge (I hope!). Don't forget to tune in!

Universities Defy Porn Ban

2009-11-16T13:38:00-05:00

In defiance of the Maryland legislature's request that state-funded universities regulate porn on campus, the state university replied with a resounding 'No Way!'

The university clearly understands the nature of college students, and also that of porn consumption - both are notoriously difficult to regulate. Case in point:

Enforcing such a rule might require the creation of a panel to review all films shown on every campus for "purely entertainment purposes," the report states, to determine whether they might need to be augmented with an educational component.

A porn panel! Who's signing up for a seat on THAT committee?

I understand people's desire to "protect" youths from porn...but come ON. College students are adults, and restricting porn access on campus is a hilariously outdated notion. Glad the university system put the smack down on that harebrained scheme.

via www.washingtonpost.com