Much of today’s porn appeals to a conventionally heterosexual male kind of erotic fantasy, which effectually eroticises male dominance. Women have long been socially conditioned to believe that porn is misogynistic, objectifying and degrading. The 1970s anti-porn movement, championed by radical feminists Andrea Dworkin and Gloria Steinem, argued that pornography was a “celebration of rape and injury to women.” Today there is still a sexist taboo surrounding female consumption of porn, which limits the expression of female sexuality and implies that “good girls” don’t watch porn. This is further emphasised by the term “lady porn,” which was coined to describe the rising popularity of boyish porn star James Deen and his dedicated female following. The media have taken to calling Deen’s films “porn for ladies,” implying that all other mainstream porn is somehow not for women. Such gender-specific branding and marketing of different types of porn relies on stereotype and social conditioning, resting on the notion that women require mild, vanilla content and can’t handle more hardcore stuff.
So long as porn is ethical, which is made “possible by sites like Kink, it can function
as a powerful means of communication and exploration
”
ULTURE
However, all of this is not to say that porn is all bad. It is unlikely that all 42.7% of Internet porn viewers endorse sexual violence and misogyny, and a lot of porn can be incredibly sexy and liberating. Amidst the choking blowjobs, rape fantasies and lady-friendly “romance porn,” there are plenty of great videos that simply feature sexy people doing sexy things to each other. There is also a wealth of ethical porn worth discussing, such as radical feminist queer porn, anti-patriarchal sado-masochistic porn and porn that interacts with viewers directly, through webcams, chatrooms and wrestling tournaments. Over the summer, I toured Kink.com’s studios in San Francisco. Kink is a BDSM-oriented video business that aims to make BDSM and bondage more accessible to viewers. The team at Kink are passionate about making “real” porn in which actors not only consent but enjoy their work. So long as porn is ethical, which is made possible by sites like Kink, it can function as a powerful means of communication and exploration. Porn is undoubtedly the safest way to experiment with sexual boundaries and can be an excellent resource for discovering new things that turn you on. It can act as an accessible means of exploring your sexuality without actually engaging in sex, providing a medium for education about others’ sexual fantasies in order to realise your own. Porn can be enjoyed in valuable, constructive ways to enhance your sexuality and general well-being, and all types of porn should be explored and enjoyed. After all, you’ll never be pleased by anyone until you learn how to please yourself.
Meadhbh Mcgrath is a Senior Sophister student of English Literature Michelle Buckley is also a Senior Sophister student of English Literature
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