“Hello there,
Like a lot of men, and an increasing number of women, I like porn. Hentai is great, and so is the live action stuff. However, lately I find myself being more responsible for what I consume. I don’t spend any money, but a page view still generates advertising revenue, which means now and again I’m generating wealth for somebody even if the money didn’t come from *my* pocket. I don’t want to encourage unethical behavior, not even indirectly, for a matter as intimate and personal as a pornographic or erotic performance.
One of the things I don’t see discussed often in sex-positive (and porn-positive) circles is the very real possibility that the pornography industry is, well, unethical. I don’t mean the material itself; that’s a separate discussion. I’m talking about manipulation and abuse, mostly of women, many of them young (let’s face it, not all 18 year old girls really understand what they’re doing when they pose for the camera, or perform in a scene for that matter!). It’s difficult to untangle the evidence and opinions, though admittedly I haven’t tried very hard.
Then there’re health concerns. Now and again I hear noise in the industry about condom use during non-solo performances, for instance, but performers have repeatedly neglected that safety because consumers appear to prefer unprotected sex acts. That doesn’t seem right to me.
Any thoughts, criticism, or discussion would be appreciated.“
I totally agree with you – there is a lot of ethically fuzzy stuff going on in the adult entertainment industry. I have heard interviews with porn stars who talked about how if a woman isn’t willing to do certain acts (anal, double penetration, etc) she’ll often have a harder time getting work with some studios.
Plus, once she decides to (for example) do anal for a particular film, the studio will expect her to do it every/any time and will keep upping the ante on what they want her to do next.
The whole thing with condoms is a pretty weird mess too. The porn industry has the opportunity to encourage consumers to use condoms – all they have to do is lead by example. If in all porn the actors used condoms it would become more and more normalized and the general public might be more interested in using them as well.
The shitty thing is, whoever is deciding what people want to see in porn, doesn’t think people will watch it if there are condoms being used. But really, it’s not like they even stop the action to put on the condom in the porn films where condoms are used – like many of the “real” parts of sex, it’s cut out.
I heartily believe that if all the studios started having their actors use condoms, their business wouldn’t suffer at all. But maybe I’m naive?
The whole porn/erotica industry is really one giant grey area – esp when you get into issues of dehumanization and derogatory treatment of women in a lot of porn. There’s evidence that it’s pretty damaging to both men and women who watch it, but some men AND women say that it does turn them on – so things can get pretty confusing in that body of literature.
What about you, readers – any thoughts on this topic?
Yes it is a bit fuzzy, but it’s not about the bad boys and girls that run the porn industry. Bareback sex is not a discretionary choice for them; if their market (you and I) chooses not to see condoms then they’re simply not going to spend money producing material where they are worn. Otherwise, they’re not going to be in business long.
If we want to see safe sex in porn we’re going to have to demand safe sex in porn.
On the other hand, people in the porn industry don’t seem to be getting sick and/or dying any faster than the general population. Maybe they could give us some safe sex tips that don’t involve prophylatics?
Yes it is a bit fuzzy, but it’s not about the bad boys and girls that run the porn industry. Bareback sex is not a discretionary choice for them; if their market (you and I) chooses not to see condoms then they’re simply not going to spend money producing material where they are worn. Otherwise, they’re not going to be in business long.
If we want to see safe sex in porn we’re going to have to demand safe sex in porn.
On the other hand, people in the porn industry don’t seem to be getting sick and/or dying any faster than the general population. Maybe they could give us some safe sex tips that don’t involve prophylactics?
I would suggest, to both the original poster and to anyone offering their opinion on the subject, to carefully examine where any ‘evidence’ or commentary they choose to cite comes from. As with anything sexual (including sex education, sexuality and fetishes) there is a lot of misinformation spread by opponents of pornography. For every jaded ex-pornstar who complains of abuse and exploitation there’s a few dozen who view it as an enjoyable career choice. For every priest, politician and talking head that makes claims or offers examples of harm to society there are millions of people who have watched porn and continue to be well adjusted, productive members of society.
Personally, I prefer not to see condoms in porn on the rare occasion I watch one. Pornography is like any other film, it’s a fantasy. Just like I don’t want to see the hero of an action flick gunned down in the first five minutes or the geeky best friend not get the girl, I would prefer not to see condoms.
Innocent mind – I opted to play one side of the argument this time, just for interest. I am certainly aware that there are many many adult entertainers who enjoy every aspect of their career. :)
Also, I guess everyone has different preferences in what they view – I have never felt like condoms got in the way of my enjoyment of an erotic film, but maybe that’s because I don’t care a whole lot about what is or is not on the dick I’m viewing. ;) hehe
Nearly every “shemale” porn film I’ve downloaded puts a condom on the transwoman. Just thought I’d throw that out there, since there seems to be an alarmist reaction about condoms being completely missing from pornography.