BAD PORN, GOOD PORN - ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF FEMINIST PORNOGRAPHY
Pornography has been criticised for a long time: The frequent accusation is that it reproduces sexist stereotypes and educates its consumers towards unhealthy, patriarchal sexuality. Our author thinks that it’s not the pornography that is the problem, rather that it can work as a solution. Here's why she thinks we urgently need to watch more porn.
My first explicit porn video was seen involuntarily: A boy in my class excitedly showed it to us on his cell phone. Most of us laughed, ashamed, plainly expressing our disgust, but we all watched it spellbound, nonetheless. In my teen years I saw quite a few more videos. Mostly this was to examine them carefully – preparing for my own, imminent sex-life. Like everyone my age, I used the common, free-of-charge, mainstream internet platforms and, pretty soon after I started having sex myself, I stopped watching porn. Mainly I stopped because of aesthetic reasons, often because I didn't relate to what I saw. I didn’t find the settings appealing either, or the people or the style of interaction. Most of my friends described similar experiences. Many of us seem to associate porn with un-aesthetic, confusing websites and semi-serious employment contracts.
However, the artistic implementation of porn is obviously not it's only point of criticism. Especially in recent years it has been increasingly accused of exerting harmful influence on its consumers. In 2016, a study, published in the International Communication Association, examined the most popular mainstream pornographic videos for their portrayal of sexual behaviour, violence and humiliation. The results were telling: 88.2% of the scenes represented physically aggressive behaviour and 94% of the named acts of violence were directed against women. The specific sexual practices also suggested a trend: the most common sexual act depicted was oral sex by women on men with 90.1%, while anal sex, with 55.9%, was more common than oral sex by men on women. The research team found that their results confirmed that mainstream pornographic films preferred the male perspective on sexuality.
When it comes to the way porn works, beyond the purpose of sexual arousal, it obviously has a rather criticised reputation. But is this the nature of pornography? Does that make pornography harmful per se? I think that the opposite is the case.
There has always been porn
Humans have always enjoyed depictions of naked bodies and sexuality. Ancient cave paintings show sexual images - from bared genitals to gigantic orgies. You can find them on relics of ancient Rome, on vases from ancient Greece or on the copperplate engravings of the Renaissance period. The last few decades, however, have increased its importance significantly. Due to its permanent digital availability, pornography has recently gained significant social importance. Digitisation has helped porn to achieve enormous global market growth and increasing numbers of viewers via the ever easier to access internet.
Whereas, in the past, we had to go to the video store, feeling embarrassed or, alternatively, rummage through Daddy's Playboy magazines, nowadays we can hardly escape porn. In the past year the porn-website Pornhub received 115 million views - per day! Pornography is ubiquitous and it is impossible to imagine our society today without it. To paraphrase Betty Dodson: “Most people will agree that sex is a very personal matter, but now that sexual imagery has become prevalent with Internet porn available on our computers 24/7, I'd say - like it or not - porn is here to stay. "
So, if we find mainstream porn problematic and at the same time accept that it belongs to us, it is worthwhile rethinking the concept of common porn. Luckily, some far-sighted feminists started dealing with this topic more than thirty years ago.
Brief historical discourse: The emergence of feminist porn
The concept of feminist pornography originated in the USA in the 1980s. At this point the States were in the midst of the so-called “porn wars,” also known as “sex wars.” These terms are understood to refer to the very controversial and long-term debate within the feminist community about the role of sexualized representation. The debate resulted in a radical split in feminism.
On the one hand, there were the activists who fought to legally prohibit pornography as what they saw as the most explicit and sexist form of sexualized representation. Under the slogan of the writer Robin Morgan, "porn is the theory, rape is the practice," they began to pursue legislative initiatives against pornography. On the other hand, many feminists saw this movement as a threat to the previous empowerment of women and a regression of feminism. In their opinion, nobody would benefit from a ban; it was much more likely that new perspectives on pornography were needed.
These developments laid the foundation for the feminist porn movement. The period between the early 1970s and the early 1980s is now known as “the golden age of porn”: Numerous new pornographic films were produced, mostly supported by good budgets.
In the early 2000s, more and more explicitly feminist porn filmmakers appeared, which culminated in 2006 with the establishment of the Feminist Porn Award (FPA).
At the same time, through Erika Lust, Mia Engberg and Petra Joy, a comparable movement developed in Europe. Lust gained particular prominence: her project xConfessions mutated into one of the most far-reaching projects in feminist pornography ever made. In 2009 the communication scientist Dr. Laure Méritt entered the European market with the foundation of her PorYes campaign and the associated "European Feminist Porn Award."
Unfortunately, it took me a few years to see my first film by Erika Lust. But boy, was I fascinated when I did. While I had avoided porn for years because it had nothing to do with the sex I had, I now found porn that showed the sex I wanted to have: Genuine, pleasurable, consensual sex that allows everything, without any judgement or shame.
So what makes a porno feminist?
In contrast to the, often incorrect, synonymous use, feminist pornography does not see itself as “female porn.” Rather, it is explicitly aimed at all genders and also includes queer identities. The initiators of the PorYes Festival, which is one of the most popular events in the scene, have drawn up an extensive catalogue of criteria that describes pornography in their own way:
“• A sex-positive basic attitude must be recognisable, and depictions of people and misogyny must be avoided
• The practices must take place in consultation with those involved and border crossings must be excluded
• Safer sex practice and generally ethical working conditions are welcome.
• The actors are shown in relation to one another, for example through eye contact, energy exchange, skin, hand or body contact.
• Emotions and expressions of love are welcome
• A variety of camera and light settings is welcome.
• Variations in sex practices are presented in a joyful transition, there is no performance exhibition
• The film depicts body types, age groups, genders, sexual orientations and ethnic backgrounds in a variety of ways
• The sound recordings are authentic and there is no synchronization of the moans that reinforce stereotypes
• Lust and joy are presented, with a special focus on female lust and its diversity
• There is no schematic representation of the sexual height curve: A straightforward work towards the man's ejaculation is avoided, as is the emphasis on male cumshots
• Orgasms are not the only goal
• Women are not only involved in the production of the film in front of, but also behind the camera, for example as a producer, director or camerawoman”
Even though there is a set of rules, from what I´ve learned, feminist pornography can be almost everything. There are wild orgies and romantic outdoor couple sex. There are kinky BDSM scenes and there is romantic vanilla sex. There are polygamous threesomes and spiritual devotion.
Whatever your fantasy can imagine, feminist porn does it - but in a consensual way and by breaking with the stereotypical norms in an aesthetical way. And by the way, without forcing it, it educates you. That Asian women and Black men can take part in porn without being fetishised, for example. That men moan too. Or that it is normal for average looking cis-people to find joy in sleeping with someone non-binary. I still frequently find that a video allows me to discover another problematic, internalized behaviour of mine and makes me rethink the huge construct that is my sexuality.
The studies mentioned at the beginning clearly show the enormous impact pornography has on us. Especially in our young years, when our sexuality is just beginning to form, an alternative approach to pornography could really make a difference. My 15-year-old-me would have loved to see Clarke Kent and Paulita Pappel slowly negotiating their intimacy with their eyes and hands before starting to kiss. And even if it´s not for lust or education, most feminist porn films are still simply beautiful to watch. So, go on, give it a try!
Photograph sourced from nappy.co
