I was following a discussion on women entering the pornography industry, and the usual stereotypes and cliches were being tossed around. One statement in particular that I heard often was the understanding that most (if not all) women got involved in doing porn as a desperate last-measure attempt to earn some quick money, and that the job was not something they enjoyed, but rather something they found uncomfortable and degrading. Sometimes, even, the women were forced or pressured into doing it, but even in the cases where their voluntary consent was given, it was always something they didn't enjoy, something they endured for the paycheck.
Which is like any other job, am I right? I find it interesting that the people making these comments were, as far as I can tell, exclusively men who have not had first-hand experience with the porn industry (other than as end users) and its operations, nor have they ever had a personal relationship with any of these women who have done porn. Now, certainly, these men are entitled to their opinions, and it's encouraging that they are at least thinking about the conditions under which the porn videos they pleasure themselves to are being made. But I have to ask the question, how much of it is true, and how much are these opinions a combination of pervasive and inaccurate stereotypes, and these men's own post-feminist guilt over consuming and enjoying material that high-profile (if not real) feminists like to publicly state is degrading to women?
I don't have the answers to these questions, unfortunately. And I am not so naive as to believe that there are no problems in the porn industry - that no women are ever forced or pressured into getting involved, or into doing certain activities they'd rather not, or that every woman who does it finds it degrading and is only doing it for the pay check. I mean, that's way too close to saying that women never enjoy sex. I know that, with the exception of so-called "feminist" porn and gay porn and whatnot, the bulk of porn is produced for straight men featuring women, with the emphasis on portraying the woman as a desirable sex object. But isn't that just half of the mating ritual anyway, with the part about the woman's desire deemphasized (because, after all, it's a product created for men, not for couples)? Are there not women who, like some men, are exhibitionists, who enjoy being displayed and desired by large audiences? Are there not even some women who derive sexual pleasure from being "degraded"? What about women who actually like men enough (i.e., not the stereotypical "dyke feminist") to care about doing things to turn men on and give them pleasure, even if it's not strictly something they're doing for themselves? And aren't these women the ones who are most likely to pursue a job in porn?
In short, is it really that hard to imagine a woman wanting to do porn, and not feeling degraded by it? I know I am not a woman, and gender politicians will say it's different, but I wouldn't mind doing some porn myself. I'm already an erotic model, but for this discussion I'll consider "porn" as having sex with another person on camera. And, true to form, I feel like, in order to put my money where my mouth is (so to speak), I ought to do at least one porn video to prove I'm not against it - even enthusiastic about the idea. I have, actually, done some amateur stuff that's probably not worth sharing; I think participating in a professional production is a much different experience. And that brings up an important distinction between amateur and professional porn - where amateur porn is more likely to depict people enjoying the sex acts they're engaging in, whereas professional porn is just people doing jobs for money.
And that's kinda the thing. If I were to do a porn video, there would be certain requirements for me to feel comfortable and maintain my enthusiasm. For one thing, I'd have to be partnered with somebody I have at least some sexual chemistry with and attraction to. The hotter they are, the more enthusiastic I'd be, of course, but they wouldn't have to be, like, super model attractive for me to be willing to participate. On the other hand, if it were someone I was just really not attracted to, I might have a hard time agreeing to it (and if I did, I would not feel very comfortable in that situation). For most women, they're straight, so posing with men for porn is at least in the right ballpark. In my case, straight couples are marketed almost purely for men with the emphasis on the woman in the pair, and so if I were hoping for any kind of a significant market for my video, I'd pretty much be forced to do gay porn, and that's something that's going to be a whole lot harder for me to agree to, much less enjoy.
And then there are certain acts I would and wouldn't enjoy doing. This is pretty much standard sex talk here. I like this. I don't like that. Now, if you're being paid to fuck, it seems like the question's going to hinge more on what you are willing to do, not what you like to do. And that brings in the whole issue of degradation for pay, and the difference between business and pleasure. I actually prefer porn where the people involved are more participants than actors, and for whom doing the acts on camera is something they enjoy, and not strictly something they're doing to get paid. But then, that's kind of the nature of professional porn - "what are you willing to do for a paycheck?" - which is kind of degrading.
So I guess I really see porn in two ways. The professional side is more likely to involve coercion and degradation - although at the end of the day, if somebody is willing to do something for a check, that's not any more degrading than any other job, so long as the price is right, and we should respect rather than pity these people who are willing to sacrifice something of themselves for our ultimate pleasure (and their pay check, of course, but there is a reason someone chooses porn and not a different degrading job). On the other side is the amateur mentality, where probably noone is getting paid, they're just doing it for the fun of it. That's the attitude I like in porn, but unfortunately, amateur videos don't have the production values of professional ones. And what's more (I find this a con, but others actually think it's a positive), amateur porn is more likely to involve "normal"-looking people, whereas I like to see super hot people in the porn I watch.
Ideally, perhaps it would make sense to create a sort of merging of amateur mentality with professional production values, to form a sort of "fair trade porn". It'd be nice to know that the professional porn you're watching was created with certain standards in place, that attempt to reduce if not eliminate the poor working conditions for women (and non-women) that are involved. I think some of the basic tenets of this ethos would be that the participants not be pressured into taking the job, that they be paid a fair wage for their labor, and that their boundaries and comfort level be respected before, during, and after the production. Basically, I could imagine a scouting interview going something like this. "Would you like to do some porn? We'll pay you to have sex on camera. What are your limits and boundaries? What would you enjoy doing, and what would you not want to do? What type of person are you willing to have sex with on camera? We want to do everything we can to make this as comfortable and fun for you as possible. Alright, let's get started."
And that is absolutely the kind of porn I would be willing to do - enthusiastically. Because porn is a good thing, and we need lots of it in the world, and the more of it is produced under non-coercive, non-degrading conditions, the better we can all feel about ourselves, and the sooner we can shake off this poison mentality that all porn is harmful to women and its participants. And when that happens, think of how many more people will be eager to participate in porn!
