“Porn isn’t just porn, porn is actually a discourse, a discourse about sexuality, about masculinity and the roles we play” -Erika Lust

We now live in a society of instant gratification where everything seems to be only a few button clicks away. And the world of porn is no different. In this article, the challenges, as well as the new possibilities of the porn industry porn, are discussed.

This article includes:

• General considerations about mainstream porn
• Implications related to the production of porn
• Implications related to consuming porn
• Shifts in the landscape of the porn industry: feminist porn
• Shifts in the landscape of the porn industry: OnlyFans

Pornography refers to “sexually arousing material (focusing on the consumer) or material intended to produce sexual arousal (focusing on the producer)” [1]. All of us know about it, many of us consume it, but still, barely anyone talks about it openly. Throughout its existence, porn has been loaded with plenty of negative connotations and many feel a lot of shame when watching it. Moreover, as readily available and free of charge porn has filled the internet to its brim it is no new news that many youngsters are turning to porn for their sex ed, and this does not come without consequences. The mainstream porn industry has faced a lot of criticism for the way it operates and for the kind of content it produces. Mainstream porn has been critiqued for its unrealistic presentation of physical bodies and sexuality, the presence of the male gaze in the realization of the final product, and the often problematic work conditions for the actors just to mention a few. As a psychology professor and the author of the book ‘How sexual desire works’ Frederik Toates states: “some individuals probably get much of their information from pornography, in which case they might absorb the erroneous impression that female desire is ever-ready, uninhibited, indiscriminate, and without complications, restraints or any requirement of reciprocity” [2].

The effects of viewing porn have been widely researched and debated and for a good reason. Hyde and DeLameter authors of the book ‘Understanding human sexuality’  ask the following questions about the psychological effects of consuming pornography [1]:

1. ‘Does it affect users’ attitudes about sexual activities or relationships?’
2. ‘Does it affect the sexual behaviour of users?’
3. ‘Does it affect the aggressive or criminal behaviour of users, particularly aggressive behaviour toward women?’

Research using data from national surveys from the US finds that viewing adult films correlates with more accepting attitudes when it comes to sex before marriage, teen sex and extramarital sex [1]. However, we are talking about a correlation here and not causation. It is possible that those with more permissive attitudes will be more likely to seek adult entertainment in the first place [1].

Mainstream porn

The effects of watching pornography on real-life sexual behaviour have also been highly researched. Opponents of pornography go as far as to claim that “porn is the theory and rape is the practice” [3] whereas others hold a more nuanced view. It is evident that through viewing pornography our sexual scripts, which refer to (sexual) behavioural patterns that we rely on in our behaviour, are influenced by consuming porn and this can, in turn, influences our sexual behaviour [1]. It can be as simple as having your partner suggest a new sex position, which they saw while watching porn the night before. However,  this replication has also caused a lot of concern since there is a lot of violent, aggressive and degrading porn out there - and to replicate this without consent is a cause for great concern. Laboratory studies have found that men who are provoked by a woman have an aggressive reaction to her later on if given the opportunity. Men who viewed violent pornography were more aggressive toward a woman in this situation in comparison to men who were exposed to non-violent sexual material [1]. Moreover, the men who have higher levels of porn use, experience greater negative impacts [1]. It is definitely not as simple as saying, all people who watch violent porn will act violently in sexual encounters. However, there is evidence that people who consume high quantities of porn and are at higher risk of committing an assault in general, might get encouraged by viewing violent porn. “Many people viewing violence have no wish to replicate the acts seem, but sadly some do”, Toates explains [2]. He further states that it is not fully clear whether viewing aggressive material encourages aggression in sexual situations but there is some evidence that suggests that it does [2].  To explore this further there are two analytical models: the catharsis model and the imitation model. The catharsis model sees viewing violent porn as a way to release tension and thus get rid of any urge to be violent in everyday life. The imitation model on the other hand suggests that the violence in porn is seen as something to replicate in real life. If the catharsis model was correct, the increase in violent pornographic material should have been followed by a decrease in sexual violence, such as rape, but the opposite has been the case [2]. However, these are complicated matters, which carry a lot more nuanced aspects than often presented in the public discourse.

Producing porn

The implications of producing and consuming porn are filled with questions about ethics and power. Some people think we would all be better off without pornography altogether, but taking into account the high demand for it as well as the booming business it has become, it seems safe to assume that pornographic content is not going anywhere anytime soon. So instead of thinking about how we should get rid of it, we should be thinking about how to make it better. To Indie Adult Cinema producer Erika Lust porn is not inherently good or bad but instead, she sees it as a discourse about our common values, sexuality, masculinity, and the roles we play in society [4]. Erika Lust believes that “the best response to bad porn is better porn” [4]. So instead of condemning porn once and for all, it might be more fruitful to think about how we can make it a more fair, equal and safe process for everyone involved and how we can make sure that the porn out there is not sending out false information to youth by encouraging violent behaviour.

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Feminist porn

To our great relief, the landscape of porn has already experienced some shifts as a response to the plenty of negative critiques it has received. I will now discuss two developments that are challenging the hegemonic position of the mainstream porn industry: feminist porn and the internet platform OnlyFans.

Feminist porn is concerned with the following:

1. Ethical working conditions and consent
2. Representing underrepresented groups and bodies on screen
3. Making porn identifiable and enjoyable for groups that mainstream pornography fails to cater for

Feminist porn taps into the problematic aspect of mainstream porn by focusing on fair working conditions and emphasising consent along the process. In practice, focusing on consent can be done for example by adding a short commentary video from the actor(s) at the end of the porn video where the actors comment on the experience or simply state their consent. Moreover, as the male gaze has been present in so much of the mainstream porn, feminist porn is focused on providing porn that is enjoyable for women and other groups who are not recognized by mainstream porn through for example showing female pleasure.

It is important to note, however, that feminist porn is not synonymous with soft or romantic porn/erotica. As an example, a study done by Pornhub states that women are twice as likely as men to look up ‘hardcore’ porn and about 70% more likely to enjoy watching rough sex [5]. As Erika Lust states:“ the sex can stay dirty but the values have to be clean” [4].

OnlyFans

Another new development in the realm of sex work and pornographic content is the new internet platform OnlyFans, where subscribers can pay to access the content of the creators. Throughout the corona times, the platform has become very popular as a place to share sexually explicit content in exchange for money. “Everyone and their mom is on it” reported Guardian in December 2020 [6]. What is more, OnlyFans reported that the platform now has over a hundred million users who range from moms and influencers to sex workers [7]. This new way of creating sexually explicit content changes the power structures that we are used to in mainstream porn. Here the individuals themselves can film and post their content as well as determine their own prize without the producer interfering. Of course, this does not come without power imbalances. For example, when people with a large Instagram following move to OnlyFans they get a competitive advantage [7]. However, in principle, there is more freedom in creating, sharing and getting paid for the content one creates. Regardless, of the back and forth juggling of the last months in terms of whether OnlyFans will allow sexually explicit content to be posted on its platform in the future, this sharing platform has revolutionized the creation of pornographic content and this diversification is very welcomed.

All in all, pornographic content has made its way into the lives of many of us and it seems to be here to stay. That is why it is immensely important to open up the discussion on what the effects of the current mainstream porn industry are for the people involved in the creation as well as for its viewers. Moreover, within that discussion, it is important to remember that new ways of creating porn are available and we should seek to support porn that does not only reflect but also reproduce the values we hold in our society in general; those of respect and equality.

Additional resources:

• TED Talk - It’s time for porn to change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9LaQtfpP_8
• Youtube video - Pornography Addiction Test | Your Brain on Porn | Animated Series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26_BGVm2M0k&ab_channel=FreeMedEducation

• Article about OnlyFans - ‘Where else can I make a month’s rent in two days?’: the unlikely stars of OnlyFans:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jul/10/where-else-can-i-make-a-months-rent-in-two-days-the-unlikely-stars-of-onlyfans

References:

1. Hyde, J. S., & DeLamater, J. D. (2017). Understanding human sexuality. McGraw-Hill

Higher Education.

2. Toates, F. (2014). How sexual desire works. Cambridge University Press.

3. Stewart, R. S. (2019). Is Feminist Porn Possible?. ​Sexuality & Culture​, 23(1),

254-270.

4. TEDxTalks. (2014, December 3). ​It’s time for porn to change​ [Video]. Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9LaQtfpP_8

5. Ossel, E. (2019) Sexist Porn & Feminist Orgasms? [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis].

University of Amsterdam.

6. Lehmiller, Justin, et al. “Less Sex, but More Sexual Diversity: Changes in Sexual

Behavior during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.” Leisure Sciences, vol. 43, no. 1–2, Routledge, 2021, pp. 295–304, doi:10.1080/01490400.2020.1774016.

7. Philippo, L (2021) Digital Whores Doing Pay-Per-View Chores: Deconstructing the

Gentrification of Online Sexuality Through an Analysis of OnlyFans  [Unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. Amsterdam University College.