TonioTimeDaily

"WF: How would you define ethical / feminist porn?

Allie:I think ethical and feminist porn are two different things that sometimes overlap. Birthed in the 80’s, feminist porn as a genre feels like a thing of the past. The term originally meant that a porn was either directed by a (cis) woman, depicted “authentic” pleasure in (cis) women, and/or diverted the *dun dun dun* “male gaze.” A new genre meant to liberate women ended up creating space for only a small fraction of mostly white cis straight *vanilla* women’s view of “better” pornography. This is where ethically made porn is born as a new descriptor. Instead of focusing on what the images look like or who makes them, ethical porn focuses on labor rights of the industry, specifically the performers rights. Are the performers being treated and paid well? Are their needs and boundaries being heard and respected? Do they have agency over the script/performance? How is the porn distributed and using what language to market it? Ethically made porn holds the entire industry accountable to basic labor rights. Maybe you don’t like triple anal porn, but if the performer was treated and paid well, then that is ethical porn to me.

WF: What can porn consumers do to ensure what they're viewing is ethical?

Allie:This is a hard question; an easy answer would be to buy and consume porn directly from the performer. There are endless independent content producers on sites like manyvids.com. You can also follow performers on twitter, switter and other platforms to see what they are saying about their work conditions. This requires a huge amount of vulnerability on the consumers end. Pornographers use social platforms to promote their explicit work along side everything else they are thinking about. Leaning into the discomfort of sexual imagery can help us pay attention to how they are made and how the people who participated feel about them. With that said, I think a lot of our socialized guilt around sex is projected onto porn performers. It’s important to remember the performers get paid for their labor, and like many jobs, they may not agree with or love the company they work for, but they did negotiate and gain something (money) from it. I think we need to stop projecting our own guilt and fears around sex onto porn, and start actually listening to what the performers involved have to say about it.

Pornography is a part of many people's masturbation routines. Erotic films and imagery help to turn us on, allow us to explore fantasies, and develop our desires. However, with some of mainstream pornography promoting sexist and discriminatory narratives as well as mistreating it's stars and creators, how can we ensure the porn we're viewing is ethically made with a feminist agenda? What do feminism and ethical standards even look like within the world of porn?

https://thepornconversation.org/#ambassadors

Sex trafficking is one of the worst criminal phenomenons of the 21st Century. Every day, traffickers kidnap innocent people, often underage children, and force them into sex slavery. Dozens of organizations have popped up to fight the scourge. Although they sound like they are fighting a noble war, some of these nonprofits have spent time and resources trying to outlaw legal, consenting sex workers who have nothing to do with the sex trafficking trade. Their missions extend beyond preventing sex trafficking into banning all forms of pornography, although they tend to mostly tout the former when convincing lawmakers and celebrities to join their causes."

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