January 26, 2010

A more chaste porn star

First of all, I want to make clear that Jenna Jameson did a knock-out performance on Oprah in November. Like, perfect 10. Her publicist and speaking coach must've worked overtime, but Jenna said all the perfect things you want a porn start to say on Oprah. (It's not that I think her words are untrue; her level of self-awareness and eloquence was just off the charts higher than anything I'd seen from her before.) If you missed it, check out this play by play.

Ok, so that glowing review aside, I did take exception to one part of the interview where Jenna claims she's not like "other women" who have lots of partners and are called sluts/whores. According to Jameson, because her primary partner on camera was her husband, she's somehow more chaste (my word). Take a peek:

Look, the world's biggest porn star DOES NOT need to defend her chastity. No woman does, but particularly a woman whose sexual performances have made her a millionaire and a global brand. Like, whatever you did, you did good. Also? You got paid to have sex--to most people keeping tabs on the morality scale, that's a big no-no.

My issue is that Jenna is separating herself from "others" who (she implies) ARE deservedly called sluts. That's unkind to her fellow ladies of the set. Most women in porn are honest ladies who just want to make a buck--they don't deserve scorn for violating some outdated notion that women should retain their purity. Not everyone finesses a porn career having sex with as few partners as Jameson. Jenna really set a new paradigm in her career, but it isn't helpful for her to then separate herself as somehow more "pure" and "chaste" than other porn stars. 

Prediction: in the next few years we'll see a move away from women's liberation-via-girl's-gone-wild (and the ancillary strip pole dancing classes), towards reclaimed chastity. Seriously, not having sex will be the new hot thing.

Jan 26, 2010 12:51:00 PM | Female Sexuality, Mainstream Press, Morality, Porn Superstars

January 12, 2010

You don't have to be slutty just because you watch porn

The phemonenon of women watching and enjoying porn is growing. Everywhere, including Idaho. Trust me on that. The phenomenon of women talking about how they watch and enjoy porn is also taking hold--though this time it's mostly limited to liberal enclaves and major cities. But still, it's a start.

I've noticed an interesting dynamic start taking place among these women who talk about porn. A man watching porn is just doing what men are assumed to do. No biggie. But for a woman to watch porn, and then tell people is a radical revelation, and people assume she somehow acts like the women in the porn movies.

It's happened to me a few times - people I meet are aware of this blog and my area of study. When I mentinon that I advocate sexual conservatism I get looks of shock. "Don't you think that's kind of incompatible?" they ask. 

Of course not! Watching porn is about entertainment. On a cerebral level, it's accepting that everyone is a sexual creature, and sex can be a creative (if efficacious) sexual outlet. Not sleeping around is a personal decision based on real life experience and a sense of one's own personal values for behavior in the real world. Totally different.

I suppose it doesn't help the case that many of the biggest women's porn advocates--Tristan Taormino, Violet Blue, Nina Hartley, Sasha Grey--also broadcast a libertine sense of sexuality. I can see how people could conflate personal sexual practices with porn viewing practice.

But I am here to tell you, dear readers, that they are NOT the same thing! You can both watch porn and exist in a monogamous relationship. You can both watch porn and not sleep with someone on the first date. You can both watch porn and not like backdoor sex. In fact, watching porn may help you hold your ground under pressure--you get to indulge your wildest fantasy while still maintaining your personal values

Jan 12, 2010 8:25:00 PM | Female Sexuality, Porn Superstars

November 18, 2009

Porn Industry Primer

Below is a brief piece of reporting on the porn industry. The creator is Vaguard, from Current TV (my favorite source for hilarious Sarah Haskins videos).

While not exactly an in-depth investigation, it's nonetheless a decent primer on porn's relationship with technology and the issues facing the industry.

Watch for the bit towards the end about how pornstar Jessica Drake builds relationships with fans, who become invested in her success. Dare I suggest this could be the industry's salvation?

Nov 18, 2009 11:59:00 AM | Porn Superstars, Technology, Women Making Porn

October 08, 2009

Squirt Ban in UK

Apparently UK porn films must undergo approval by a group called the British Board of Film Classification. I can only imagine a row of grey-haired Brits staring down their noses at raunchy movies - I'm shocked anything makes it past them.

Films depicting female ejaculation had been banned by this board, a decision which was recently overturned thanks to the lobbying efforts of female porn director Anna Span.

Span
Ms. Span

While the question of female ejaculation is mildly controversial--what is it anyway? is it pee? do regular women do this?--one must admit there's a massive double standard in place when male ejaculation is (literally) all over the place in porn films. 

So kudos to Anna Span. I'll have to check out her films.

You can read more about this issue here. There are some freaky new-age books about "divine nectar" from which I'd steer clear. Many resources about female ejaculation are available, should you want to investigate. Word of caution: female ejaculation is apparently much more, uh, copious (i.e., messy) than the male version.

Oct 8, 2009 2:13:47 PM | Current Affairs, Female Sexuality, Porn Superstars, Women Making Porn

October 02, 2009

Sasha Down Under

Sasha Wholesome

Sasha supporting PornPerspectives' new SFW policy (photo courtesy VICE)

VICE magazine interviewed Sasha Grey while she was in Australia promoting Steven Soderbergh's film The Girlfriend Experience. Check it out here.

If you want more Sasha, she talks about her philosophy about her porn career, why she thinks women are excellent directors, her ambition for the industry, and why she doesn't need to be saved in a video here (NSFW). She's got some great insights, as usual, but you kind of feel bad she has to work with idiots like the photographer also featured in the video.

Oct 2, 2009 2:47:00 PM | Mainstream Press, Porn Superstars, Sasha Grey, Women Making Porn

September 25, 2009

Women Moving In

Womancamera

While the porn industry suffers from the same recessionary trends impacting the rest of the country, many porn companies who once could count on easy profits are having a tough time. Sales are down, and customers are turning to free content available online.

Some argue that this downturn will result in a return to quality in porn. Customers can get junky content for free online, so why would they pay for it? Instead, producers will need to present a product worth paying for. I've argued that women in particular understand this market for quality content. Supporting this claim, Good Releasing, sister to novelty toy company Good Vibrations (started in the 1970s and oriented towards female consumers), has announced a three new video production lines: Reel Queer Productions, HeartCore Productions and the PleasureEd Series.

According to Good Vibrations COO Jackie Strano, Good Releasing will feature quality content and leverage the expertise of legend Carol Queen, PhD. According to Strano:

“Good Releasing's titles showcase authentic and hot adult entertainment full of helpful information, lustful and unabashed sexualities, unapologetic desire, genuine pleasure, and screen burning chemistry.”

She added:

"Our films will offer viewers’ a unique selection of wide-ranging topics that provide open-minded information for a diverse audience, with special emphasis placed on mutual respect, enthusiastic participation and pleasure.”

I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more women using the economic downtown as an opportunity to launch new ventures and introduce novel, high-quality content to the market. Now's a great time to get started.

Sep 25, 2009 2:23:00 PM | Business, Female Sexuality, Porn Superstars, Women Making Porn

April 16, 2009

Marilyn Chambers, 1952-2009

Marilyn Chambers, star of the '70s porn classic Behind the Green Door, passed away over the weekend in her home. She was 57 and died of unknown causes.

Behindthegreendoor


She got her start as the face of Ivory Soap (99 adn 44/100% pure!), and was later dropped after her porn debut. Even though the film showed at Cannes Film Festival and received remarkably positive reviews, I suppose Ivory decided the quintessential virgin/whore wasn't the optimal face of soap.

Ivory soap
I always admired Chambers for her smart business sense (she negotiated a hefty salary and a cut of the proceeds from Green Door) and her unrepentent attitude (she used her real first name, saying she was unashamed of what she did). I'm sorry her life came to a premature end.
Apr 16, 2009 6:02:14 AM | Porn Superstars, Women Making Porn

April 09, 2009

Green Porno is Here!

As you may remember from an earlier post, Isabella Rossellini has created a series of educational sex films about animals called Green Porno for the Sundance Channel. They are educational, weird, and oddly poetic.

The films are now starting to become available over the web.

Check out Isabella explaining penises and vaginas here.

And here she is as a whale with a 6-foot long penis.

...and much, much more...

Green-porno

Apr 9, 2009 7:38:38 AM | Porn Superstars, Women Making Porn

February 12, 2009

Fab Blog

I just discovered a hilarious (and useful!) blog, Carnal Knowledge. In essence, it is a porn review blog maintained by a cadre of intelligent porn-lovers. But really, it is so much more...

For example, check out this entry in which the writers dissect a clip ("Secretary in office gets fucked real") which catches their interest because, unlike most supposed-real clips, this one really seems authentic. They present a running commentary of what makes the clip hot (its realism and the fact that the woman appears not to know she is being filmed).

Also, they love Kylie Minogue too, which inspires me to randomly post this hot clip which combines the delights of Kylie, Agent Provocateur, and Swedish garage-punk: let's call it a thank-you-for-reading.

Feb 12, 2009 1:35:41 AM | Porn Superstars

January 18, 2009

Women on the Rise

I'm not the only one noticing a major change in the role of women in the porn industry - even MSNBC has caught on. They recently profiled  Joy King, VP of special projects at Wicked, one of the most prominent adult production companies.

King has been in the business for 24 years, so I'm sure she has valuable views on the industry. She defends 'the industry," (a term to use loosely, considering production of pornographic content is incredibly diffuse), but says she is not a fan of much of the content. Incidentally, this mix of attraction/revultion is common among women in and around the industry - smells to me of a potential market being ignored.

While the MSNBC profile, in typical mainstream media fashion, focuses on her personal life rather than the interesting insights she can share, her Women In Adult (WIA) profile page contains many interesting nuggets. According to King, the her greatest difficulty we well as her greatest asset in the industry is one simple thing - being a woman. 

The purpose of my research and writing about the industry is to track the development of women like Joy King, and to see how the industry is changing the roles women play. My hypothesis is that these women are also going to change the industry itself.

If you're interested in learning more about WIA - a great organization - check out their site:

Header_wia

Jan 18, 2009 8:15:11 AM | Porn Superstars, Women Making Porn
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Rebecca R

I study the business of pornography, with a special focus on the evolution of women in the industry.

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