Sublimation or violence: What society thinks about pornography
PORNOGRAPHY - THE WORD, THE CAPABLE PRODUCT EFFECT bombshell. It is worth talking about it, as any friendly meeting runs the risk of becoming a debate: views on it are diametrically opposed. Some believe that porn is nothing special, others that pornography feeds hatred of women and a culture of violence. We decided to weigh pro and contra - and find out why the porn industry is so strongly associated with violence.
What is porn
It’s worth starting with the fact that we still cannot clearly say what it is. The only definition that everyone agrees with is the phrase of the judge of the US Supreme Court Potter Stewart: "I can not say what pornography is, but I recognize it when I see it." Its roots in the concept of "pornography" goes back to ancient Greece, literally translated as "stories of prostitution." The word has acquired its usual meaning already in the eighteenth century: it became a household word after the publication of the book by Nicola Retif de la Bretonne “The Pornographer, or the Reflection of a Decent Man on the True Immorality of Prostitution”. The book deals with issues that were considered obscene in the society of that time.
This is where the ambiguity of interpretation comes up: what is considered "obscene"? In everyday life, we understand pornography as “adult” films, but the question of its status is still open. Thus, borders may depend on the ethical standards of a particular country. If you rely on a legal definition, in pornography "sexually explicitly depicts or describes sexual intercourse in its various manifestations," and the works themselves "have no artistic or scientific value." If the scientific value is still more or less clear - after all, the manual on anatomy is hardly confusing for someone, then with artistry everything is much more complicated. The vagueness of the concept predictably led to censorship; painting paintings, texts or films could be banned. At one time, texts of de Sade, Boccaccio’s The Decameron or the prose of Henry Miller were considered pornographic. Gustav Courbet's painting "The Origin of the World" - a close-up work depicts a vulva - was not shown for more than one hundred and twenty years.
For the Romans and the Greeks, frank frescoes were in the order of things. But images of phalluses or scenes of orgies, typical of Greco-Roman culture, hardly pursued the same goals as modern pornography. They had rather a cult and ritual meaning, that is, they were not considered obscene in the modern sense. For more understandable purposes, pornographic images were distributed in China and Japan, but rather as a pleasure for the elite: the wonders of the printing house were far from cheap.
Despite the history of pornrisunok and frank literature, the industry is experiencing its rise already in the twentieth century, the development of photo and video made it possible. It is believed that the porn business has become more widespread in the 1900s: this was helped by the development of photography and the film industry. In the 1970s, the industry familiar to us was formed, and pornography became a massive asset - further this was facilitated by the appearance of videotapes, DVDs, and then the available Internet. The era of sexual revolution and total emancipation brought the world the film "Deep Throat", which made porn the way we know it now. The tape turned Linda Lovelace into a star and broke the box office record. The actress became one of the icons of the new sexual freedom - she preached free love, and sang porn as a way to liberation.
In 1980, Linda released the book "The Test", where she said that everything was a lie, she was a victim of domestic violence, and her husband Chuck Traynor forced her to work. Soon after, she became the speaker of the feminist organization Women Against Pornography and radically changed her rhetoric. But, despite Lovelace's confession, the industry only continues to grow.
Economy porn
Now porn is a giant and very profitable business, although it can be traced only approximately: there are few official data and they differ, and piracy is very well developed in this area. Some researchers estimate the turnover of the porn industry in 97 billion dollars, porn stars can have millions of states. In this case, payment depends on many factors, including the sex of actors: pornography is one of the few areas where women can receive more men. A man can earn $ 500 to $ 1,200 for scenes (in heterosexual scenes), while an average woman earns between $ 300 and $ 4,000 for shooting (other data suggests $ 1,000 for an average shooting). Such a wide range is due to the experience and popularity of the actress, the content of the scene and other factors. The actress can get "bonus" for the first shooting in a particular scene, for example, for the first participation in group or anal sex on the set. True, all this does not speak about equality: women end their careers earlier and enjoy less influence in the industry - men run the porn business. The economy of porn also depends on the country: for example, Russian business is far from American standards and pays significantly less.
As you know, demand creates supply. Pornhub has registered 28.5 billion visits in the past year alone, and according to some reports, porn sites get more visits than Amazon, Twitter and Netflix combined. Paradoxically, porn becomes part of pop culture, but it remains in the “gray zone”: this topic is still taboo. Because of this, the problems of the industry emerge after the fact, when former actresses publicly share their experiences.
And the problems in porn business are pretty serious. You should start with the fact that not always shooting in porn (and that, in principle, goes to the Web as a pornographic photo or video) is the result of a voluntary choice. Sex with trafficked victims is periodically recorded and put in public access without their consent. Sometimes sexing or unsafe storage of nude photos gets in the risk zone - intimate images can be in the public domain, for example, in the case of porn places.
Former porn actress Jen Meza says that even in regular filming, the actors often face a fraud: by agreeing to a job, they do not always know what exactly they have to do on the set. Describing her feelings after filming the BDSM scene, actress Eden Alexander admitted that she was not ready for such cruelty: the girl agreed to all the actions that occurred on the site, but could not even imagine how rude and painful the scene would be. She also notes that the actors are at risk of losing their job if they do not unconditionally follow the instructions of the producer or talk about the violence they faced. And she is far from the only one who talks about cruelty on the set: this year porn actresses Lee Raven and Riley Nixon said that filming with actor Riko Strong turned out to be much tougher than they expected - the actor humiliated them, beat them, and Raven got injured .
Linda Lovelace is not the only actress who joined the anti-pornographic movement. So, based on her own experience, Shelley Lubben points to the problems of the industry: exploitation, high STD levels among porn actors and actresses, as well as additional risks for women - due to regular shootings they can get injured. Lubben herself says that because of the filming of porn she got infected with herpes and HPV, and later her cervix was partially removed.
Shelly Lübben founded the Pink Cross Foundation: an organization that existed until 2016 helped those who want to leave the industry. In addition, Lübben focuses on the psychological state of actresses and actors involved in the porn business. Her charges say that pornography has become a painful experience for them. Often, the actresses are trying to blunt the sense of despair with alcohol and drugs, in some cases they are trying to commit suicide - so it was with Shelley herself.
Screened rape
Proponents of the anti-pornographic movement are increasingly talking about pornography as rape on the screen. So, they see in it the corresponding risks: the promotion of trafficking and the promotion of violence. "Male gender socialization and pornography lead to the fact that in bed many simply do not think that a partner can be unpleasant, humiliating or dangerous any practice. There is another very dangerous thing: sex in porn is often violent, and normalizes aggression towards women ", - says Daria Apahončić, a participant in the project" Feminists explain. "
The radical feminist Andrea Dvorkin set the tone for talking about the connection of the porn industry with the culture of violence: "Pornography is propaganda of hatred towards women. It not only incites violent actions against us, but also claims that we love it." Together with the lawyer Kathryn McKinnon in 1983, she developed an anti-pornographic bill. He did not mean the prohibition of pornography, as well as criminal liability for its production and sale: the authors believed that any sphere of criminalization only leads to the underground and in this case to solve the problems of the industry would become even more difficult. Instead, they offered women the mechanisms of legal protection in case of damage from pornography - for example, to demand compensation from the company or “ban” traumatic materials regardless of whether the woman was shot in porn or suffered from the consequences of viewing it. A similar law was even passed in Indianapolis, however, it was subsequently challenged and repealed by the Supreme Court. He sparked heated debates: the liberals questioned the connection between pornography and the position of a woman in society and family. In addition, many rested on the fact that the law may entail censorship.
There are two radically opposite views on porn. From the position of Dworkin, any sex work is the result of a difficult economic situation and social pressure. With the liberal - work in porn is the same free choice as employment in the office. Among the actresses themselves can be found and a positive attitude to work. For example, Belle Knox (her real name is Miriam Wicks) talks about filming porn as an exciting and liberating experience, moreover, as a source of support: according to her, while acting in porn, she feels that she completely takes control of her body. The actress notes that even in scenes of hard sex she did not receive any injuries and performed all actions only by agreement. The problem for her was not the work itself, but stigmatization: when fellow students learned what she was doing, the girl faced bulling, public insults and threats. In this case, Knox emphasizes that not all women who starred in porn have the same experience as hers - but a negative attitude towards the industry makes it difficult to openly talk about problems.
The issue of stigma is indeed one of the key issues in talking about the sex industry. There is a contradiction: billions of people watch porn, but at the same time, those who are on the other side of the screen, consumers of content are accustomed to condemn and perceive condescendingly. Briefly, Miriam Weeks described this: "You want to see me naked. But you condemn me for letting you."
Studies show this: only 29% of Americans surveyed consider morally acceptable, and 65% of those who do this feel remorse - but they may well continue to do so. Of course, the answers will also differ between social groups: pornography is more likely supported by millennials and people far from religion - 45 and 53% among the respondents from these groups, respectively. But on the whole, society’s relations with porn are otherwise difficult than contradictory.
"It is difficult to say with certainty that the source of the problem is the very content of the work or its stigmatization: humiliation, aggression, imposed shame and the overall marginal position of the industry. At the same time, sex workers themselves often point to stigma. Of course, it can lead to emotional disorders and breaking social ties, "says psychotherapist and sexologist Yevgeny Saprykin. At the same time, Yevgeny is inclined to see the motives for choosing the sex industry more in economics than in psychological prerequisites.
Miriam Wicks says she chose a career in porn to pay for her studies at a prestigious university. She described porn shootings as a pleasant job, but by the end of her studies she left the porn business: she thought about a legal and political career. Miriam was engaged in gender studies, considers himself a feminist and libertarian.
Male look
Among those who accept porn as a phenomenon that has the right to exist, there are opponents of the so-called male perspective in the industry. The theory of "male gaze" in the 1970s was proposed by film critic Laura Mulvey: she drew attention to the fact that a culture is given a passive attitude to a woman - a woman appears as an object, not an active character. Although she wrote about Hollywood movies, the same principle can be traced in porn. In part, this is explained by the fact that historically the porn industry has been focused on men - but, apparently, the situation is beginning to change a little: in 2017, for example, porn for women became the most popular genre on Pornhub.
Anastasia Emelyanova from the project “Feminists explain” notes that the majority of porn products are aimed primarily at men and are often unpleasant and degrading for women. But it all depends on the content itself: “I’m against this degrading and objectivizing women’s industry, but the very idea of video recording sex doesn’t stop me. If it’s sex that is pleasant for all participants and participants, then that’s good — it can be useful and interesting,” commented on the activist.
Not so long ago, there was also a course on the humanization of the industry - for example, feminist porn. First of all, it is distinguished by ethical standards of production, as well as the rejection of traditional models for porn. The main law of feminist porn - orgasms must be real (at least, it is declared). In addition, the dramaturgy here is more important than the knowledge of the Kama Sutra: it is always a story, and not just a mechanical change of poses. "The first thing everyone notices in my films is the emphasis on modern realistic stories and scenarios. This is my attempt to show a strange, funny, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes truly passionate and dramatic world of sex. Mainstream porn for me is absolutely boring: again and again, fellatio, cunnilingus, vaginal and anal sex, the man ends - the end. No mainstream porn cares about how to show the real feminine pleasure, "- says Erica Lyust, headliner of the genre.
Sublimation or violence?
It seems that in talking about porn in general it is impossible to get away from duality. Is pornography a safe way of sublimation or a threat? Scientists agree only on one thing: the connection between the level of crime in society and the viewing of pornography must be investigated. The data on whether the spread of pornography contributes to the increase of violence in society differs - and it is impossible to say with certainty that it is only its influence. They talk a lot about whether porn can affect teenagers. Here, everything is also ambiguous (and insufficiently studied), but one tendency is obvious: children often turn to porn because of the lack of sex education - and this, in turn, can become a problem. There is also good news: most users still prefer more “soft” porn formats.
"From the majority of studies it is not clear that the reason and the effect is that we see only a correlation. Porno is available primarily where there is sexual freedom," says Yevgeny Saprykin, "which means we are talking about less patriarchal societies. Whereas the main harbinger violence is social inequality, in such a society - more open and feminized - it will be less. I believe that the level of aggression is lower where porn is available. It is not the cause of aggression, but a form of sublimation for those who are already inclined to it. " Aggressive porn, according to Eugene, is more likely to be chosen by people with a certain mental structure - they are distinguished by a tendency to violence and a low level of self-control.
According to the expert, our sexual preferences and fantasies are associated primarily with the type of affection, which is laid in the first years of life - that is, long before the first pornography in life. "Intimacy or hostility, domination or submission, pair sex or group - all this is determined by the style of attachment. Yes, the resulting stimuli can remain in memory - but only if caused excitement, but it varies in a small range. That is, porn can affect the nuances , but not to determine the very content of the plot and our imagination, "- says the psychotherapist. A person to whom violent plots are not close will be disgusted by the scene imitating real violence. Moreover, erection or lubrication is still not evidence of desire: even if the primary excitation impulses even arise, the suppression system will start after them - the rejection of violence plays its part.
При этом отрицать влияние порно на психику всё же не стоит. Экранный секс, исполненный с виртуозностью циркового артиста, далёк от того, как всё происходит в реальной жизни. "Порнография задаёт высокие стандарты, человек сопоставляет себя с экранным образом, и сравнение окажется скорее не в его пользу. Of course, this can be a source of anxiety and sexual disorders, reduce self-confidence - this is characteristic not only of porn, but also of the modern media environment as a whole. Moreover, pornography not only objectifies women - a man can face the same problems, ”notes Yevgeny Saprykin. insecure attachments.
Much depends on how we watch porn - alone or with a partner. "Often, viewing porn is associated with avoiding close relationships. In addition, it can reduce sexual drive and the need for another person. While watching porn with a partner is another story and can positively affect relationships," Yevgeny said Porno can also be a symptom of dissatisfaction in a relationship: "One of the partners runs off to the side - to the other or to pornography."
In general, while talking about porn, there are more questions than answers. Attitudes toward him show how the ethical norm is changing: from the inspiration of the sexual revolution to the course of humanization and related restrictions. Is pornography an emancipation of desire, when “repressed”, something that has always been suppressed by culture, has come to the surface? Or, on the contrary, is it a profanation of sex itself, an industry whose laws are extremely aggressive?
Paradoxically, it seems that precisely these contradictions ensure the very existence of pornography, its position is most simply expressed by the phrase "forbidden fruit is sweet." One thing is clear - without open talk about porn and porn business it will not be possible to cure the industry.
Photo: ErikaLust, Getty Images (2), United Artists
