By: Alyssa Morterud
A quick google search defines ethical porn as: “that which is made legally, respects the rights of performers, has good working conditions, shows both fantasy and real-world sex, and celebrates sexual diversity.” (abc.net.au) For the mainstream pornography viewer, ethics may not be something that comes to mind when you’re picking out masturbation material. This lack of thought is a result of the misrepresentation of sex work, coupled with the problematic ideology that unethical practices are just something that is both accepted and expected within the porn industry. Ethics should be the main priority in both the production and consumption of all pornography-sex work is work- and all people deserve to be treated as human beings at their job. ‘Ethical’ pornography is one solution that has come to dominate the industry- with more viewers beginning to become more aware of what really goes on behind the camera. Ethical porn “can mean nixing harmful racial and gender stereotypes, casting a wider ranger of performers, showing consent on screen, as well as pleasure for all….[it] can also look like ensuring safe working conditions, giving performers more agency in who they work with, and fair pay for performers.” (bustle.com) If you’re trying to figure out how to spot ethical porn, I’ve inserted a list from a great article “Your Guide To Ethical Porn: What Makes It Different & Where To Find It” by Alex Shea in Mind, Body, Green: Issues
“The performers and filmmakers get paid fairly.
It's usually not free.
It's made in a safe environment that treats performers with respect.
It shows real sexual pleasure.
It's created for all kinds of viewers.
It shows diversity across body size, race, sexuality, age, and ability.
Everything is created and shared consensually.”
(https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/ethical-porn)
The Ethics of ‘Ethical’ Porn
One of our SHA advisory board members, Dr. David Ley, can lend us some useful information when it comes to the consumption and analysis of ethics in pornography. In his book Ethical Porn for Dicks, Ley notes that “people need to recognize porn is vulnerable to being "harmful, exploitive and misused.” In this sense, the validity of ethics in ethical porn is not entirely rooted in the production of pornography. Rather, the consumption and use of pornography add or take away from the validity of the attached “ethical” label on erotic films/ videos. Dr. Ley puts this sentiment well, informing his audience that “when [they] watch porn, [they] are voting, as it were, for that type of porn, that style of porn, and for the people who made it." In this sense, it’s important to be aware of your individual interactions with pornography and make sure that your intent to view is just as ethically sourced as the porn you choose to watch!
Another issue with ethical pornography has to do with the use of the term “ethical” as a label that signifies “better” or “good” porn as opposed to “bad” porn that depicts “morally wrong” acts. Researcher and neuroscientist Nicole Prause, Ph.D., says that “ "Much like 'organic' seems to have no clear meaning for food, I am not sure what 'ethical' means for porn." In order to avoid this commodification of the term ‘ethical’ Prause notes that companies who attach the label ethical to their pornography should "help consumers by being more specific about how they think they are honoring ethical concerns." (mind, body, green) On the same point, it’s also important to make room for pornography without the label “ethical” attached to it that still adheres to an ethical production and advocates for ethical consumption. In other words “establishing certain porn as "ethical" or "responsible" creates an unfair dichotomy within porn.” (Bustle) As Dr. David Ley also notes, the porn industry is one that faces enough misrepresentation- and using the label “ethical” to limit the community is not necessary. Rather, when interacting with pornography look for porn that is produced by a company that aligns with your values, and follows the list above- feel good about NOT clearing your search history after you’ve finished!