CONTENT WARNING: THIS CONTAINS MENTION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
I’m not the first person to say that pornography can be both unethical and harmful. Mainstream sites such as PornHub or XVideos lack regulation processes and safety checks on the videos released, which has led to videos of sexual assault, or videos involving minors being made available for the public. These mainstream sites further cause harm by allowing videos that perpetuate racist stereotypes to be released, and are evident and reinforced by the “categories” in which videos are organized. Examples of this include Big Black Cock (BBC), Ebony, and Big Black Woman (BBW). Often these videos are accompanied by hashtags about violence such as #roughfuck, #brutal, #drilled. On a google search of “POC Porn,” pornhub is of course the first site suggested. When (reluctantly) clicking on the site, the first video was labeled “this bitch got my dick in her arse then I gave her a good facial.” How delightful…
This article will open with a discussion on a paper written about the negative implications of pornography for Black women, especially when taking into consideration of racial and social politics. Then, it will bring in readings on ethical pornography— discussing what is needed to make porn ethical as well as suggestions of sites. Finally, it will review how BIPOC pornography can be beautiful and healthy.
Jewel Amoah, feminist and human rights scholar, takes a look at the implications pornography has against Black women. She opens with a definition of what pornography is, “pornography is not simply the exhibition of sex, but the exhibition of illicit sex.” To be more specific, she takes on Andrea Dworkin’s words in Where Do We Stand on Pornograph:
“Pornography is the graphic, sexually explicit subordination of women that includes one of a series of scenarios, from women being dehumanized - turned into objects and commodities - through women showing pleasure in being raped, through the dismemberment of women in a way that makes the dismemberment sexual.”
Despite the negative aspects of pornography, Amoah explains it “wreaks particular havoc on Black women because of the way they are portrayed”. This is due to the way pornography is an “ideological statement,” she claims this is seen through the way pornography suggests women are intended to be dehumanized by men through sexual activity. This ideological statement is practiced through the actual film or photographic depiction of women in a subordinate or in a dehumanizing position. It is easy for men to not see this exploitation as an abuse of power at all, instead claim it as a “natural expression of relations between men and women.” In porn, there seems to be this assumption that anything which increases men’s enjoyment of sex cannot possibly be wrong. But “never can it be forgotten that pornography is essentially about power: male power and female powerlessness.” There is no room for the depiction of refusal in pornography. Pornographic sex is not about consensual sex, or anything gentle, and instead is about “men debasing and dehumanizing women through violent acts of sex for their own and (other men’s) pleasure.”
In terms of the harm against Black women in pornography, Amoah suggests that “Black women, by virtue of their sex, must be content with the aforementioned sexual politics associated with pornography.” Not only are they forced to be content against sexual politics, but also deal with racial politics. Whilst the argument against the exploitation of white women in pornography is based on gender inequalities, the argument for Black women must also take into consideration the negative racial stereotypes. “It is not enough to say that Black women are greatly oppressed and exploited by virtue of their race. That is to say, it is not the depiction of violent, explicit sex with white men that degrades and dehumanizes Black women.” Amoah reinforces that within pornography Black women exist to serve men’s sexual satisfaction and thus must also serve the man’s white supremacists’ notion of dominance. Amoah further explains how there are two types of racist stereotypes that portray Black women in pornography: one being the representation of Black women in a situation of bondage and slavery, the other is that of the Black woman being an “insatiable sex animal.” The link made back to the history of slavery ultimately emphasizes the economic motive in pornography, hence not only are Black women exploited physically by the practice of pornography but further exploited for financial pursuit.
The Black feminist critique of existing feminist ideologies revolves around the way that these other feminist theories fail to adequately take into account the Black woman’s experience of oppression. Amoah further discusses the aspect that some Black women are unwilling to take part in the fight against pornography with the white feminist. This is not because they don’t care nor believe in the war against violence in pornography, but instead “unlike the middle-class white feminists, Black women do not have the luxury of having only one battlefront to which to devote their attention.” There are still racist and harmful stereotypes that still exist outside the realm of pornography that needs to be fought against. Amoah explains how this can be difficult when taking into the consideration the difference in the experience of Black men and women:
“It is ironic that some Black women are unwilling to join in the battle against pornography because of their concern with maintaining solidarity with their Black men in the fight against racism; when at the same time, the Black man's consumption of the pornography which degrades and dehumanizes the Black woman, erodes any solidarity that might exist.”
At the bare minimum, we must encourage and celebrate Black feminist ideas of pornography. If nothing else, these ideas Amoah has put forwards must enable Black women to have their voices heard and be able to speak out. Allowing the Black women to be silenced whilst the white women speak over these voices will only cause more harm. We can not allow the Black women's experience to become the white women’s speech.
Whilst the mainstream porn sites are highly unethical, and the most likely porn sites to contribute to these negative sexual stereotypes, ethical porn currently being made can provide a greatly different picture. Ethical porn builds its foundations on consent. Through this it can be ensured that the performers are treated with respect—this includes both the performers and filmmakers being paid fairly for their work. There is a common understanding among everyone on the film set; both the performers and filmmakers are aware of what is going to happen, and most importantly, feel comfortable with it. Kamil Lewis, licensed marriage and family therapist, states that “ethical porn is inclusive, creative, and consensual.” It shows realistic depictions of sex. It also shows a variety of people: diverse body types, queer relationships, and genuine female pleasure. Unlike the mainstream sites which lack safety and regulation safety checks—ethical porn ensures everything is created and shared consensually. Ethical porn is produced with enthusiastic consent from everyone involved and the final product, whether it be video or stills, isn’t shared until everyone has given consent. Netflix series Adult Material reviews the issue of abuse in the porn industry, more specifically, the abuse of power and the inability to consent. I thoroughly enjoyed the series, however, be advised there are graphic scenes and detailed mention of sexual assault.
In general, there is usually a cost involved to view ethical porn films to make sure performers and filmmakers are paid fairly. The profits are used to pay all involved while guaranteeing the film is created in a safe space. As with most online spaces these days, it is important to do your homework. Just because a platform labels its film as ethical, it does not necessarily mean that it has been made ethically. This is made challenging since not everyone agrees on what exactly makes a film or its production ethical. Researcher and neuroscientist Nicole Prause suggest that ethical porn platforms or film companies should clarify on their site their stance on ethical porn, including what makes their films ethical. Whatever your porn preference or ethical stance is, make sure to pay attention to the company you are supporting. See if they are genuinely inclusive and treating their performers with respect, this includes not showing the sexist stereotypes against people of color that have been previously mentioned. However, there can exist consensual roleplay that can be argued to cross the line of stereotype or negative connotation, but this may still be what viewers want to see. As a society, we need to make a joint effort to make the right moves towards protecting and keeping porn ethical. Erika Lust, leader in the sex-positive and feminist porn movement sums it up in a simple but strong manner: “The shift towards consuming organic produce instead of fast food is reflective of a more ethical, intelligent society. We want to encourage this type of consumerism within adult entertainment, through ethical production and distribution.”
The good news is that there are a variety of ethical porn sites easily available:
PinkLabel.TV— a platform that explores the fluidity of sexuality. It also features performers who are: queer, transgender, people of color, people with disabilities, and older people.
Bellesa— in short, Bellesa is a porn company that is run by women, that makes films to cater to women. In their films, they depict women are subjects of pleasure instead of objects of conquest that mainstream porn tends to show.
Kink.com—for you kinky folks out there, this is the perfect site for you! Kink.com is a platform that specifically highlights BDSM and fetishes. The platform further works on destigmatizing the shame that surrounds kink. It additionally aims to represent various members of society, particularly women of color.
Ifeelmyself— this website takes a slight twist on pornography, and shines the light on female self-pleasure.
Sssh— an erotic film platform that combines both fantasies and desires that have been shared among their members. It combines porn and artistry through a variety of storytelling techniques and narratives.
There is also a variety of audio porn that is ethically made and available to listen to. Examples of this include Dipsea, Quinn, and Sounds of Pleasure. Our lovely Shelby here has also released an article on AudioDesires which you should 100% check out to find out more!
Dr. David Ley, one of our SHA advisory board members, provides another safe and educational space to learn about the ethics of pornography. His book, Ethical Porn for Dicks, is a comprehensive guide on how to view and use pornography in a responsible manner. The book takes form in a natural question/answer format, mixing the right amount of humor with information. Although this book is aimed at men, everyone can take away something from the book as multiple reviews on Goodreads suggests. Ley’s starting point is that pornography is neither inherently good nor bad, but what matters is how it is made and used, hence the question of ethical porn comes into play.
In 2014 the hashtag #PayForYourPorn was born. This campaign focused on the issue of piracy in the porn industry and states that "Purchasing content ensures it’s better produced, delivered in higher quality formats, more secure, and fosters the creation of new adult content.” This movement caught the attention of mass media which launched it onto multiple online news sources. Although the movement wasn’t based on the creation of ethical porn, it nonetheless demonstrates that when working together we can raise awareness of the issue. Increasing the discourse around ethical pornography, and in turn, destigmatizing it can create a safe space for performers and sex workers to speak out about mistreatment.
Despite the negative representation women and other people of color face on these mainstream pornsites, ethical films, and, in turn, ethical representation, still proudly exists. A great example of this is the previous SHA presenter, Jet Setting Jasmine. She and her partner, King Noire, have worked together on their porn production company, Royal Fetish Films, to create a safe, but sexy representation of Black sex and love. “They are intentional with the films they produce and direct, aiming to decolonize the violently racist, sexist porn industry.” King further mentions that they want to show “that you can be anti-racist within the porn industry and prosperous”.
“You can respect yourself, you can love yourself, you can be Black and beautiful as you want to be and still make beautiful art that is sexy as fuck”
The dynamic duo is both trained in and teaches sex education. King is a licensed therapist and Jasmine often leads workshops on healing through sexual trauma, she also focuses on intimacy post-illness or injury. Their website also provides links to their educational workshops which include: Fantasy Sex: Porn vs Reality, Impact Play, Normalising Fetishes, and Sex-Positive Parenting. Their erotic films show how there can be beauty in porn involving people of color. Furthermore, Jasmine and King’s work demonstrate how people of color being involved in porn and sex work can be a positive thing.
Ethical pornography has the ability to exhibit that there can be beauty to sex and pornography. Ethical porn goes beyond catering to mens’ pleasure by showing a variety of beautiful, unedited, and everyday bodies. You’ve heard it before and I’m going to say it again, all bodies are beautiful, all bodies are allowed to take up space, and all bodies deserve fair representation. There aren’t just toned, white, cis-gendered couples in the world, but instead, variations that the mainstream sites do not represent. In terms of racist stereotypes, ethical porn isn’t limited to the “‘BBC”’ category, nor is their only representation of Black or interracial sex based on violence. In the right context with the correct components, pornography and sex work can be both beautiful and educational. When I talk about beauty I am not talking about airbrushed skin or designer vaginas, but everybody and every person. And every person is more than deserving of fair and ethical representation in pornography.
By Stephanie McCartney