What is the definition of beauty? For many years, it was a straight, white man who determined the answer and fed the public their version of attractiveness in art and film. While Renaissance paintings depicted women as fine-featured and pale, and while they did vary in size depending on the period, they were pleasingly proportioned and placid.
The early days of Hollywood were influenced by the Victorian era; actresses were expected to conform to strict standards of modesty and beauty, with the ideal woman being thin, white, and conventionally pretty. Not all early films valued modesty, however. Like their tamer cinematic cousin, pornographic films got their start in the Victorian era as well, and here, too, the actresses were expected to appeal to the male gaze.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s the growing feminist movement which was pushing for greater representation of women in all areas of society also pushed back against prevailing beauty standards in film. At the time there was no name for what we now call the body positivity movement which promotes appreciation and acceptance of all body types regardless of shape, size, and physical ability.
The mainstream film industry began to cast women who defied the Hollywood beauty standards. When Karen Black was cast as a prostitute in the 1969 film Easy Rider, the New York Times described her as “something of a freak, a beautiful freak,” due to her unconventional looks.
For the pornographic film industry, however, there was no such evolution at the time. Pornography was exclusively shot for and consumed by men and since feminists were largely against the industry on principle, there was no female-led effort for inclusivity. Porn actresses only represented the male ideal of the perfect female body.
The move towards shattering on-screen beauty standards in mainstream films continued in the 1980’s in 1990’s, driven in part by awareness of the harmful effects of unrealistic body images that included eating disorders and dysphoria. As hard as it may be to believe now, Titanic star Kate Winslet was considered fat with comedian Joan Rivers once quipping that Kate Winslet’s weight was the reason there was no room for her co-star’s character of Jack on the raft. (So much for women supporting women.)
By the 2000’s, body positivity began to gain more traction with films like Bridget Jones’ Diary featuring a slightly overweight female lead while other films like Hairspray and Precious showcased diverse body types and sizes.
Change would also come to the porn industry, too, but only after more women began watching adult movies alone or with their spouses. Female viewers wanted characters they could relate to, and the size two cheerleader with the blonde braids and bouncing double-D breasts wasn’t doing it. Women were seeking out pornography that reflected their body types and challenged traditional beauty standards, so producers began making content that appealed to more than just the Joe Average logging on to PornHub.
With the growing popularity of feminist porn, the evolution has continued, look for an adult film today and you’re just as likely to find women with natural breasts, thick bottoms and thighs, body hair, scars, tattoos, and even laugh lines.
Online video services that allow adults to upload homemade amateur sex videos may have also influenced the trend toward a more realistic representation of women in porn.
Another way that the porn industry has embraced body positivity is through the content itself. Pornography has long been criticized for objectifying and degrading female performers, but now there is a growing movement towards shooting films that are more sex-positive and empowering using more diverse actors or even real-life couples.
Overall, the rise of the body positivity movement has had a significant impact on both the conventional and adult film industry, driving a shift towards more diverse and inclusive representation. While there is still much work to be done, this shift is an important step towards creating a more inclusive and empowering role for women in film.
Written by: Ava Sinclair
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