Pornography has been a significant part of human culture for centuries. Yes, printing presses were used to produce religious texts, but they were also used to produce erotic literature. The first moving pictures of people walking gave way to moving images of naked women frolicking with their partners. It’s only natural for sexual beings to infuse their art with sex. It’s also only natural that the hunger for sexual content can bring out the worst in people and lead to exploitation, misogyny, and abuse. The rise of ethical porn has sought to address and correct the issues and images plaguing the mainstream pornographic industry.
Ethical porn is a term used to describe pornography produced with a focus on ethical and socially responsible production, with actors paid and treated like professionals who perform with explicit consent. It also seeks to promote more positive attitudes and depictions of sex by moving away from the objectification of women and including representation of different races, sexual orientations and identities, and body types.
One of the primary differences between ethical porn and mainstream pornography is production. Due to the primary focus on profit within mainstream pornography, it can be a fertile ground for exploitation. The goal of ethical pornographers is different, with the focus being on promoting both positive sexual values and positive work environments. Ethical Porn often aims for better cinematic quality in a quest to appeal to more mainstream viewers which includes a growing number of women. Scripts are more story-driven than those of mainstream porn, with camera angles featuring the woman’s point of view rather than shooting from the perspective of the male gaze.
The casting is different as well. The primary goal of mainstream porn is to fuel male fantasies. This often means relying on very narrow stereotypes. Women are most often white and slender. Men are usually muscular and well-endowed. If actors of other races or sexual orientations appear in the cast, their ethnicity or orientation is often fetishized. Ethical porn relies on a more diverse range of cast members with realistic body types. Those of different racial or ethnic backgrounds are treated as fully fleshed-out characters.
While it will take many more years to change the public perception of pornography as an industry, ethical porn producers continue to make inroads in their effort to provide an alternative. This involves dispelling some long-held myths about this new wave of more enlightened porn.
Ethical porn is boring or not as sexually explicit as mainstream pornography.
This is false. Just because the focus is not always on tight shots of genital-pound sex or the “money shot”, the perception may be that it’s less graphic. There is just as much nudity and sexual content in ethical porn, but the shots are designed to satisfy both male and female members of the audience by representing more than just one viewpoint.
It’s only for feminists.
You don’t have to be a feminist to enjoy ethical porn. Indeed, many feminists remain critical of porn, even the ethically produced variety. Ethical porn aims to promote positive, egalitarian, and inclusive representations of sex regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Some feminists do embrace this type of pornography, but anyone can enjoy it. This includes men, women, and feminists.
Ethical porn is not economically sustainable.
The newer business model of responsible adult content distinguishes itself from mainstream porn. This model typically involves increased expenditure for performer payments, improved scripts, skilled crew, post-production enhancements, legal safeguards, and elevated production values – and these are just a few aspects of the overall picture. But in a changing society, these costs can actually be considered an investment as more women and couples consuming porn opt for better-produced films from ethical filmmakers.
It’s not a viable alternative to mainstream pornography.
Again, it is important to look at the marketplace. Our society is more sexually open than ever, but also trending towards equality and ethical marketplace behavior. Misogyny is also falling out of favor thanks to the Me Too movement and controversies over a woman’s right to choose and the attitudes of politicians who depersonalize women as a class. For a growing segment of the population, ethical porn is not just positioned to be a viable alternative to mainstream pornography, but a necessary one.
Ethical porn and mainstream pornography are the same
While any pornography producer can call themselves ethical, an examination of business practices and production values makes the differences between ethical and mainstream pornography. Ethical porn is respectful of both sex messaging and its actors.
While the struggle to clean up and rebrand pornography will be ongoing, those who produce ethical porn believe their cause is necessary in an age where consent, respect, and representation are cultural concerns. As humans, we will never turn out backs on sex. We will continue to seek out the physical pleasure and enhancements that include erotic film. Ethical porn is at the forefront of the industry’s evolution, offering a way to bring our deepest fantasies to the screen that everyone can appreciate and enjoy.
By Ava Sinclair
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