Caroline Lozano/ Contributing Writer
With the abundance of websites available on the web, it’s not very hard to come across a pornographic site at some point, whether you were searching for it or not.
While many think pornography empowers women, there’s also the argument that these women give consent to be in these videos and therefore, it’s okay. But I don’t think so. Not one bit.
The advent of the Internet has aided in the expansion of pornography, granting access to millions of users across the world.
According to an infographic on The Huffington Post, all websites with pornographic content receive an estimated 450 million visitors each month, much more than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter.
In fact, online pornography has gotten so big that it has transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry.
Just last month, PornHub, the largest pornography website, took advantage of its influence and launched a “wellness center” portal that revolves around sexual education.
According to The Next Web, “the website will offer tips from experts on a variety of sex-related topics like basic sexual anatomy, STIs and STDs, as well as relationship advice.”
It would’ve been more admirable if it weren’t for the appalling depiction and treatment of women in pornography, both on-camera and behind-the-scenes.
To be fair, I can see why many people believe pornography empowers women. The women in these videos are often shown as being in control of their bodies and sexuality. These actresses also receive large sums of money that I’m sure anyone would envy.
The 2015 documentary, “Hot Girls Wanted,” highlights these kinds of advantages in the adult film industry, especially freedom, money and sexual empowerment.
As Rachel, one of the porn actress presented in the film, said, “Are you kidding me? I made $900 in five hours. I’m going to go home and make $8.25 an hour? No.”
The adult film industry likes to give off the illusion that everything is wonderful, that their actresses are treated like princesses, and that there’s always consent. The reality, however, isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be.
For one, women aren’t exactly given the princess treatment. On camera, they are often portrayed as naive or moronic and willing to do anything for money.
In some videos, they are also abused, either physically or verbally. The titles of such videos usually refer to these women as animals too, such as “cows” or “dogs.”
What constitutes as consent is blurred significantly in pornography. In “Hot Girls Wanted,” there’s a scene while filming a pornographic video where the director tells the male actor, “You kinda never get that yes,” suggesting rape as an acceptable forbidden act to arouse viewers.
It’s not so different behind-the-scenes either.
In “Hot Girls Wanted,” the actresses initially praise crew members for their kindness during shoots.
As the film continues forward, some of the actresses complain of being lied to or feeling like they lack the choice to walk away from filming porn.
In one instance, Rachel, the actress previously mentioned, felt forced to do a rough scene after certain details were omitted so that she would accept the job.
According to Verily, “it’s an experience that amateur porn actresses face on a regular basis — signing on for one thing (a porn scene as it was described to you, for a certain amount of money), but then being forced to do something else while the cameras roll. It’s not uncommon for women to get physically beaten or forced to do a sexual act they weren’t informed of beforehand.”
It’s a disturbing reality that isn’t given much attention due to fear that pornography will be regulated or taken away altogether.
Unlike some critics of pornography, my purpose doesn’t involve the eradication of explicit content. I’m not interested in what people do in the privacy of their own homes or rooms.
My concern lies with how women are portrayed and treated because it can transcend from screen into real life, especially since viewing pornography is common today.
Fortunately, more former porn actresses are coming out to talk about their negative experiences in the industry, which I hope will open the eyes of the adult film industry.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo taken from Flickr.
Thank you so much for this article, it was awesome