Pornography and exploitation

So I got together with a friend over this winter break and somehow our conversation turned to pornography. We were specifically talking about women in the porn industry. Before I begin let me just say that I have had this friend since High School and she is one of the smartest people I know. She is a feminist, an activist, a scholar, and overall an awesome person (IMO).

OK, so she finds porn rather 'disgusting' and I asked "So you don't think it's actually liberating for women and giving them a control over their sexuality." She said that for some women, who have really made a name for themself (ex: Jenna Jamenson) yes, but for most of them no. She believes that many women who go into porn are more than not forced to go into it. When I questioned her about that she said something along the lines of "Most people have more options in terms of jobs but when someone does porn it's obvious those options have been narrowed down." She was mainly questioning what type of option porn was and that she felt someone who goes into porn, more often than not, is desperate for money.

When I asked her about guys in porn she said that she hadn't really thought about that but that she could imagine it being similar except for the fact she feels women are more degraded in porn.

This conversation was more than a week ago so I might be leaving some things out but thats the jist. What I want to know is what is your perspective on what she said. I think porn can be liberating for some people but at times can be exploitative so I can see where my friend is coming from.

I think it can be both liberating and degrading. I don't know how it really is behind/off camera but on camera, to me it seems like the woman's body is celebrated but it's also a man's toy to use as he pleases. A sight to behold, but not really hers.

I would think it's liberating to some to be seen as a person who is sexually desirable and it's shown, but to others its nothing more than being a toy to be used/fucked for 20 mins, with your needs or desires not considered. And it can be kinda exploitative since porn and future careers outside of it a lot of times don't mix well. And since women are probably held to a high standard of beauty...nice lips, pretty skin, nice tits...etc sooner or later their bodies will fail them as they get older and if they are unlucky, they will have nothing. Unless they made something of themselves like Brianna Banks.

But usually women will end up with a few good years, while probably being led to believe it will last and then life sucks since many people will see them as a slut/porn star, which can hurt future job opportunities. I don't know how common it is to be turned down for a job because you did porn, but in the US, it is very common to be fired from a job because you took a pic of yourself drunk and put it on facebook so I would guess being a porn star hurts future jobs.

What about people who are exploited in "normal" jobs? Everyday people go to work, get paid pittance for what they do and have to smile at and pretend they don't hate their boss, because if they lose their job they don't keep a roof over their head. All work can be/is exploitative to some degree, the personality of the worker is what dictates just how much.

I think it is definitely exploitative. I also think it only seems liberating because people tell themselves thing to make bad choices seem right, and eventually they will start to believe it.

If this were 1970 maybe I would be more prone to agree, but today I would think that when someone willingly enters the porn genre, they either already know what they're getting into…or witness or hear about the risks they'll possibly endure pretty early on. Most models, I'm sure, don't do porn because of peer pressure; there must be an underlying idea that drove them into it. So unless they were literally forced, I hesitate to give them the Oprah hug and throw an "exploited" cap on their heads. And as far as I know, the 'exploitation' term works more for children.

I understand there are different...degrees of pornography, you have the basic hetero thing, homo, bi, threesomes, orgies, etc., but I fail to see anything liberating about any of it. It's like a while back when Lawrence Fishburne's daughter was soooooooo proud of herself because she did a porn video, like it's such an honor, such a great career and all that....uh, no, she's just told the whole world that her only work ethic is spreading her legs for any guy with a camera and enough money. If I was the parent I would be asking 'why did I waste my time and money of putting you through school for 12 years just so you can be a whore for the camera?'

Of course some women (and men) can be degraded by a career in porn. The degree of degradation is usually inversely proportionate to the pay check. Same as with prostitution. A crack whore giving blow jobs in an alley is being degraded. A $2,000 a night call girl working for herself and not some pimp isn’t.

Now here's the one that I've always wondered...prostitution, it's an illegal business, it's a dangerous business...if you want to make sex your career, I say why not take a more legalized approach and become a stripper or an exotic dancer or whatever the hell they call them? Because you get paid for essentially the same thing, your body, you are basically marketing your body to an audience who is eager for it, but the job is (supposed to be anyway) more of a case of look and don't touch, unless they tip.

JM130ELM wrote:What about people who are exploited in "normal" jobs? Everyday people go to work, get paid pittance for what they do and have to smile at and pretend they don't hate their boss, because if they lose their job they don't keep a roof over their head. All work can be/is exploitative to some degree, the personality of the worker is what dictates just how much.

Good point!