Pornography and society
The history of pornography is extensive and remains controversial. While in antiquity pornography was publicly accessible and anything but frowned upon, later in the 18th century these obscene representations were forbidden to society. In the 19th century filmmakers then produced the first illegal erotic movies. In Germany pornography was banned until 1975, only after that you could watch the films in public porn cinemas. Due to the VHS tapes in the 1980s, however, pornography developed back again. The dirty films were watched at home. Nowadays, porn can be found easily accessible on the Internet, but the position of equality among the sexes remains rather questionable. No wonder that filmmakers like »Erika Lust« have made it their business to develop intelligent porn movies that satisfy the needs of men and women equally on the one hand and on the other hand convey a strong character to women again.
Feminist porn:
Erika Lust is the expert of sophisticated, alternative porn movies. She produces films that focus on the pleasure of women and do not just portray men as sex machines. Intelligent porn means for her to take her time besides the whole in-out game. Eye contact between the actors, touching, kissing, talking about what they want to do together. While most porn productions are directed by men and women are only used as objects, Erika Lust appeals to humanity. Everything can be shown as long as it happens amicably between the protagonists. Erika Lust tells a story with her films, there is a script and a real plot, which makes the sex look more authentic. Ethical pornography differs from the representation shown in the mainstream primarily through one thing: here it is about showing responsible sexuality and perceiving the actors as equal, regardless of gender.
Pornography of emotions:
The docile woman and the man who’s always ready to go: These unrealistic images are suggested to you when you watch porn. Of course, voices of discomfort arise, it’s about the argument in partnerships and the illustration for children, because pornography is accessible to children everywhere. So I ask myself, how do such representations influence my own relationship and what does consumption do with the next generation? It has been proven that children at an early age starting from nine years already watch their first porn. There is no distinction between the real world and the virtual world, so they are confronted with an image that does not correspond to real life. The atrophy of emotions is only one consequence. This makes it difficult for a child to have access to true intimacy in terms of partnership later in adulthood. The same applies to relationships: mainstream films illustrate the constant sexual willingness of women, which can consequently make men dissatisfied in their own relationships. The porn culture conveys that sex, love and confidentiality are identical. A healthy attitude would probably be to watch selected videos with your partner, to watch sophisticated porn, like Erika Lust’s, and also to take some time independent of all the satisfaction processes in order to perceive yourself and your loved one correctly again.
Political Thoughts:
There’s a kind of stigmatization in porn culture. The origins of the actors are still divided into categories and tagged accordingly. Homosexual men are also referred to their own pages, as are lesbian women, whose views are also shaped by heterosexual fantasies. Thank God there are various initiatives, such as the Berlin »PorYes« Association, which has broken down a detailed catalogue of criteria for feminist pornography. »Diversity, consensus, fairness« are the three pillars of feminist pornography. Topics such as contraception are brought up here, unanimous desire triggers between the actors are communicated, as well as to give room to natural interactions. Sexual identity should simply belong in our modern society and should give porn of our time more variety and above all dignity.
When you think about the word composition »feminist« and perhaps get the impression that it’s all about women fulfilling their desire, you’re mistaken. Here all people are asked regardless of their sexual identity. That’s why feminist porn is not only made for female audiences, the consumption of ethical films in the erotic field brings much more to the table for everyone than the hackneyed mainstream porn. In the end, we all want to relate ourselves somehow, identify with the actors, experience lust as perfection. The respectful, erotic togetherness plays an immense role, just like the perception of the variety of sexualities. Sex is supposed to be fun, it can also be laughed at. Who wants to see stiff machines that fuck women’s brains out with priapism? The porn revolution already begun and established itself as a positive change: sexuality in porn movies now represents the consensual, sensual and equal encounter of different people, you just have to choose carefully.
Film: a thought of ecstasy