Feminist pornography

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Erika Lust, one of the pioneers of feminist pornography, 2012

Feminist pornography evolved from the sex-positive feminism movement . She wants to break through stereotypical patterns and gender roles that are reproduced in pornographic films to this day (as of 2020).

definition

Feminist pornography makes use of explicit images to question common representations of gender , age, sexuality, ethnicity, social class, beauty, disability and non-disability, and other components of identity. She explores concepts of action, desire and enjoyment on their most confusing levels, within and beyond unequal constellations. Feminist pornography opposes the limits of heteronormativity , but also of homonormativity and the hierarchization of the sexes. Feminist pornography wants sexually connoted language to be understood as erotic action, as an expression of identity, an exchange of energy and a product of the respective culture, even as a new policy.

history

Controversy within the women's movement in the USA over pornography in the 1970s and 1980s

In the 1970s and 1980s there were intense and controversial discussions between sex-positive and radical feminist currents of feminism, the feminist Sex Wars . The latter saw in pornography the gateway for the humiliation of women and crimes against their sexual self-determination, as expressed in Robin Morgan's sentence Porn is the theory, rape is the practice. ( Pornography is the theory, rape is the practice. ) Is concisely expressed. In the USA , the group Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media campaigned to ban sexual permissiveness from the media. This was in line with the conservative administration under Ronald Reagan and right-wing Christian currents.

Another group of feminists, including Lisa Duggan , Nan D. Hunter , Kate Ellis, and Carol Vance , viewed this anti-pornography stance as a major setback in the struggle of women and the sexual minority for more participation and voiced criticism. One example is the feminist cultural anthropologist Gayle Rubin , who in her book Thinking Sex , published in 1984, advocated sexual and theoretical pluralism and discussed the “limits of feminism” for a political theory of sexuality. Other theorists and activists (such as Nadine Strossen and Susie Bright ), but also porn actresses such as Annie Sprinkle , Veronica Vera , Candida Royalle , Gloria Leonard and Veronica Hart supported the idea of ​​a positive view of pornography. They founded the group Club 90 in New York City . In 1984 she was invited by the feminist art collective Carnival Knowledge to a festival called The Second Coming to investigate the question of whether there was feminist pornography. This is one of the first documented evidence that this issue has appeared in public.

These debates ultimately led to the division of the feminist movement into anti-pornographic and sex-positive, pro-pornographic feminism. That was one of the reasons for the emergence of the third wave of the women's movement , which feels part of feminist pornography.

Effects on film production

United States

Tristan Taormino, director of feminist porn films, 2013

Feminist pornography has developed from the genres of pornography for women , pornography for couples , lesbian pornography , feminist photography , performance and avant-garde film and takes up elements from these categories. Candida Royalle , a member of Club 90 , founded the production company Femme Productions in 1984 to create a new film genre : porn films from a women's perspective. Her films were of high production quality, with an emphasis on plot, feminine lust, and romance. In San Francisco , Myrna founded Elana , Deborah Sundahl , Nan Kinney and Susie Bright On Our Backs , the first porn magazine by and for lesbians. 1985 saw the go-ahead for Fatale Video , a Kinney and Sundahl production company that made and distributed lesbian-oriented porn films. This continued the path started with On Our Backs . But the new trend was not only noticeable in the independent film market. Nina Hartley , actress and nurse, played the lead role in a series of films about sex education from 1984 at the production company Adam and Eve and was also active in the production.

In the 1990s, the signal from the independent film scene had arrived in the established film industry. Major film studios such as Vivid , VCA Pictures and Wicked Pictures began to launch their own series of porn films for couples that took Royalle's vision and implemented it. This marked a turning point in the porn film industry: female desire and female audience were now recognized - albeit within a niche. Sprinkle made the first porn film with a trans man in the lead role, and Christopher Lee followed suit with a film whose entire cast was trans people. In the early 2000s, women filmmakers who described themselves and their work as feminist emerged, including Buck Angel , Dana Dane , Shine Louise Houston , Courtney Trouble , Madison Young and Tristan Taormino .

Logo of the PorYes Award in the form of a stylized oyster with pearl

The organization of film festivals and the awarding of prizes for the films represent a milestone in the history of feminist pornography. In Canada, the Feminist Porn Award has been presented annually since 2006 .

Europe

Similar developments can be observed in the European market in the 1980s and 1990s. The German director Monika Treut , the Swiss Cleo Uebelmann , Krista Bernstein and the British Della Grace used explicit representations in photography and film to explore female pleasure, BDSM, gender and queer desire. In 1998 the Danish production company Zentropa published the Puzzy Power Manifesto , which took up Royalle's vision and served as a guideline for film production: action-centered with the representation of foreplay and emotional connection of the performers, female desire and female pleasure and a look at male and female bodies beyond Genitals.

In the 2000s in Europe, as in the US, feminist filmmakers received more and more attention for their pornographic and sexually explicit films. These included Erika Lust in Spain, Anna Span and Petra Joy in the UK, Émilie Jouvet , Virginie Despentes and Taiwan-born Shu Lea Cheang in France. By Mia Engberg a compilation of feminist porn short films whose production by the state comes Swedish Film Institute has been funded, what a sensation aroused and circles to the Federal Republic moved: the Berlin Young Socialists brought then in autumn 2017 for state party submitted a request to the government funding of feminist porn movies The aim was to offer young people an alternative to free mainstream porn portals on the Internet. Engberg's episode film Dirty Diaries (2009) served as a model for this. In addition, reference should be made to feminist pornography in sex education in schools.

In Europe, too, film festivals for feminist pornography and the promotion of film prizes for this genre contributed to awareness and acceptance. Since 2009, every two years at the PorYes Award ( Feminist Porn Film Prize Europe ) in Berlin, filmmakers who campaign for feminist pornography and non-discriminatory representations have been honored. It was started by Laura Méritt . The Porn Film Festival Vienna also puts together a decidedly feminist and genderqueer- oriented program. It took place in 2018 and 2019.

Japan

The movement also spread to other regions. Sachi Hamano was the first female director to make pink films , Japanese soft core porn . She directed over 300 such films in the 1980s and 1990s, bringing female sexual agency to the screen. In doing so, she also questioned the portrayal of women as sex objects that should only fulfill male fantasies.

features

Features of the films

In the development of feminist pornography over the last few decades there have been various attempts at interpretation and attempts to define rules. However, these are constantly changing, currently also with regard to discussions that flow from the genderqueer theory. In principle, however, it can be assumed that feminist porn films try to underline diversity and consensus and to expand liberal views on gender and sexuality:

  • In contrast to mainstream pornography, representatives of feminist pornography want to change the heteronormative and emphatically performance-oriented understanding of pornography.
  • The working conditions of the participants should be fair in terms of labor law, and both the audience and the performers should be given more capacity to act. Consensual action is a prerequisite, security and ethical standards are also taken as a basis. Often scenes are not given, but rather developed in cooperation with the participants.
  • Hitherto underrepresented sexual practices and sexual identities should be given space.
  • It is seen as positive that women as directors , screenwriters and camerawomen can be involved in the production, but this fact is not mandatory.

Feminist pornography thus creates an aesthetic and ethical vision of change that is neither homogeneous nor clearly defined. Jasmin Hagendorfer , Artistic Director of the Porn Film Festival Vienna , describes her approach as follows:

Feminist porn productions show that the desire and sexual feeling of women can very well be the focus and that porn can also be women-, gender- and ultimately men-friendly. In addition, many feminist productions stand for fair working conditions, a say and consensus, which are often not found in mainstream productions. It is important to show that porn is produced by women for women and that it will also meet a wide audience.

Features of the movement

The degree of marginalization that feminist pornographers are confronted with is very high. 2013 was celebrated by the followers as the year of feminist pornography , and in 2014 the academic institutionalization of the movement was achieved through the establishment of the journal Porn Studies . But above all, legal barriers continue to contribute to the experience of exclusion and hinder work. In 2014, Courtney Trouble blamed the United States' Cambria list for this. This overview of the applicable regulations, compiled by attorney and pornography defender Paul Cambria under the administration of George W. Bush in 2001, was originally intended to serve as a recommendation for producers to protect them from legal consequences due to US law. The list was strictly followed by some production companies, which resulted in content restrictions. Sex between white women and black men, trans people or men, female ejaculation and showing blood, including menstrual blood, were considered problematic . Filmmakers in Australia and the UK also reported restrictions.

While a few charismatic personalities usually stand out from social movements , feminist pornographers present themselves on a large scale in the media. In doing so, they themselves bring about the “revolution in the spectrum of sexual expressions” that they demand, “instead of merely denouncing social reality, which is perceived as false ". This has led to the emergence of a “rather exclusive group”, which distinguishes itself from the other pornographers by adding feminism and, on the other hand, differs from feminism by being aggressively pornographic.

Delimitations

Some representatives of feminist pornography criticize the alternative pornography movement and accuse it of using similar stereotypes as mainstream pornography.

criticism

backgrounds

According to Schumacher, the argument between proponents and opponents of pornography is based on the perception of the world as hostile to sex or as overloaded with sex. The evaluation of the pornographic pretext or placeholder for underlying moral standards. On the side of the critics, there are patterns that brand excess, objectification and radical individualization in the service of one's own pleasure as obscene. You can be as attached to religious ideas of chastity as to the ideals of the Enlightenment . The opposition usually arises from a very orderly, unambiguous worldview. Feminist pornographers, on the other hand, operate in a scenario in which contradictions can be endured and, ideally, can and must be used productively.

United States

According to Christopher Boulton in 2015 about the USA, criticism of feminist pornography comes from religion, government policy and feminism. The positions are the same, but the means and goals are different. In particular, the organization Stop Porn Culture (SPC) is a popular critic. SPC is mainly active in the USA, Norway and Great Britain, their figurehead is Gail Dines . This fights against the negative and misogynistic pornography of western society, which is also opposed to child protection and public health. The means used are very similar to those used by the opponents of pornography in the 1970s and 1980s.

German-speaking area

There are hardly any major anti-pornography campaigns in German-speaking countries, if one disregards Alice Schwarzer in Emma in the aftermath of the PorNO campaign . The debate is moderate and quiet compared to the English-speaking one. The PorNo campaigns are affirmed , for example by PorYes founder Laura Méritt , as historical legacy, as they are directed against sexist depictions of women, which PorYes supporters also reject.

Economic embedding in the media market

Feminist pornography is not only a social movement, it also pursues commercial interests and is therefore part of the market. Some of the films are produced as independent films , often by underrepresented groups such as transgender , lesbian or people of color . But large film companies such as Vivid Entertainment , Adam and Eve and Evil Angel Productions are also involved in the financing and distribution of feminist pornography. The way feminists deal with these societies varies: while some of them reject the structure and aesthetics of classic porn films and are unwilling to compromise, others try to incorporate their concerns into the existing circumstances and thus change them. As expressed Courtney Trouble , she was ready to represent virtually every character in their films, if the demand is given. Only in this way can she generate enough capital for the projects in which she can convey her own ideas that deviate from the mainstream to the public. For example, she would take on the portrayal of a Big Beautiful Woman , although she rejects this term for herself. The capitalist value is means to an end.

literature

  • Gayle Rubin (1993): Misguided, Dangerous and Wrong: an Analysis of Anti-Pornography Politics. In: Assiter Alison, Carol Avedon (Eds.): Bad Girls and Dirty Pictures: The Challenge to Reclaim Feminism . Pluto.
  • Karen Ciclitira (2004): Pornography, women and feminism: between pleasure and politics. Sexualities.
  • Marilyn Corsianos (2007): Mainstream pornography and "women": questioning sexual agency. Critical Sociology.
  • R. Claire Snyder-Hall (2010): Third-wave feminism and the defense of 'choice'. Perspectives on Politics.
  • James D. Griffith, Lea T. Adams, Christian L. Hart, Sharon Mitchell (2012): Why become a pornography actress? International Journal of Sexual Health.
  • Anne G. Sabo (2012): After pornified. How women are transforming pornography & why it really matters. Alresfort (UK).
  • Patrick Catuz : Feminism Fucks! Lit-Verlang, Vienna / Münster 2013.
  • Rachael Liberman (2015): It's a really great tool: feminist pornography and the promotion of sexual subjectivity. Porn Studies.
  • Rebecca Whisnant (2016): But what about feminist porn ?: examining the work of Tristan Taormino. Sexualization, Media, and Society.

Web links

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Not Safe for Work. Retrieved February 26, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Porn Pop Protest. Perspectives on feminisms, sexualities, and representations. Accessed February 26, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Marc Felix Serrao: Porn, but good: How feminists want to revolutionize the industry | NZZ . October 25, 2017, ISSN  0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed on February 26, 2019]).
  4. ↑ a b c d Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155-163, p. 155 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155-163, p. 156 .
  6. ^ Feminist Review Collective: Snakes and Ladders: Reviewing Feminisms at Century's End . Psychology Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-415-19799-1 ( google.at [accessed February 26, 2019]).
  7. ↑ a b c d e Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155-163, p. 157 .
  8. ↑ Natalie Ingraham: Pornography, feminist awards . In: The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality , 2015. doi : 10.1002 / 9781118896877.wbiehs363 .
  9. ↑ a b Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155–163, p. 162, note 2 .
  10. ↑ »" Dirty Diaries "also in Germany! SPD Berlin. In: parteitag.spd-berlin.de. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155-163, p. 158 .
  12. ↑ Hannah Mühlparzer: Porn Film Festival Vienna: Festival of multiple highlights . Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  13. ^ Porn Film Festival «Filmcasino. Retrieved July 4, 2020 .
  14. ↑ a b c d e f Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155-163, p. 160 .
  15. ^ Tristan Taormino: The feminist porn book: the politics of producing pleasure . Ed .: Feminist Press at the City University of New York. New York, ISBN 978-1-55861-819-0 .
  16. ↑ a b Constance Penley, Celine Parreñas Shimizu, Mireille Miller-Young, Tristan Taormino: Feminist Porn. The politics of producing pleasure. In: Kristin Lené Hole, Dijana Jelača, E. Ann Kaplan, Patrice Petro (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Gender . Routledge, London, New York 2017, ISBN 978-1-138-92495-6 , pp. 155-163, p. 159 .
  17. ↑ How Feminist Porn Is Traversing the Mainstream. Accessed February 26, 2019 .
  18. ^ Debate: Pornography in the Name of Feminism. August 5, 2015, accessed February 26, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Arielle Loren: Black feminist pornography: reshaping the future of adult entertainment . In: Clutch Magazine Online . Sutton Media. April 20, 2011. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved on February 26, 2019.
  20. ↑ Rebecca Santiago: Your Handy Guide To Feminist Porn. Accessed February 26, 2019 .
  21. ↑ BACKGROUND | PorYes - Feminist Porn Award Europe. Retrieved on May 25, 2018 (German).
  22. ↑ Darok Anne-Marie: "There's something for everyone": Porn Film Festival Vienna . Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  23. ↑ a b c Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 187.
  24. ^ Andre Shakti: How A Free-Speech Advocate Accidentally Became the Face of Censorship in Porn. Retrieved July 5, 2020 (American English).
  25. ↑ a b c d Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 184.
  26. ↑ Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 185.
  27. ↑ Beyond Speech: Pornography and Analytic Feminist Philosophy . Oxford University Press, 2017, ISBN 978-0-19-025792-7 , doi : 10.1093 / acprof: oso / 9780190257910.001.0001 / acprof-9780190257910 ( oxfordscholarship.com [accessed February 26, 2019]).
  28. ↑ a b Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 194.
  29. ↑ a b Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 195.
  30. ↑ Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 190.
  31. ↑ a b Nina Schumacher: Pornographic. A conceptual ethnography. Sulzbach, Ulrike Helmer Verlag 2017, p. 191.