Feministing recently tackled the question “Can porn be feminist?” Female pornographer Tristan Taormino identifies herself as a feminist porn producer in that her films are highly dependent on the actors involved. She tries to tell a story and remain respectful to the desires and comfort of everyone involved in the process. To her, this makes her pornography feminist compared to mainstream porn, which uses people as sexual objects without consideration of sexual fantasies that fall outside of the “male domination over a submissive female” category.

One commenter on the site, Dan C., added this to the discussion:

“For a long time, I’ve wanted some sort of ‘Feminist Approved’ stamp for porn– something that ensures the performers weren’t coerced, treated unfairly, etc. Like a Fairtrade certification.”

I myself have struggled with what pornography means for the possibility of gender equality and general respect for other people, but I think suggestions like Dan’s and the work of Taormino move us toward an environment where pornography could be a beautiful, productive part of
culture. Our discussions of sexuality, sex and sexual expression are often viewed as base and inappropriate. If we open up a space to talk about these issues and feelings, then greater awareness could lead to some positive intervention into pornography, fostering respect for people as diverse sexual beings.

(Photo from flickr.com under a Creative Commons license)

1 Comment

• Anonymous says:

  January 19, 2011 at 10:52 pm

  Very nice blog! It really adds to the discussion of whether pornography is intrinsically wrong or it is the porn industry that taints what can be a decent and worth while enterprise. Thank you for this article!

  Reply