For a neat look at how data visualization can illuminate sexual subcultures, check out Jon Millward’s Deep Inside: A Study of 10,000 Porn Stars and Their Careers. By extracting data from the Internet Adult Film Database, Millward was able to statistically analyze trends in the adult performers’ ages, ethnicities, weights, performing names, and so on. Among other interesting tidbits (such as the fact that the average female performer’s hair is brown), Millward notes: “So when I hear somebody claim that porn is ‘degrading’, I can’t help but ask: which porn? Is an anal scene involving three men and one woman more or less degrading than a scene in which three women have sex with strap-ons? How about a solo scene in which a woman appears alone? Continue Reading →
pornography
Recent posts
Can Porn Cause Headaches?
I recently found an article about a man who gets severe headaches from watching porn. Now, some people get headaches post-orgasm, whether porn was involved or not, so I was intrigued. The man in question is 24 years old, and typically when he has been watching pornography for 8-10 minutes he gets a headache so severe, he needs to stop watching. In this man’s case, it is speculated that his headaches are, “caused by changes in the pain-sensing nerves in the face and jaw, along with increased pain sensitivity due to ‘a heightened emotional state associated with viewing pornography.’” The article also states that there is still much that is unknown about headaches that occur with sex. The cure for the man in the article? Continue Reading →
Indonesia: Defining Porn In Order To Ban It, Plus Mini-Skirts Cause Rape
A series of new Indonesian laws would set criteria for defining pornography in order to ban it, as well as outlaw immodest clothing for women based on the belief that women’s attire is what causes them to be targeted by rapists. I hardly know where to begin with this set of erroneous assumptions – and yes, I acknowledge that religion, specifically various sects of Islam, is important in the situation and adds a layer of complexity which I will not be able to fully address here. However, I bring up this news story in order to educate our American readership about global events, and also to point out some parallels in our supposedly-more-enlightened country. So, first: how do we define pornography? We have been there, done that in the US, without much success. Continue Reading →
Conservatives Watch More Pornography In The US
According to this report, the states that have the highest levels of pornography consumption are also the most politically and religiously conservative. The explanation offered thus far is that anything that is repressed – as sexual desire, in this case, is repressed as immoral, sinful, or evil – simply becomes more desirable due to human nature. The hypocrisy is a bummer, since it appears that the people who want to police the behavior of others the most are incapable of being honest about their own desires and needs. Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor. Follow Jeana, the author of this post, @foxyfolklorist. Continue Reading →
The Pros And Cons Of The .XXX Domain
The .XXX domain is here. For some, the official grand opening of the domain was the perfect way to kick off the month of December (Christmas came early for the adult entertainment industry – yes?). For others, the debut was a panic-filled race against the clock, hoping to snatch up any domain names in order to secure one’s identity/reputation. When I first heard of the news, I thought that the creation of the .XXX domain sounded like a wonderful idea. In my eyes, it could serve as a unique touch to a website – differentiating your adult site from the rest of the crowd. Continue Reading →
James Deen: The Boy-Next-Door Of Porn
I recently had the pleasure of reading a rather intriguing feature on male porn star, James Deen. And honestly, I liked the text so much that I literally felt obligated to share it here on MSP. So who exactly is James Deen? Well according to the feature, James Deen “is 5’8″ and 150 pounds. He has wavy brown hair, bright blue eyes, and day-old stubble. He tweets about bacon, hot girls, and his difficulty finding time to shower. Continue Reading →
Erotica: Recommendations and Ruminations
In my quest to research and read more about all aspects of sexuality–and also find some good, entertaining erotica to read–I’m happy to have found a site called Adventurotica, which features not only erotic fiction but also essays about various sexual topics. While as a scholar I’ll read darn near anything out of curiosity or to analyze its social relevance, as a sex-positive feminist I am deeply concerned with how the fiction I read presents sexuality: is sex something that just happens to women, something that women actively pursue, or what? I’m pleased with how the authors at Adventurotica represent women’s desire (and men’s, too!) as fluid and something to be explored and enjoyed. Ranging from short stories to serialized novels, from vanilla sex to increasingly kinky scenes, the fiction is overall fun, and well-written too (thank goodness, since I can’t get into a story if it’s poorly written!). So while the fiction is neat, I also really dig the analytical essays, for instance, this one on the difference between erotica and porn (hint: it’s more subjective than you think!). Continue Reading →
Exploring Links Between Romance Novels And Porn
According to a Christian psychologist, romance novels can cause emotional addictions in women, leading to unbalanced behavior and losing touch with reality. Apparently, romance novels function for women just like porn functions for men, creating unrealistic fantasies that becoming addicting, while promoting dissatisfaction with one’s real relationships. Fans of the romance genre are protesting this view as one-sided, claiming that romance novels validate women’s emotional experiences and provide imaginative ways for women to explore what different kinds of relationships might be like. The fans, along with Salon writer Tracy Clark-Flory, assert that readers of romances are, indeed, intelligent enough to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Like any other literary or film genre, romances contain stock plots and stereotyped characters; and, like any other genre, there is a pretty obvious line where the stories depart from reality. Continue Reading →
Porn Research: Does Porn Help or Hurt?
In my opinion, a good deal of the research that has been done on the effects of porn use is sex negative and doesn’t focus on the average user. Instead it focuses on the potential for harm related to pornography use. But how can you research harm without researching the average user? Pornography Research Online is trying to do a different kind of research by targeting a more diverse group of porn users to see how they use it, why they use it, and what it means to them. The survey takes about 20-30 minutes to complete and includes multiple choice and open ended questions. Continue Reading →
Feminist Porn Award Nominees Announced
The Feminist Porn Award (FPA) nominees were announced just recently. 2011 marks the sixth year for the FPAs, and it just seems to be getting bigger and better each year. Who says there’s no porn out there that doesn’t degrade women? This year there are over 50 nominees, which means that many of us will be extremely busy trying to watch all of the movies and websites we haven’t seen yet. Having only seen 3 of the movies and 6 of the websites, I have my work cut out for me. Continue Reading →