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Say you are a young adult — 18 years old, newly moved into college — and have never had sex, let alone a romantic partner. The only engagement with sex you’ve had is sex-education class from high school: the one that showed you how to put a condom on a banana and explained various sexually transmitted infections. Now you are on your own for the first time. Now you are curious. You want to learn more. So you find a pornography website.
Pornography is hard to define for many people. It often falls in the category of “something that you know when you see it.” However, a dissection of pornography requires a definition. Alan McKee from the University of Glasgow provides two acceptable definitions: pornography is both sexual materials designed to arouse the viewer, and “a concept, a category of texts managed by institutions led by powerful groups in society in order to control the circulation of knowledge and culture, changing according to geographical location and period.”
Pornography has been stigmatized and criticized for many reasons. One argument against pornography comes from feminists. Evgenia Pontikou, a former master’s student in cultural economics, said some criticize it “as a representation of stereotypical and patriarchal visions that objectify and exploit women sexuality.” Pontikou also argued that some stigmas arise from the sexuality and display of sexual bodies in pornography.
Because of this, pornography is frequently disregarded despite its benefits when produced and consumed ethically.
What is ethical porn?
Ethical pornography focuses on the sexual activities displayed and the production behind them. A Delphi Panel, led by McKee, made a list of qualities for pornography that support the viewer’s sexual health. The Delphi method is a process that involves asking a panel of experts questions in rounds, with the results shared anonymously at the end of each round to produce a single consensus.
McKee’s panelists gathered six solid consensuses on what constitutes healthy pornography: pornography that shows a variety of sexual practices and pleasures; that shows clear and discussed consent; that shows a wide variety of body types, genders, abilities, races and ethnicities; that focuses on pleasure for every participant; that shows safe sex; and that is known to be ethically produced.
Alex Shea, a sexual health and wellness writer, included more about the production of pornography in her list, such as fair pay to actors and producers, and that the filming environment is safe and consensual.
Ethical pornography is also explicitly representative. A lot of mainstream pornography is centered on the male gaze and, therefore, is pretty repetitive in what a person can see.
For Sara Garvey, a psychology professor at Colorado State University, a major part of ethical pornography is who is represented.
“I would also expect to see … a representation of diverse types of bodies, identities, experiences (and) responses that mirrors more what we see in real life,” Garvey said.
Why use ethical porn?
Ethical porn is not always the easiest to access. Because it partly involves paying the cast and crew fairly for their work, fair pay often requires a paywall, something Shea pointed out in her article.
So why should you use ethical pornography websites over something like PornHub?
One primary benefit is education. Formal sex education in schools is often lacking in the “how” of sex. In Colorado, sex ed focuses on anatomy, STDs and STIs, consent, puberty, sexual orientation and gender identity. While helpful in reducing unprotected sex and delaying sexual activity in teenagers, it does not prepare people for the realities of a sexual relationship.
“Sex ed rarely talks about pleasure and rarely talks about the variation that we see in terms of behaviors and expressions,” Garvey said.
Instead of relying on websites like PornHub, where the ethical nature of the pornography is dubious and potentially dangerous, ethical pornography can open up discussions and show healthy sexual activities.
The variety showcased in ethical pornography, from the people shown to the acts performed, can also improve people’s understanding of sex. People are curious. People want to know things. Using ethical pornography to get a better understanding of kink, for example, opens doors for people who want to try new things or comprehend something that they’ve only heard about.
It can also help people figure out what arouses them, either alone or with a partner.
“It can be a tool in the toolbox for someone’s sexual expression,” Garvey said.
At the end of the day, that is what pornography is: a tool and a way to understand yourself and your own sexuality.
Recognizing unethical pornography
Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell if pornography on a free website is ethically made. You cannot tell what is happening behind the camera. If you want ethical pornography, you have to make the effort to seek it out.
McKee’s panelists did that work for you. They compiled a list of four websites that they believed would “support healthy sexual development.” Those four were Sex School, Make Love Not Porn, PinkLabel.TV and Lust Cinema. Make Love Not Porn, in particular, is geared toward educators and guardians who want to teach the teenagers and young adults in their lives about sex and pornography in various age-appropriate ways.
Ethical pornography is simply another art form that allows people to explore themselves. It is, as Garvey said, a tool. It is not something that should be stigmatized or shameful.
“I think we could envision a different relationship with pornography than what we have now,” Garvey said.
With the growth of ethical pornography and a more knowledgeable user base, Garvey’s hopes are not impossible.
Reach Audrey Weishaar at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
