How I Became A Feminist Porn Star

[opiate69]

Fascinating read.
http://jezebel.com/5984021/how-i-became-a-feminist-porn-star

In 2004, I was working at a popular sex toy retailer in San Francisco. Twenty-three years old, I was a recent graduate from a state university where I had studied English Literature and flung myself head-first into the eclectic and radically open-minded culture of my adopted city. Working at Good Vibrations, I was surrounded by sexuality, from sex toys to fellow employees who were educated and articulate about sex. The shop had shelves of various kinds of porn films, available for rental and purchase. After six months, I had consumed a fair amount of porn and was used to talking about it with my colleagues and customers. Looking back on that time, I recall watching porn and thinking that I had something to offer to it. With very few exceptions, the porn I had seen felt empty, inauthentic, and not representative of my sexuality and the kind of sex I was having. I honestly thought that I could change the movies for the better

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Probably the one on Valencia St.

I've been there a time or two.

[opiate69]

2. With your SICK ERECTION, no doubt!!!!!!!

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Naw

San Francisco is usually too breezy for that.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

3. Reading the comments section....

....oh, no one can stand in judgement of a woman like other women....especially at good ol' Jezebel.

[opiate69]

4. Yeah.. I started expecting to see some familiar screen names..

But, was also pleased to see the authoritarian twits getting some pretty good pushback too.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

5. When people start using "college-educated" as a pejorative....

....you can't help but laugh.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. I had to stop reading when I saw that...

white and educated makes you entitled to do porn your own way.

Is it hilarious or pathetic? I'm not sure.

[opiate69]

7. heh.. too true.

[Warren DeMontague]

11. Nothing causes a gimungo incoherent shitfit like the thought that somewhere

a picture of a naked woman is giving a man an erection.

It's sort of like H.L. MencKinnon.

[Major Nikon]

13. The next generation tends to push back as feminist theory is evolving

Third-wave feminism is often associated with the emergence of, so-called, "lipstick" or "girly" feminisms and the rise of "raunch culture". This is because these new feminisms advocated for “expressions of femininity and female sexuality as a challenge to objectification".[44] Accordingly, this included the dismissal of any restriction, whether deemed patriarchal or feminist, to define or control how women or girls can dress, act, or generally express themselves.[44] These emerging positions stood in stark contrast with the anti-pornography strains of feminism prevalent in the 1980s. These new feminisms posit that the ability to make autonomous choices about self-expression can be an empowering act of resistance, not simply internalized oppression. However, such views have been critiqued because of the subjective nature of empowerment and autonomy. Scholars are unsure if empowerment is best measured as an “internal feeling of power and agency" or an external "measure of power and control".[45] Moreover, they critique an over-investment in "a model of free will and choice" in the marketplace of identities and ideas.[45] Regardless, the "girly" feminisms attempted to be open to all different selves while maintaining a dialogue about the meaning of identity and femininity in the contemporary world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_wave_feminism#Prominent_issues

Gender violence issues, reproductive freedom, rape all remain as central issues. Transgenderism issues get added. More of a focus on issues related to women of color. Anti-male bias goes out the window. Anti-pornography goes out the window. Objectification theory goes out the window. Not my momma's feminism, so to speak.

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Yeah, I keep hearing from some circles about how modest and chaste todays, say, 20somethings are

How they're "pushing back" against all the rampant fornication and exposed flesh and theyre all mad that sex is a popular topic and they are all set to storm the world doing away with all the smutty music and nasty naked pictures and the 2nd wave is gonna make a comeback REALLY this time and blah, dee blah blah blah.



To which I say...


Drrrrrrrrrream ON.

[Major Nikon]

15. Everyone has an expiration date

The idea that priorities aren't going to change from one generation to the next is not a good one. If anything, the successes of the 2nd wave allow this to happen.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. Indeed.

Not a wheel but a spiral.

[Eleanors38]

19. Yup. Lotta new stalls to tame them young broncs.

[Warren DeMontague]

20. See? i dont even know what that means

But it sounds dirty!

[Eleanors38]

21. Well, clean the Augean stables!

[Warren DeMontague]

22. Naw man the dog is bad enough

[Warren DeMontague]

9. because like I said, some folks have set up stoppin teh porn as the great- nay, the ONLY- great

struggle of our era.

Well, I guess if you're gonna tilt at a windmill, might as well go for a biggie.

[Upton]

8. Good go her..I'm glad to see there are Feminist Porn Awards..

If they bother to read the article, the usual suspects will be dismayed to learn this woman isn't a sex slave nor has she been coerced into working in the industry. For old ideas are hard to let go of. This woman is the real feminist...Her body, her choice..it applies to more than just reproductive rights..

[Major Nikon]

17. You don't understand, this isn't porn it's erotica

Just in case it wasn't obvious....

[nomorenomore08]

12. There's always more than one side to the story. This OP proves that.

I would expect basically any large industry under capitalism - and the porn industry is ginormous - to be rife with corruption and exploitation. But it's not as if that is uniformly the case - the mere existence of something like the Feminist Porn Awards shows otherwise.

[opiate69]

18. Shameless self kick for relevance