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Identity
Media has come a long way over the past decade. For most TV shows and movies, it seems that Hollywood has finally reached the long-awaited era of ensuring that what they create is politically correct and culturally respectful. From people who work behind the scenes to the big movie stars, it is the norm now to keep these individuals accountable for issues like discrimination and cultural appropriation. The one area of media that continues to be a lawless and corrupt place, is the porn industry.
The cool thing about being human is how many things we’re able to enjoy and choose as our interests. With the internet being so expansive these days, you can find a niche for almost anything. This is great for us as individuals when we want to explore aspects of identity, but it gets more complicated when it delves into the world of porn and sexuality.
An important part of developing your sexuality is knowing what you like and what you are attracted to, in both a romantic and physical aspect. Get to know what you like! The learning curve in this process is knowing what is appropriate in public spaces and how to respect boundaries, both personal and societal. And even though it’s hard to remember at times, the internet is a public place! So the same social rules we stick to in reality should also be expected online.
The problem is, porn does not seem to stick to these rules. And to make matters worse, the industry often profits off of their unethical content creation while harming marginalized individuals at the same time. Why are porn companies not held to the same standard as TV and film? The answer is definitely too complex for us to delve into specifics, but the fact is that the porn industry gets away with too much misconduct; and we shouldn’t let it slide anymore.
The consequences of problematic porn can bubble up to the surface in a lot of ways. From influencing the way that we think and speak to how we treat women in systemic environments, BIPOC people in particular end up the sufferers in these social contexts. The root of the issue stems from language and the power behind representation.
None of us would enjoy being referred to as a label, a tag or a category. But as porn and digital sex content become increasingly monetized, the way that people are treated becomes dangerously close to the product. No one wants to be viewed as an object with “tags” attached to them. Porn sites often promote this method of categorization and take it to the extremes, resulting in real emotional distress and trauma for actors and consumers alike. This is the power of language. It can influence the way we think, speak and act; sometimes regardless of our intentions. Luckily, language is something that we all hold power in, allowing us to make changes for the better starting with ourselves.
A lot of the time, porn categories highlight racialized content without some of us even realizing. If you’ve never thought about this before, you might be someone who isn’t directly affected by the discrimination in question. But to improve the future world of porn, we all have to work together to promote ethical content creation!
• Pay attention to the websites you are using! A lot of the mainstream sites that we all know about are not the most ethical. If possible, try to use sites that are backed by ethical companies. They’re out there, I promise! Go and find some new ones!
• When you use the search bar, be mindful of what you’re typing! Are the words/phrases that you type out, ones that you would feel comfortable saying out loud? Try choosing buzzwords that are inoffensive!
• Practice using person-first language! This can look like prioritizing terms such as “people with disabilities” over “disabled people” or offensive slang terms. Another way to improve your own choice of words is to avoid sole terms like “asians” and use the term “asian people” instead. This humanizes the phrase and is more respectful!
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