ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND PORN

DO YOU KNOW HOW YOUR PORN IS MADE?

These days, eating ethically is all the rage. It’s trendy to give a shit about whether the beef on our burger lived a good life before it hit our plate, or whether the person who farmed our coffee beans was paid a fair wage. In the supermarket, words like ‘free range’, ‘fair trade’ and ‘organic’ are strong selling points with many of us happy to pay a few extra bucks to know we’re eating with a cleaner conscience.

But have you ever stopped to think about the porn you consume in the same way? Were the pornstars you’re watching bonk away paid a fair wage and treated well? Did they fuck on their own terms? How consensual was the whole situation? Why shouldn’t we consider the background of where our porn has come from to the same degree we do our food?

Enter the concept of ethical porn.

Much like the way free-range eggs, organic produce and fair-trade coffee have changed the way we shop for food, ethical porn is changing the landscape of pornography.

The mainstream population generally shares the opinion that porn is degrading and exploitative to women. While, of course, not all porn is shitty, exploitative behaviour and dodgy practices do happen in the porn industry. That’s where this wave of ethical porn comes in. Ethical porn strives to promote images of people enjoying their sexuality with consent, and on their own terms. As pornstar Annie Sprinkle once said, “The answer to bad porn isn’t no porn… it’s to try and make better porn.”

While there aren’t any firm guidelines that dictate whether porn is ethical, some talk about ethicality as a mix of content that is created legally and in safe working conditions, with everyone being fairly paid. Others argue that porn is only ethical when it celebrates the diverse and complex nature of sexuality, shows real sex and genuine pleasure, consciously features a variety of body types, rejects demeaning stereotypes and focuses on consent. With that being said, ethical porn doesn’t have to be soft or romantic. Hard, rough sex or BDSM-centric porn that explores the darker corners of human sexuality and fetishes can still be ethical. What makes it ethical is the condition it was produced in and how it’s marketed.

Mistress Annie, producer of Australian-based porn company, Girls Out West, centres an ethical approach to the porn she creates. “Ethical porn matters,” Annie says. “We pride ourselves in shooting porn from the female gaze. Our films showcase real women, raw sexuality and models doing what genuinely turns them on.”

But how can you tell whether the Czechoslovakian MILF casting-couch porn you’re watching is ethical?

“The behind-the-scenes footage in porn can give you a lot of clues as to whether it’s ethical. It usually shows another side of the production; the models in good spirits, being pampered and talking about their experience before and after filming.”

In the heat of the moment of gearing up for a sneaky wank, you probably won’t feel inclined to stop and hunt down the backstage footage or research the ethics of the company you’re watching content from. The easiest way to ensure you’re watching ethical porn is to pay for it. Paying for clips directly from performers’ sites is a way to ensure the content was shot ethically and to support it ethically. Yep, you’ll likely have to spend a few bucks, but you can start building your own ethical porn library that won’t leave a bad taste in your mouth.