Soc 345 Test 4: Pornography
porn actors and actresses referred to themselves as ...
-"talent" -different from those who act in films that are NOT x-rated -talent = less stigmatized than porn star
consumers of porn
-# of people watching porn has increased -women = fastest growing audience -shift in language from sex toy -> marital aid
debate of sexually explicit films
-1950s-60s: sexploitation films -films could show all the racy subject matter they wanted ONLY if they add a warning at the end -political or educational value
Linda lovelace
-1970s porn star -testified, claimed that she had been forced to perform but her abusive husband
Miller vs California
-1973 - US Supreme Court set the precedent for defining unprotected obscenity -developed the Miller Test
1842 Congress
-1st anti-obscenity law -authorized customs office to seize "obscene and immoral" imported prints or pictures
most actresses _____ feel sexual enjoyment
-DO -BUT it rarely results in orgasm -pleasure is linked to work conditions
Couples in industry
-Nesa and kyle, boyfriend girlfriend pair -personal sexual relationship = influenced by their work schedules
Andrea Dworkin and Catherine MacKinnon
-a civil rights issue -gave women who participated in porn or abused from it a way to challenge abusers in court -problem: criteria could not be standardized
gender split with performance/anxiety
-actresses - appearances -actors - sexual performances
individual fan clubs
-announce local appearances -personal messages -candid photographs, trivia, make porn stars accessible to audience -males typically don't have fan clubs
actresses spend a large portion of earning on...
-appearance -costumes, surgeries
open vs closed production set
-based on preference of the lead -closed - only allows necessary members -rare to have visitors
annual profits of porn
-billions of dollars -not including internet
Alfred Kinsey research in 1950s
-brought sexuality to forefront of debate in America -"sexual revolution" - shift in attitudes and behaviors -citizens = shocked at high rates of extra, premarital sex, homosexuality, other stigmatized sexual practices
right wing conservatives and porn
-claim that porn contributes to moral decay, corruption
ideology
-collection of ideas put forth by particular society as rep. of what that society believes is meaningful or true
recognition can be a problem when...
-companies want fresh faces to appeal to new and old viewers -actresses who are "overexposed" don't offer much appeal because they're old news, too familiar -publicity = reason for limited company interest
obscenity today
-contradictions, hard to control
What does Chris Pappas do in "Sex Sells, But What Else Does it Do?"
-contrasts pornography as a social problem with contemporary perspectives that try to understand porn as profitable, influential cultural industry
feminists claim that ....
-cultural symbols taught and reinforce notions of male supremacy, gender/sexual inequalities, creates "rape culture"
research methods
-data collected in LA and San Francisco in 1996 and 1998 -field observations, interviews -3/4 = white -time in industry = 2-15 years -average of 4-5 years, higher for actors than actresses -most acted in at least 50 videos
careers of porn actors and actresses share similarities with other ____ careers
-deviant careers -difficult time "going straight"
mobility and commitment
-difficult because of organization structure -"f**k bunnies, s**s, s**s" = actresses with little interest in moving up, lacking skill -"sticking around" -having what it takes
opportunity and sociability reason for porn
-easy to make connections in industry -networks become limited to sub-group bc porn is stigmatized -dancing, erotic dancing = opportunity for women -"fresh faces" -"overexposed" <- negative effect
professional porn companies
-employing 50-100 staff members -more than 20 videos a month -budgets range from $50,000-$150,000
pornography requires participants to...
-enter its stigmatized world -develop strategies to maintain involvement in the industry
Ronald Reagan "Meese Commission" in 1986
-examined dangers of porn
filming the sexual scenes
-exciting for outsiders -routine for porn workers
"money shot"
-external ejaculation scene -actors not paid unless they can complete the scene
erotic materials
-fanny hill = popular -concern about romantic, erotic novels
amateur companies
-few individuals perform variety of task -$100-$1000 -does not produce -edit and market homemade materials
1873 Comstock Law
-first of many anti-vice laws -policing of sexuality -tried to limit potential to "do moral harm" -used to control groups and ideas that seemed undesirable -obscenity laws have always lacked a clear and measurable definition
what is pornography?
-framed as a social problem -connection to some notion of obscenity
19th and 20th century social changes
-from abolition and women's suffrage movement -increased application of Comstock Law
pornography
-hateful, violent, exploitative version of erotica
from outcasts -> fetishized caricaturized and popular stars
-have large cult followings
minority groups have become recently...
-highly paid superstars -minority owned and controlled production companies have began
religious institution/gov. measure of power
-how much can they control people's behavior?
insider porn view
-ignored in social science, those within industry -porn research has been done without consideration of the work identity and work culture of participants
women narrators
-innocent girl -libertine young man -mature seducer -brothel -black servant -tempting devil
neutral areas
-kitchen or living room where others wait during filming -respect for co workers (boredom while they work) -no sexual turn on from watching each others' performances
major shift from obscenity to pornography
-late 19th century, shifted focus from women-centered grass root organizations' aims to censor crime, violence, impurity to legal police efforts led by men to regulate sex acts (porn)
Hugh Hefner and Playboy
-launched in 1953 -wanted to bring "real" sexuality to American male -wanted to see more openness about sex and sexuality -gave men ability to claim identities
actors/actresses who are searching for quick $$ and/or sexual adventure quickly....
-leave industry when these goals are met -one time opportunities in porn
1957 Supreme Court Decision
-literature was protected by 1st amendment but obscenity was not -"utterly without merit" -national to community standards so that more conservative states could have their own laws
males spend a large portion of income on..
-looking good -HIV testing (required every 30 days) NOT paid for by porn -motorcycles, cars
freedom and independence reason for porn
-low socioeconomic status, restricted opportunities -adult porn industry offer what they wanted in a job (flexible hours, good $, fun) -structure of industry -> sense of freedom
religious moral physiology texts
-made sex education public to educate masses
making a name in porn industry
-maintaining fame = hard work -appearing in most videos during their first year -achieving status in industry = critical for success -building a reputation among peers and being famous to fans = motivations for maintaining porn career
getting laid is a primary motivator for....
-male actors
female, male and transgender prostitutes
-male and transgender prostitutes = more likely to report sexual enjoyment with clients than female prostitutes -porn actors = more likely than actresses to report sex as motivation
who is more vulnerable to overexposure?
-males because magazine spreads and dancing opportunities are more available for women
Porn by mid 1980s...
-media was unable to demonstrate effects that porn has on attitudes and behavior toward women -2 most established researchers criticized anti-pornography feminists for way that they were interpreting and using data
Aristotle's Complete Works
-medical guide -info about female sex organs, sexual advice -wanted to educate masses on sexuality
pornography industry as a community
-members rely on one another, family -competition, gossip -networks and friendships = crucial to career
fame and glamour reason for porn
-most common at pro-amateur and professional -high budget feature films come with black tie parties, visible settings -award shows -quicker and easier way to be recognized than not X rated entertainment industry -actresses attract attention -not office work, flexible hours, etc
internet effect on porn
-much more, easier access -porn maybe reason for VCR boom -pornographic rentals = bulk of video rental business
"pornography debates"
-much of what academics know about porn comes from these feminist discussions in the 1970s and 1980s
US became more complex and urbanized...
-need for social control/cohesion increased -development of institutions = social control
erotica
-non violent -egalitarian loving form of sexually explicit material
American war involvement
-obscenity campaigns to suppress violence in press -porn = suppress sex, not violence
most combine porn scene
-oral sex and penile-vaginal intercourse -pays $500 on average
perks of stardom
-paid more -choice in who to work with -less time spent on set -more recognition -highly regarded within industry
erotica script
-passion, lust, aggression, desires, gambling, birth control, abortion, mistrust of ministers, science, physician
work sex
-performance -renders ability to have home sex -some actors say that it's easier to stay single -collapse between fantasy images and real individuals -many in industry choose to date each other
Money Reason for Porn
-popular belief of "easy money" draws people -income varies by individual, a few can make a lot of $$ -approx middle class earnings -income = limited by amount of work offered -HIV testing comes out of pocket -male experience pay inquiry -amateur productions pay little -pro-amateur and professional, $$ = key
radical feminists on the left and porn
-porn is a tool to uphold patriarchy, sexism, devaluation of women
being naughty/having sex reason for porn
-porn is way for some people who want to violate, challenge, refute social norms -relevant for women -male stars embody sexual norms -2/3 bisexual women
work is desexualized
-porn set = brightly lit, sterile -camera crew concentrate on production quality -talent imitates sexual encounters they assume are fantasies of the audience -routien practices, porn sex = performance, job -little interaction between participants
technology
-print press -photography -cinema
gay and lesbian porn
-profitable, popular -increasingly accepted
pornography industry has traditionally been very...
-racist -racial and ethnic sexualities = stereotyped, offensive
home sex
-real, intimate, spontaneous, pleasurable, genuine
expressive work
-requires high degree of cooperation among participants -cooperation as reputation
porn persona
-separation from their "real selves" -based on audience expectation -exaggerated version of self -desirable, want to convey that work is enjoyable, wants to portray sex as authentic, pleasurable -reminder that porn production is performance -protects core self (fantasy based performance)
pro amateur or "gonzo" companies
-small companies with large budgets -medium size companies with small budgets and subsidiaries of professional companies -$15,000-$25,000 -staff perform many functions within organization -bridge between amateur and professional
laws and social norms
-socially constructed -determined by consensus of larger group -can control individual behavior for benefit of the whole -all societies have ideas about what is right vs wrong
talent as freelance employees
-take jobs with many companies and using connections to find future work
1868 Hicklin Doctrine
-test material for obscenity on whether or not it had a tendency to deprave or corrupt someone to immoral influences -used to suppress work of great literature
"Miller Test"
-the "average person" applying contemporary community standards must find that the work "appeals to the prurient interest -material in question depicts sexual conduct in a blatantly offensive way -to be obscene - must be found that the work lacks any merit whatsoever
1980s porn, actors = ...
-treated unfairly -low wages, unfair contracts, little protection against health risks
key to understanding role of laws in societies
-understand their essential function = control people's behavior -creating social cohesion -us who follow vs them who don't follow
outsider porn view
-views of people outside of industry -much written about porn has been about from people outside of industry
emergence of porn as massive industry shows ...
-ways in which morals, belief,s sexual practices were changing -what is right/what is wrong/normal/deviant changing
who makes more in porn industry? women or men?
-women -men are subject to women's decisions
male masturbation
-work necessity during long shoots -actors must be reliable sexual performers and be able to ejaculate on command -"money shot" actors are not paid unless they can complete the scene
porn now
-working conditions = mostly fair -more popular, more profitable, efforts of advocates and activists
popular successful actresses are ____ than male counterparts
-younger -actresses are replaced by younger, newer talent
individuals enter the porn industry for 5 main reasons:
1) money 2) fame/glamor 3) freedom and ind. 4) opportunity and sociability 5) being naughty and having sex
talent divide in porn
1) those who want career in adult industry 2) those who drift in and quickly out of industry long term goal- success and fame short term goal-money, sex, desire for ind, opportunity
