During the month of January, I moderated not one, not two, but three (3!!) seminars at the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) in Las Vegas. I am always very honored and happy to guide these discussions and contribute to organizing the panelists. It’s a good way to give back to the community, as well as contribute to getting a little sociology in the mix!
This year, Bobby Box covered the “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”/Women leaders in the industry panel for Elite Daily. He started off his coverage with:
Does porn exploit women?
While the answer for most might be an obvious yes, I recently attended a seminar at the 34th annual AVN Awards and Expo (commonly known as the Oscars of porn) where leaders in the adult film industry vehemently suggested otherwise.
…and then went on to summarize some of the key points he saw raised during the discussion. They were:
1. Porn is a decision, not a consequence.
2. Women in porn are treated like “goddesses.”
3. Porn stars feel like they’re at the forefront of a new movement.
“Erotic literature is celebrated, yet porn is considered distasteful. And why is that? Classism. At least, that’s what the panelists believe,” Bobby wrote. This point about classism — and the lines between highbrow and lowbrow that supposedly differentiate porn from other forms or art — was one of my favorite things that I said during the panel!
4. Porn stars are encouraged to demand respect for their work.
5. Porn stars are sexual ambassadors for women.
You can read Bobby’s full commentary on each of his observations over at Elite Daily right here — “Why Porn Is Actually Empowering, As Told By Experts In The Industry” (January 26, 2017).
Enjoy!
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Get Exposure: A Sociologist Explores Sex, Society, and Adult Entertainment on Amazon and CT.com.