Exploring the concept of “feminist pornography”

by Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux

Last year, with my then-co-editors, Chloe and Josh, I began to toy with the concept of “feminist pornography” as something that did not exist just as a “magic unicorn” (the name lovingly bestowed by another student in my Intro to Gender Studies class), but as a real and viable phenomenon.  Josh discovered a pornographic film that had been touted online as “feminist,” and we made tentative plans to hold an academic panel, where the film would be supplemented by a critical academic perspective.  We then watched the film with a group of EW bloggers, and came quickly to the conclusion that this film was not feminist (or, really, pornographic).  Josh kept writing about the issue, but it wasn’t until the next November that I began to think seriously about feminist pornography again.

I knew, when, under the auspices of another group, Let’s Talk Sex, my co-leader and I invited Tristan Taormino (a sex educator, self-styled feminist pornographer, and anal sexpert) to give a talk on non-monogamous relationships, that pornography would probably come up.  But I didn’t think it would dominate our conversation at the dinner before the lecture, and I have to admit that I wasn’t sure if I’d be convinced by Taormino’s explanations.  Her answers to students’ questions, though, surprised me.  She explained that her pornography focused on consent and safer sex; that she paired together actors who were attracted to each other and who wanted to have sex with each other, and many of her films are educational.  My LeTS co-leader and I decided to ask Taormino back to talk exclusively about feminist porn, since it had piqued so much curiosity at the dinner.  And then we got money from the USG to fund the event, and if you were on campus last month, you know how that was received.  If not, these Prince articles should answer all your questions.

And now, unbelievably enough, the event is upon us (see the post below for more details).  I realized a few weeks ago that I had actually never seen any of Taormino’s porn, and so I organized a screening last Saturday night for anyone who was interested.  The results were unexpected.  We were surprised by how many of the “feminist” elements were missing; there were no signs of contraception, and I didn’t see anyone ask for consent, although the sex was certainly enthusiastic.  On the other hand, there was no exclusive focus on male pleasure, and the sex seemed spontaneous and un-self-conscious.  I’m now curious to talk to Taormino about whether this film is representative of the rest of her work, and if there are other ways in which films like Chemistry challenge the norms and expectations of both the porn industry and the porn consumer.  I encourage you to attend the talk – if nothing else, Taormino is a smart, engaging speaker, and even if you disagree with every word she says, it will certainly be a thought-provoking evening.