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Ethnic Pornography

Controversy in American Pornography

Some scholars claim that African American women are especially subject to racial fetishism within pornography. Mireille Miller-Young, professor of feminist studies at University of California in Santa-Barbara argues that while the porn industry hypersexualizes African American porn actresses, they are often paid less, hired less, and given less attention during health checks, than their white counterparts. Some scholars also argue that white women are upheld as the most-prized commodity in the industry, while black women are often devalued for their sex work, regardless of their perceived erotic abilities.

Interracial Pornography

Some scholars have written about porn actors’ interviews, in which the actors express their view that interracial pornography is a transgressive form of overcoming racism. In Chapter 3 of her book Porn Studies, Linda Williams, professor at UC Berkeley, points to the porn film Crossing the Color Line starring Sean Michaels, a black actor, and Christi Lakes, a white actress. In the interviews of this porn film, Michaels and Lakes express how being “color-blind” is a progressive approach to interracial porn. However, scholars have identified a contradiction between these interviews and the subsequent performance, in which both actors make several references to the differences in skin color between them. For example, Lakes refers to Michael’s private parts as “big and black”. Scholars argue that by advertently pointing out racial differences, race is being made the main point of intrigue for the audience, which perpetuates the exotification of racial differences. Some argue that this eroticized sexual tension in interracial pornography dates back to slavery during which white owners kept white women and black men separate. Williams states that there is a tension between fear and sexual desire within interracial pornography.

Gay Pornography

Bareback

Some scholars argue that while “barebacking” and “UAI” technically both mean the same thing, they have different undertones. With the increased use of the term “barebacking”, the term has been adopted for marketing purposes. This is because “Unprotected Anal Intercourse” makes a direct connection between unprotected sex and the risk of contracting diseases like HIV/AIDS. However, although “bareback” seems to have become the favorable term, studies show that both terms ultimately have equally negative implications. A sample size of 95 pornographic films was analyzed in a study, with a little under half of the sample featuring UAI. In a study where participants were shown two different scenes featuring anal sex, the significance of the words “bareback” and “UAI” became apparent. The first scene featured group sex in which several men were on top engaging in intercourse with one man on the bottom. The men on top were in their mid-30’s and of varying ethnicities while the man on the bottom was around 18 years old.. The second scene featured two men both in their 20’s in a living room setting. During the interview, the participants were much more reluctant to classify the second scene as “bareback” or “UAI”, than they were for the first scene. Participants readily used “bareback” to describe the first scene in which there were clear contrasts in race, age, and power. The participants described the second scene as being more “meaningful and romantic” and hence more likely to use a condom to protect the other. The implication of this study is that the term “bareback” ultimately does have a dark meaning as it relates to HIV/AIDS, regardless if it does not mention protection in its name. Thus, studies have shown that barebacking is decreasing in popularity within the gay subculture. Bareback pornography does not necessarily encourage more unprotected anal sex in reality, nor do all men who participate in anal sex necessarily want to have unprotected sex. What is clear is that there is still a sense of risk among participants who engage in anal sex.

Bisexual Pornography

Pornographic Film Industry

Due to the stigmatization and discrimination faced by bisexual people in the general population, one may expect bisexual porn actors and actresses to also have lower morale than their straight counterparts. However, studies have proven that bisexual actresses actually have higher levels of positive feelings than heterosexual actresses. Scholars argue that this may be due in large part to the fact that they work in a subculture that expects and accepts hypersexuality. Therefore, the idea that bisexual people are “promiscuous” does not work against porn actors. Additionally, bisexual actresses reported that they enjoyed their job more than heterosexual actresses. Scholars argue that this could be because they have sex with both men and women, and have more sex in general, which they presumably enjoy since they entered the business.