Let's Talk About It: Unethical Porn

Written by: @zillennialbyjimena

Recently I was on Twitter when I got a tweet about unethical pornography and wanted to learn more about it. I brought it up to some of my friends, and they had no clue that there was even such a thing as ethical/unethical porn. So I wanted to share this information to get people more interested in this subject. 

So what is the difference? 

Ethical pornography emphasizes the importance of consent, diversity, and inclusion in the production and distribution of the material. Producers ensure that performers are treated with respect and are fairly compensated. This includes having the right to withdraw consent at any time. It also involves prioritizing the safety of all parties involved in the production process, such as providing adequate health and safety measures. Meaning, performers are not forced into doing things they may be uncomfortable with, like performing without a condom. 

Unethical pornography is porn that is produced and distributed in an exploitative/non-consensual manner. Unethical porn may involve practices such as the distribution of non-consensual content, or the production of content that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Examples of unethical pornography include content that involves minors, the use of deception to obtain consent, or pornography that enforces harmful stereotypes about a certain sex, gender, or race. Revenge porn also falls into this category regardless if the person once gave consent to being filmed. Furthermore, unethical pornography features performers that are not fairly compensated. 

For example, let’s imagine that a couple (named X and Y)  agrees to film themselves during sex. That is consensual. They both agreed to be filmed and are both comfortable with it. However, later X thinks, “Hey, this is pretty good stuff. I should upload it to make some money off of it.” Without speaking to Y about it, that would be unethical porn as it is non-consensual. Yes, Y initially gave permission to be filmed, but Y was under the impression that it would be only for their eyes. But let’s say X does talk to Y about it; X tries to convince Y, but Y still refuses. Later X decides to upload it with their faces blurred to protect Y’s identity. This would still be considered unethical because regardless if Y’s identity is protected. 

Now as the viewer, you have no idea that you are watching nonconsensual uploaded porn. And that is not your fault because you had no idea what was happening behind the scenes. The problem is the multiple porn websites that allow everybody and anybody to upload whatever they please. 

Where can I watch ethical porn?

The biggest porn websites in the USA are PornHub and XVideos, both known for being a center for unethical porn. A couple of years back, PornHub was criticized by the public for having porn where women would act “child-like” and wear children’s clothing. This called for changes in PornHub uploading criteria. PornHub took action by deleting all unverified content and changing who could upload. Recently, PornHub has been bought by a company that promises to make PornHub ethical. But for now, it is best to avoid these two websites. Especially XVideos, as they have no guidelines. 

As for ethical porn websites, I recommend doing your own research to choose what best caters to your taste. Here is a good place to start: https://getdown.com.au/blogs/blog/how-to-watch-porn-for-women 

If you have never heard of unethical porn, I hope that you have found it informative and thought-provoking. Additionally, I hope that you will continue to explore it further on your own. Pornography goes much deeper than just the 10-minute videos you watch; there are legal, social, and racial issues within sex work.