Illustrated By Ly Ngo.It's no secret that all of us here at R29 Wellness have a very, let's say, "porn-positive" perspective. We firmly believe that porn can be both empowering and educational. It's probably also no surprise that some of our favorite friends are porn stars.
So, naturally, when we heard about the new quarterly academic journal Porn Studies, released late last week, we were more than a little excited. The first publication of its kind, the inaugural issue contains 30 peer-reviewed articles — yes, we are talking about legitimate scholarly work. Topics were impressively diverse, ranging from the intersection of feminism and pornography to the impact of queer porn to the importance of recognizing porn actors as workers with the same rights as any other occupation.
Especially at a time when an infinite number of depictions of sex and sexuality are about three clicks away, the way porn affects our collective idea of sex is becoming an increasingly important issue. Many may view the subject with disgust and indignation, saying that porn is inherently anti-woman, even in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary. But, dismissing any sort of discussion on the subject does nothing to change the way women in porn are portrayed and treated, on screen or off. Whatever your feelings on the topic, it's hard to argue that a serious discourse on the way porn is conceived, created, and consumed could be anything but a good thing. (Nerve)