28 June 06 in Commentary
Alt-porn starlet and newly minted porn director Audacia Ray recently posted a thoughtful essay about pornography and racism:
It is ignorant in that white liberal I-see-no-race-only-people way to assume that race is not an issue for performers and for consumers. It is and will continue to be. But the big question in my mind is how to acknowledge the desire for otherness or the desire to see interracial action – it is a real one – without pandering to that whole fetishization of the other thing (this is of course based on the perhaps faulty assumption that most porn buyers are white, though there is a an ethnic industry). And here’s the thing about “other” – in the world of sexuality but especially in the world of porn (which is much less nuanced than sexuality at large), the line between appreciation of difference and lecherous fetishizing of deviance is very, very thin.
Are interracial and ethnic pornos inherently racist? I’m inclined to say no. But there is certainly a line, one that many directors cross deliberately.
Continue reading “The Waking Vixen on Porn and Race”...
More: Porn,
Stereotypes,
Racism
7 June 06 in Commentary
Both Sexoteric and Fleshbot ran news items about a Tokyo swingers group called, appropriately enough, Tokyo Swingers. The group throws twice-monthly parties wherein local gaijin and Japanese couples indulge their racial fetishes for each other (unsurprisingly, Japanese women are the draw for Western couples and Western men are the draw for Japanese couples). Both news items missed this bit of racial nastiness from the organization’s about page:
I don’t say I never invite blacks because I have once invited a black guy, but if I only invite one black man out of 100 blacks, I guess I should say “I don’t invite blacks”.
The organizer expands on his racist views in the site’s forums, yet complains elsewhere that he cannot find many couples willing to attend his parties. Color me shocked. He’s such a charmer.
More: Japanese,
Sex,
Swingers,
Racism
26 May 06 in Roundup
I thought I was done with the Monster Cocks this week. Honest. But somehow they keep rearing their giant, throbbing heads.
- Chick-lit may have lost its edge in the West around the time Fear of Flying headed into its second printing, but Indonesian author Ayu Utami demonstrates that in some parts of the world women who write about sex and relationships are still considered subversives. [Nerve]
- Playboy’s much-hyped Girls of MySpace edition turns out to be every bit as dull and lifeless as one would expect from a dull and lifeless publication. [Daily Niner]
- A giant sex theme park is set to open in London in order to help Brits become better lovers. Rumor has it all the attractions will focus on improved dental hygiene. Zing! [BBC News]
- Apparently, the “peg master” is racist. In this case I think my ass might actually be relieved. [Laura the Tooth]
- Whether or not Tyra Banks is actually racist, a lot of us wish this blathering idiot would just go away. [Slate]
- South Asian chicks are afraid of the BMW—aka Black Man’s Willy. The dogged persistence of the giant blacksnake stereotype stems from women spending more time talking about black men than they do interacting with black men. [Mixed Media Watch]
More: Literature,
Indonesian,
Asian,
English,
Sex,
Black,
Monster Cocks,
Racism,
Stereotypes,
Shout Outs
12 May 06 in Roundup
Here’s an action-packed roundup of things I was too lazy to write about this week—y’know, me being a shiftless minority and all.
- Photographer Jonathan Taylor offers a chilling yet starkly beautiful look into the lives of Thai sex workers. [Flickr]
- If fatigues and pillow fights are your thing, here’s a gallery of Israeli women in uniform. [Serial No. 3817131]
- By the way, black folks can be racist fuckwads too. [HipHopMusic.com]
- But are you racist if you don’t like the hippity-hop? [Slate]
- Finally, from the TMI department, did we really need to know about Annie Cruz’s “loose ass”? Was that really necessary? [Fleshbot]
More: Photography,
Sex Work,
Racism,
Thai,
Israeli,
Black,
Music,
Porn
25 April 06 in Commentary
In a thoughtful blog entry, author Susie Bright discusses the interracial question in porn:
It is only asked of fair-skinned women, and it only means one thing: will Miss Anne fuck a black guy? Men are not asked this question. Black women are not asked this question. Asian, Polynesian, Chicano, and biracial actors are not given a rag to bite down on. This is the Mandingo-cliche of the film biz, a throwback to the notion of “the flower of white womanhood.” To see it on casting interviews still makes my eyes cross. It’s part of mainstream movies too—it’s just baldfaced in porn casting, for obvious reasons.
Her interpretation of Joanna Angel’s controversial remarks in the House of Ass video is about the same as mine:
Joanna hasn’t simply foregone a black lover in her history—I doubt she’s had COFFEE with a black person before this shoot. You can tell that her life is segregated, like most suburban teens. It occurred to me that that entering a porn career might be many people’s first social encounter of any kind outside their demographic. Hello Amerikka!
Have a look. The essay is definitely worth a read.
[Via Susie Bright’s Journal]
More: Porn,
Racism,
Racial Bias,
Controversy,
Joanna Angel,
Tristan Taormino,
Susie Bright
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12 April 06 in Roundup
This week it’s all about the love.
- It’s official now. Black people love ethnorotica. [LiveJournal]
- White dude launches creepy Asiaphile magazine. Hilarity ensues. [Mixed Media Watch]
- How did I miss this? The Rollatrain loves black people. [Rollertrain]
- Film buff? Japan buff? 70’s buff? Here’s your guide to Japanese female exploitation films of that funky decade. [The Brooklyn Rail]
- Karrine Steffans (aka “SuperHead”) is many things—a hip-hop groupie, an author and, um, an “expert” at going down. She’s about to add “porn star” to her already impressive list of credentials. [Fleshbot]
More: Porn,
Film,
Japanese,
Stereotypes,
Racism,
Karrine Steffans
10 April 06 in Commentary
Bacchus asks why color matters.
I guess I’m still old-fashioned enough to dream of a world where a pretty naked woman is judged not by the color of her skin, but by the contents of her birthday suit.
It’s certainly a fine sentiment—as nice as dreaming of a world where a young woman can walk down the street in a skimpy top without being harassed. Unfortunately we have a long way to go. Here’s why color matters:
- Because mainstream pornography and erotica are overwhelmingly white. Go ahead—tour the top babelogs, the top erotic photography sites and the top alternative porn sites. The mainstream has a beauty standard—a default setting if you will—and it is most certainly not colorblind.
- Because where non-white models do appear they are regularly stereotyped. Ethnic models are commonly presented as fetish objects: the “hot-blooded” Latin, the “submissive” Asian, the “ghetto” African-American and so on. A whole segment of the industry exists specifically to promote these kinds of stereotypes. This won’t change until we change the way people look at race and sexuality.
- Because even now, in 2006, crossing color lines is a big deal. I’ve covered the porn industry’s problem with race. Given the rampant discrimination within the industry it’s no surprise the end product reflects and reinforces the worst stereotypes. Simply ignoring race won’t make the problem go away.
- Because challenging porn’s portrayal of racial and ethnic groups is no different than challenging porn’s portrayal of women. The quality smut out there today owes its existence to people who critiqued the way women are portrayed (and treated) in the Valley. It’s about time someone looked at race and porn with an equally critical eye.
To me, denying difference altogether is just as dangerous as fetishizing it. If you never look at race you end up sweeping a lot of problems under the proverbial rug. Color-blindness (like gender-blindness) is a luxury of privilege.
Bacchus argues that beauty is beauty, and I agree. Beauty is what you’ll find here, minus the stereotypes, the racial-fetishes and the monotone color scheme you’ll find in most other places.
And if I can make someone think twice before picking up a copy of “Me Luv U Long Time” or “Phat Booty Hoes” then I’ve done my job.
More: FAQ,
Porn,
Stereotypes,
Racism,
Racial Bias
(1)
7 April 06 in Commentary
Pornography occupies a precarious position in American life. On one hand, social conservatives would just as well do away with it altogether. On the other, social liberals and sex-positive types have profound misgivings about the industry, its practices and its products.
Alt-porn was supposed to get us out of this bind. If its proponents were to be believed, the new sex-positive erotica would undermine the old stereotypes, treat everyone fairly and deliver a product progressives could feel good about. As it turns out, the new porn looks a lot like the old porn plastered over by a clever facade of “cruelty-free” marketing.
I’ve been following the Joannagate controversy closely, in part because I was curious what the pied pipers of alt-porn might have to say about Joanna Angel’s remarks. In her response to Sam Sugar, Tristan Taormino, producer of the video segment in question, was kind enough to quote Joanna verbatim:
Continue reading “Don't shit in my mouth and call it a sundae”...
More: Porn,
Racism,
Racial Bias,
Controversy,
Joanna Angel,
Tristan Taormino
(7)
6 April 06 in Roundup
Last week’s shitstorm blew in and blew over. This week brings the happy news that racism is no longer racist:
- Sam Sugar reverses his position on Joanna Angel. Tristan Taormino weighs in: “Some female performers’ choice not to work with black men may be fueled by racism, but not every woman who makes the choice is automatically racist.” [SugarBank]
- We should all watch more television, if only for the black hottie upskirts. [TVgasm]
- Hiromi waxes eloquent on one of the lesser-known films in the Kurosawa canon. [Hiromi]
More: Porn,
Joanna Angel,
Tristan Taormino,
Film,
Television,
Racism,
Controversy
30 March 06 in Roundup
It’s been “things that make you go hmmm…” week here at ethnorotica:
More: Shout Outs,
Roundup,
Porn,
New York,
New York Magazine,
Joanna Angel,
Blackface,
Racism,
Racial Bias,
Controversy
20 March 06 in Commentary
Over at SugarBank, the mysterious Sam Sugar links to an Arena Magazine story about the rampant racism in America’s porn industry. He also picks apart Luke Ford’s nauseatingly ignorant rebuttal:
I like Luke’s, his writing’s pretty much essential for the industry and he’s often entertaining. This piece I had a problem with. He appears to have agreed with ‘The Bell Curve’ and digested a lot of talk radio but missed ‘Freakanomics’, ‘The Culture of Fear’, ‘Blink’ and ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’. His opinions are malformed enough to demand a response. So rising to the bait I go…
I have mixed feelings about Sam’s essay. On one hand, Sam eloquently deflates Luke Ford’s “arguments” (which may as well be lifted straight out of the Aryan Nation playbook). On the other hand, Sam gives Ford way too much credit.
It’s the racist, misogynistic scumbags of America’s “gonzo” porn industry—people like Luke Ford and his friends—who have given freedom of sexual expression a bad name. They are in large part responsible for the federal government’s crackdown on everything erotic, and they’re the reason that even progressives in this country blush at the thought of rising to the defense of the jizz biz.
Consumers, as always, are voting with their feet. Is it any surprise there’s such high demand these days for alt porn? For porn produced outside the US?
The scumbags of Porn Valley can rant all they want but the rules of the game are changing: non-white performers like Lexington Steele are going into business for themselves; production of English-language content is diversifying beyond the Valley; the rise of broadband makes it ridiculously easy to reach the consumer; an emerging generation of progressive commentators and bloggers are becoming the new tastemakers in erotica…
And we’re going to give these dinosaurs a well-deserved shove into the tar pits of obscurity.
More: Pornography,
Racism,
Stereotypes,
Racial Bias
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