On Monday the Melbourne tabloid the Herald Sun ran a dodgy article about an unnamed Australian website. The article is long on self-righteous moralising but extremely light on for names.
It asserts that the website is running photos of “teenagers”, that the models are exploited and that the websites charges money to remove photos if the models request it. It also gets very excited about the idea that the site contains “prohibited sex acts.” The newspaper has also “discovered” that the photos contained within the members area have appeared on newsgroups and free porn sites, despite the site promising that they would not appear anywhere else.
Amidst the outrage, the article grudgingly concedes that the models are all over 18, that they are paid $400 to $700 for their work, that the site is hosted in the US and thus does not have to comply with Australian censorship laws (and their “prohibited” acts).
The site in question is most likely Abby Winters which is arguably the most well-known Australian porn site online.
The article pissed me off for two reasons. The first is that the journalism involved is extremely shonky. The over-the-top emotive language and lack of names provided in their “investigation” screams “beat up.”
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On top of that, I find the accusations of exploitation against that site difficult to accept. That’s because Abby Winters is possibly the most control-freakish adult program that I’ve ever encountered. They’re really strict about how the program is promoted, making certain that respect for the models is maintained.
So, when I wanted to join their affiliate program I had to sign a rather large contract document stating that I wouldn’t refer to the models as sluts or whores, that I would check to make sure any content I used was authorised, that I would label every site with an ICRA rating and that I would promptly withdraw any pics which the models no longer authorised.
No other adult affiliate program has such strict requirements. I put myself through the rigmorole because I really supported the ethics behind such limitations. As far as I was concerned, Abby Winters was about respecting the models, first and foremost, and I really liked that.
So to read accusations of exploitation and extortion… it’s a bit of a shock.
As far as I’m aware the site is perfectly legal and the models consent to being photographed, are paid decent money and given respect for what they do.
The article says it spoke to many Abby Winters models but it only names one – Liandra Dahl is the stage name of a performer who is obviously no longer happy with her involvement with the site.
Her blog gives her thoughts on the whole affair and it appears a defamation case is pending against her. (Interestingly, the blog also features her belief in creating “pornography by women for women about women.”)
I have no idea what to think about her assertions, whether she’s for real or if there’s a been a misunderstanding or even if there’s some kind of vendetta occuring. It feels like there’s some information missing somewhere.
Of course, the age-old questions about informed consent and victimhood are at play here.
In the Herald Sun article Lliandrin says:
“Now these are young, impressionable women, often students or backpackers, and the offer of cash in hand is just too hard for some of them to resist and they agree to things they later regret… So you find them saying yes, feeling pressured, or they need the money, to do things they don’t really want to do.
“Now that might be legal, although some of the poses they get them to do are banned, but it doesn’t make it right.
I’m aware that exploitation does occur in some dodgier sections of the porn industry. Without doubt, sex workers need some kind of a union or agency that will prevent this kind of thing happening. Ideally models should be informed about what they are expected to do beforehand and contracts should be explicit.
At the same time, part of me is amazed that the claim of exploitation can be made so easily in 2007. I mean, jeez, people. We all know that the internet is for porn (and has been for some time) and any prospective model should have a very clear idea of what they’re doing when they decide to pose nude.
Fact is, once your pic is on the internet, it’s there forever. There’s no going back because it can’t be controlled. It only takes one person to post an un-DRMed members-area content on a newsgroup and that’s it. You’re out there, baby.
That’s not to say that choosing to pose nude is a bad decision. But you have to be aware of what you’re doing before you start. Even with a company that goes to extra lengths to ensure there’s respect involved in your online representation.
At this stage I’m going to keep promoting Abby Winters, because one accusation (and a pending defamation case) is not enough to establish that there’s a problem. I will keep an eye on what’s happening, and I’m hoping that the people at Abby Winters make a statement to affiliates soon.
There is a comment by a model at the bottom of the article, which makes a nice rebuttal.
My friend and I are students and we’ve both done quite a bit of work for these guys and for the record neither of us have ever felt pressured or exploited. We were shot by women and they were always respectful of our boundaries and really nice. If girls are doing things they don’t feel comfortable with to survive financially there is a bigger problem here and it has more to do with government policy and welfare. For us it was a fun way (not to mention good for our egos!) to make money. Even though I know it’s possible I could get crap for this down the track I believe in myself and my descisions enough that I know I can handle it. I personally wouldn’t want to work for someone or some company that was so narrow minded about sexuality anyway.
Edit 13 May 2009: I’ve removed the link to the Herald Sun article at the request of Abby Winters, who are alarmed that the site is getting top Google ranking on search terms for their company. Considering the article is factually wrong, it shouldn’t be getting that kind of traffic, which is why I’ve removed the link and, hopefully, some of its ranking. If you are, however, curious about what’s was actually said, cut and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22857379-2862,00.html
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