Today I was thrilled to receive a copy of The Feminist Porn Book in the mail. Not only is this a fantastic look at all aspects of feminist and sex-positive porn, it includes a chapter by me!
I wrote my essay back in 2011 and it basically sums up how I got into porn, details my philosophy regarding porn and then muses about the labels given to “female friendly” porn. And now it’s finally published! As usual I’m excited to see my name in print, especially because this time it’s in an academic book. While I’m university educated, I’ve never really considered myself an “academic” feminist. I’m just a woman who likes to make porn, really. But at the same time I’ve spent plenty of blog posts musing about what porn means and how it can be made better for women like myself. So it’s great to break out of cyberspace and be published in an actual, proper, paper book. I’m like Pinocchio saying to Gipetto: Look, I’m a real writer!
Beyond the fabulousness that is me :P, the book has a lot of other impressive writing by many of the big names in feminist porn. I’ve now got a lot of “homework” to do because I need to read up on all these amazing and diverse views before I go to the Feminist Porn Conference in Toronto in April.
The Feminist Porn Book is important. For too long the discussion of pornography has been dominated by feminists who have taken a distinctly anti-porn and sex negative stance. Writers like Gail Dines and Pamela Paul have often relied on massive generalisations about porn and its consumers and they’ve also ignored or dismissed the revolution that’s been taking place within the industry. At last the producers and performers are having their say and we’re backed up by academics and writers who have a more open mind when it comes to sexually explicit material. This book provides some much needed balance and perspective within the debate and it proves that feminism and porn can happily co-exist.
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So to celebrate having this book in my hot little hands, I thought I’d include a very short excerpt from the chapter here. If you want to read the rest, please buy The Feminist Porn Book (it’s officially released on February 19).
My Decadent Decade: Ten Years Of Making and Debating Porn For Women
I still remember the day I bought my first porn magazine. It was 1993, I was 20 and I was safely 400km away from my home town. I walked into the newsagency and, stomach churning, purchased my first copy of Australian Women’s Forum, the new and exciting magazine that featured – gasp! – photos of naked men. The newsagent didn’t oblige by giving me a brown paper bag so I was forced to roll it up and make a dash for the car.
I took it back to the house and devoured the contents, loving the fact that this magazine contained no fashion or diets, only sex and feminism. Especially thrilling was the “letters” section, rife with steamy and sometimes embarrassing real-life stories of sex. My then-boyfriend (now husband) and I always had fantastic sex after I bought AWF.
It wasn’t the first porn I’d encountered, of course. As a kid I’d been fascinated by the badly hidden Penthouse and Mayfair magazines of my father. They were deliciously naughty yet rather confusing. I had no idea what an orgasm or “cum” was and I never saw a single penis the whole time. Still, I became certain of two things: firstly, I liked porn. It was very rude and I knew I shouldn’t look at it and I would get into serious trouble if I was caught. But I liked it nonetheless.
Secondly, I became certain that black suspenders and stockings were the epitome of sex. I couldn’t wait to wear them when I grew up.
Buying Australian Women’s Forum was the first time I openly embraced my love of porn. After years of furtive glimpses and stolen moments, I finally stepped up and claimed it for myself. And even though I was terrified that first time, I was able to find the courage to buy it because AWF was different. It wasn’t a Playboy or a Penthouse or a dirty men’s magazine hidden down the back of the shop.
Instead it was sassy, bold and unapologetic.
It was feminist.
I might be fair to say that buying AWF that day ultimately changed my life. It led to my career as a feminist pornographer.
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You can read more about The Feminist Porn Book here.
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