*** Trading Places: Women and the Porn Industry

It’s in the coupling. Limbs entwined in limbs, the way you can feel skin rub on skin, these are the things that draw women to porn. Often viewed as taboo, women’s increasing interest in the sex industry has made them the new group to market. Research and otherwise seemingly useless percentages claim women as the victor of highest percentage purchasing porn. With women shedding the shackles of dated views on gender obligations, morals and taboos, they are taking on the role of creator and manipulator of the porn market. With more women buying pornographic videos and now entering the business as director of adult movies, they are changing the face of the porn industry. Going back to where we started. Research has shown that the female body responds to the intimate interactions of couples without regard to sexual orientation. Unlike men who only showed arousal when viewing images relating to their own sexual orientation, the female body responded to it all. For many women, porn is just another sexual tool to help them reach the pleasure they desire. Sexual images can trigger arousal and even fill the void of foreplay in a relationship. In fact, sexually explicit images are an aphrodisiac for both men and women. They really help get the juices flowing (pardon the pun). Women’s interest and new embrace on the sexual industry is shaping the way directors and executives market and think about their videos. It’s no longer just about the “TNA” (titties and ass) but about the quality of images and focus on embrace and intimacy (hunky men don’t hurt either). A face lift on porn may even help to correct bad close-ups, angles and comical dialogue. The days of sexual parody may soon be reaching an end with more of a focus on the style and legitimacy of the sexual experience. Women aren’t out to erase the fantasy (maybe fantasies involving animals) but to make those fantasies more complete and believable. While a fear about matching up to the actors in the adult entertainment industry can be a barrier for both male and female viewers, the cosmetically perfect aren’t going away. Many researches believe that feeling inadequate in terms of body and breast size, the way their private parts look and unsmooth thighs contributes to female avoidance of porn. However, we eventually set those insecurities aside to watch the latest “chick flick” starring the next in the long line of too skinny actresses. Exploring sexuality and having another outlet to do so, ultimately wins over the fear that our tits and ass just won’t add up. The shifts and changes being made in the porn industry help capitalize on a new set of consumers and offer porn a way out of tired and clichéd themes. Who would have thought, all the porn industry needed was a woman’s touch.