The Porn Industry Normalizes Sexually Predatory Behavior. Men Are Aroused By Making Women Uncomfortable and Afraid and Purposefully Ignoring Consent.

Exactly like the title says. The porn industry makes me fucking sick, not to mention beyond angry. I'm currently enrolled in a women's studies course at my university, and one of our assignments is an analysis of the documentary "Hot Girls Wanted" on Netflix. I had to take a break halfway through because I'm so livid right now. It follows several "amateur" porn stars, which are young girls age 18-22, through their career in porn. The first thirty minutes are the girls talking about how much fun this is and how much money they're making--the typical sex-pozzie bullshit that's forced down our throats all the damn time. But it eventually dives into the increasingly shitty ways they're being treated. There's a girl that's being pressured to lose weight and do scenes she isn't comfortable with to keep making money.

Despite being disgusted by pretty much this entire documentary, there is one specific scene that made me have to take a step back (and make a post about it). They're on the set of a porn shoot and are filming the way that it's set up, directed, etc. The "male talent" as they're called (AKA paid rapist but whatever) explains that the scene they're going to be doing. It's called "Virgin Manipulations" and it's about a young "teen" girl that's going away to college and is still a virgin. And he says "I'm playing a friend of the family that's going to take advantage of that". That phrasing literally makes me want to vomit. But then it cuts to the director giving directions for how things are going to play out and says something along the lines of "Okay, so she's reluctant and you tell her that you've known her since she was little so it's okay. And when she tells you she's only ever thought of you as an uncle, you ignore her." And here's the direct quote that made me have to take a step back: "Without getting a clear yes, you just, like, keep going with it."

I shouldn't be surprised. I honestly don't know why I am. I already knew that men don't give two shits about consent. But something about hearing a man say what boils down to "they don't need to say yes. Take what you want" has my blood fucking boiling. I'm sorry if this is too long or doesn't make any sense, but I had to get it out. I'm furious.