“At the moment people feel shame just for watching it in general and that’s a real problem because it’s shutting down conversations we need to have. When we do talk about it, it’s very much the titillation factor,” says Lucie. “We have such a problem in Australia talking about sex in an open and frank way, particularly about porn consumption and how to consume ethically. So if we want to create a market for great porn we can all feel good about, people have to pay for it so we can make more.” Most performers and producers rely on day jobs. “How you spend your money reflects the kind of industry you want to see,” says Payne. It’s all a bit smutty - why should I support it?
“I worry that until we have these guidelines and a way to enforce them, we’re enabling people to prey on young potential performers who don’t know any better.” “A lot of people ask me about getting into porn, and I tell them that once your face is out there, that’s forever,” she says. This includes being held to certain professional standards both on set and off, which is why we’re in the process of forming an Adult Media Code of Ethics.”
“Eros believes adult businesses should be treated like any other business. “This is essentially why we encourage consumers to buy from official sites and professional production companies, as they have processes in place to ensure that performers are treated professionally, that the relevant physical and psychological screening is carried out, that and age legal requirements are met, and of course that there is a mutual understanding of where the content will go and consent,” says Payne. But surely the site wouldn’t be able to post stuff if it was unethical? Ethical producers might show something that’s a bit rough but which shows consent, a lot of the so-called ‘free’ content is actually stolen then broken up, so you don’t get the start of scene where performers discuss something rough just being fantasy, for example.”Ĭome to think of it, sometimes the people on the free sites do look kind of young or uncomfortable. “Another problem is that tube sites remove context for the sex. But if you get it directly from the source and pay for it, you can sit back and enjoy it, knowing the performers want to be there.” “And particularly for sites that post amateur porn, you can’t always be sure it’s not revenge porn. “We’ve hit saturation point with mainstream degrading content on the tube sites,” says porn performer and activist Lucie Bee.
“By paying for porn, you are ensuring professionalised production standards are met, including consent by all performers.” “If a video is uploaded online without the consent of performers, it is not porn, it is exploitation material. “Unfortunately, with the growth of the ‘amateur porn’ genre as well as the popularity of free video sharing sites such as PornHub - which aggregate both amateur and copyrighted material - exploitative images proliferate online,” says Rachel Payne, the General Manager of Australia’s leading adult industry body the Eros Association. What’s the problem with accessing a free site if I’m only on there for an average of 9.4 minutes? So, how can you feel good about the porn you’re watching? You’re questions answered … But it’s all good because the sites you access are free, no one needs to know, and it’s not like you’re supporting that dirty, nasty industry, is it?Įxcept the reality is that if you’re accessing porn via a free and fast “tube site” like Porn Hub you’re actually more likely to be supporting the “dirtier, nastier” aspects of porn.Īccording to Australians who work in the porn industry, much of that footage is obtained unethically and without always having consent of the people depicted. OK, you’re not one of those sex addicts but you do occasionally glance at porn.