I will say that it is probably a good reminder to everyone that most everything discussed here is from the worldview of the consumer, or those outside of the porn world looking in, and stems from some comparison of your own personal sex life, your relationship with the images that may or may not exist of yourself that mirror, to some degree, those seen in porn.

That does not make the perspective invalid. Pornography is a two-sided transaction between producers and consumers. Neither are immune from criticism. Both are entitled to their opinions.

My partner does porn, runs her own website and films for other content providers.

And I've dated three strippers and did installs at strip clubs.

The thing about this degradation is that it is not simply limited to those that participate in "rough sex" porn.

No, but that's the discussion at hand. Women are degraded every day but only a certain subset voluntarily sign up for it in exchange for money. Let's keep our eye on the ball.

her complaint does not lie with those who viewed the porn... but instead with the supposed "normal" interactions... between her and many of the male students at her university that now accost and now abuse her, as well as the perceived... egalitarian internet/twitter interactions with a blind populace as to her sex work.

Right. Her complaint is that the anonymity that protected her from the stigma she was being paid for vanished and she is now being stigmatized. Riddle me this - you've got lots of friends that do porn. How many people do they tell they do porn? Do they advertise their participation in porn? Do they put it on credit applications? The stigma associated with porn is nothing new - I'd even argue it's decreasing. That doesn't mean it's going to go away just because you want it to. If it did, there wouldn't be as much money in it.

Her response to patriarchy (and more so rape culture) has less to do with the feedback being less than positive, but from outside observers having the revelation that a "normal" person participates in such an "unscrupulous" activity, that somehow this allows the response as seen to be normalized, and before, as a consumer, it is much more so as an "us and them".

This is an assertion, not an argument. Can you back it up?

This type of feedback that she is responding to is not limited just to an "outed" sex worker, but any such female-bodied person or anyone who reads as "submissive" or enjoys some type of "abuse" (not just abusive porn, but just the mere participation in porn elicits this reaction from people, as if they are abused, and if it is made known they are not, they are labeled obtusely with such things as "whore", "slut" etc.) as a result of patriarchal culture who can only respond to sex-positivity with derision and unwarranted abuse.

And this is not just an assertion, this is a groundless assertion. I've known my fair share of kinks and to a man/woman, they didn't face any consequences unless they advertised it. LoveLine first went on air 10 years ago; Dr. Ruth started more than 30 years ago. "Kinkiness" does not have the stigma that "pornographic entertainer" has.

This comes into a strange intersection when brought into the world of pornography, or the filmed and produced product of these types of interactions. The "empowerment" aspect comes from those who enjoy these types of interactions (say what you want about the nature of these individuals and the origins of their desires, they are multiplicitous and you'll just like a dick because you don't expose what others perceive as your "faults" or "insecurities" for all to see) being able to participate, display them and communicate with others who also find pleasure in them. flagamuffin, insomniasexx all of my friends that do porn enjoy doing porn, and many times are getting off just as much as it looks like they are, it is not simply a matter to many of them as an equivalent exchange or "gaming" a system with their bodies, much as that may seem to be the case for the author of the article, but the use of your body and your image is a thing that is constantly considered and assessed. They get more choices than you think, and it is an actual job, plenty of makeup is applied, pills are taken to maintain erections, and time is of the essence, but those that do well just actually enjoy themselves and are having fun. Those individuals try to work with each other as often as possible, it is not for everyone and the same people have separate motivations from shoot to shoot, even. Many of the "degrading" websites that you see are, as is described, completely fictional and part of the fantasy of many participants. The ability to be able to express something that brings them pleasure and communicate that to others who enjoy that dynamic is empowering. To be robbed of the ability to participate in that, through shaming of the participant for even documenting it and presenting it, is an abuse of that power, and hypocritical of those that consume it.

It is also of note that no one ever writes articles about the positive feedback and aspects of porn, and, even when tried to be viewed in a sexually normative environment, sex workers are simply just mitigating taboos and defending themselves. My partner works in a very specific genre of porn, and has cultivated an environment around her wherein she is greatly respected, and in some respects, worshiped, by her fans, so this is somewhat specific, granted. People tweet at her and email her all the time about how she has had a positive impact on their sex lives, they share her work with their partners, and her ability to express her sexuality (which she is very positive about and does not stem from insecurity) brings all parties involved a positive experience. While this comes from many occasions as monetary transaction, many see this for what it is and pay an amount to be able to maintain her site and keep getting content they enjoy and say as such.

I think the biggest factor at play here, from my projection based upon experience, is that there is a border crossed with the author's experience. She one week was a "normal" girl at a college, and then it is "revealed" that she also does porn as well. She is not a "porn star" that goes to school (as some of my friends do and have never experienced the derision she has experienced, most likely due to their identification and vocalization as sex workers in their everyday lives), or just simply a sex worker who goes about her day (though they face some similar issues from time to time), but the "revelation" that she participates in pornography gives the same impression that many women face when they are "outed" as being sexually promiscuous and open, not just a specific reaction to the "pornographic" self revealed.

Whenever I am out with my partner and eventually her job comes up, one of two things happen, and usually together: people who do not participate in pornography (man, woman, trans all equally) become a little more... reverent. Cis men usually get a little flustered and shyer and never have I seen anyone act negatively towards this information when looking her in the face. Sexuality itself is powerful and I can literally see how those in control of their sexuality and the ability to express it in contradiction to normative culture which typically involves some degree of shame or knowledge that this is not a typically "public" affair or topic react to it in deference. I don't believe that this is due to just some "shock value" of it being said out loud and violating some social, secretive pact, but rather just some recognition that it seems like something they could never themselves do. The strongest and most boisterous men get a little more withdrawn and respond with something like "That's cool, I'm totally cool with that" in slightly more nervous tones, and a lot of cis women light up and want to begin the second part that typically happens: the questions. A bunch of them.

Honestly, most of the negative feedback comes from a couple inclusive sources: anonymous taunts and threats/whatnot or anger from family members and friends for somehow "shaming" them by proxy. I believe that the displayed person that is on a monitor, fulfilling your fantasies, and absorbing your gaze is a facet of that interaction, not of the person themselves, and the danger that the victims of harassment and shame encounter is due to "breaking down that wall" and synthesizing with those fantasies as opposed to being a proxy for them, which is the same danger that rape victims face, that they are seen as a means to an end, that they "owe" the abuser the pleasure, as opposed to a positive, equal exchange, regardless of all the aesthetics (fetishes) of the interaction. It is very telling that people, and some of you here, regard them as "victims" or just "exchanging their bodies" for profit, that promiscuity=low self esteem, because even the inverse, that they are "whores" and "sluts" (in negative terms) both play into the same facade: that pornography is unnatural and somehow negative to some degree, when in reality, it is simply outside of your terms of behavior that you are used to.

Making reductionist arguments about the nature of sex in the context of porn belittles those who knowledgeably participate in it.

Caveats:

Kink.com is not the most ethical site, people have reported very negative experiences with them. This goes for many other sites as well, almost all sex workers have had negative interactions of some fashion, which is not so different from your jobs, but more emotionally extreme and personal, as you can imagine.

I am not speaking for all sex workers, just my experience, and I absolutely do not speak for feminists, I know there are plenty that see all porn as negative, and I absolutely do not want to take away that argument or ignore it, and my interpretation of interactions with patriarchy are very much so limited to my (white, cis male) privilege, but I empathize as much as is possible with anyone who deals with a constant culture of prejudice, so forgive me if my words or belief do not reflect yours.

Seriously, I gotta eat lunch now and I've been typing this out instead of prepping for a meeting. No regrets.

Good points. There is so much flip-flopping throughout the article. How about this one:

Let's be clear about one thing: I know exactly what I'm doing.

What I did not expect was that I would be brutally bullied and harassed online. I did not expect that every private detail about my life would be dissected.

She has a hugely inflated sense of self worth and influence. She has gone from claiming to want to hide her identity to making bold claims like

I am well aware: The threat I pose to the patriarchy is enormous. That a woman could be intelligent, educated and CHOOSE to be a sex worker is almost unfathomable.

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't look up the academic background of the actress when watching porn. And as far as I'm concerned, she hasn't proven to have much intelligence or education up to this point (I assume most actresses graduated high school).

And that's about 99% of what needs to be said, I think.

All that remains is this:

In my eyes, this girl is no better than a prostitute.

I'll say "no better or worse" while also stating that societies that don't stigmatize prostitutes tend to be healthier overall. If ever there were an industry in dire need of regulation, policing and training, "prostitution" be it.

There are a ton of students at Duke who work all year while studying in order to support their education. There are others who take out loans and leave school with six-figure debt.

Meanwhile, I do both of these things! But not at Duke, and with five-figure debt. I agree with you. At the time of me posting this article I might not have, but at this point I do.

Although I think porn stars and prostitutes are a bit different, granted both are selling their bodies. One does so to expose the intimacy of the bedroom while the other maintains that and provides a more personalized experience.

Once you transition from photo sets on iPhones to photos or videos produced for profit by a company, you are now creating something purely for the pleasure of someone else. As much as the author of this piece would like to believe she is in complete control of her choices and she gets pleasure from it, the entire porn business revolves around pleasing an outside audience (for money).

I don't think you're allowed to say this. She explicitly says she gets pleasure/enjoyment from it (yeah, I know, she's young, but...). Additionally, she gets some of the money you're talking about -- so I don't think she's the "victim" here; I'm not sure there is one.

The fact that she seems surprised that people don't understand her choices or her way of thinking is probably the most unsettling thing about this article.

I agree, and I'd be interested in your thoughts on what I wrote below about that.

We don't call 'em "private parts" for nothing.

The basic, fundamental dynamic of sex is intimacy. Sex is, at a basic, sociological level, about sharing privileged body access. When you strip the sociological apparatus of sex down to its bare essentials, everything about sex is about sharing something that you don't share much. The negotiation of sex is a negotiation of sharing - the brokerage of a shared taboo. The only societally sanctioned sex is that within a marriage which, up until very recently, was seen as a vessel for procreation. All other sex, then, is an illicit deal for morally proscribed recreation.

Thus the cultural baggage associated with pornography - the consumer gains proxy access to this taboo. The producer devalues the sanctioned act. And that's just within the social framework - take society out of it and there's still a pregnancy/disease risk to contend with. From any angle you choose to view it from, sex is a protected transaction and pornography is bootlegging.

That's part of the allure of sexting or taking dirty pictures - you're "being naughty" with someone else and that will always appeal. But like you said - it's a private transaction and part of the negotiation. Part of the dance. You aren't "selling out." It comes down to intent - are you sharing photos to increase the intimacy? Or are you a mercenary looking to pad the bottom line?

I wouldn't blame society. I wouldn't blame "the patriarchy." Pornography takes an exchange and turns it into a theft. If it didn't, it wouldn't be pornography.

I too am okay with sex but troubled by money. (only partly true I am a huge prude)

Markets are far dirtier than Orgies.

But the major difference between that and porn is the that sexy photos (or videos) are typically for personal use. The girl (or guy) is in control and, without diving into the psychology of why people like to take nude photos of themselves, its typically for personal pleasure. Once you transition from photo sets on iPhones to photos or videos produced for profit by a company, you are now creating something purely for the pleasure of someone else. As much as the author of this piece would like to believe she is in complete control of her choices and she gets pleasure from it, the entire porn business revolves around pleasing an outside audience (for money).

What about females/couples that perform solo/have sex on a webcam site? In this case they're still pleasing an outside audience for money, and performing for their pleasure. But at the same time they have a lot more control of the situation, even if they are accepting requests on what to do next. There's also the immediacy of the situation - what is happening on camera is happening in real time, and whatever is happening at that moment in the bedroom (or wherever) is happening directly on the screens of whoever else is watching.

I don't think that's quite what is behind it. I think the "giving away" is what is behind virginity obsession.

The fact is that humans thrive on challenge and reward. Things we get too easily don't seem as rewarding, and therefore seem less valuable. This goes for both males and females (likely homosexual couples too) - though probably the key dynamic is hetero male-chasing-hetero female.

If she sleeps with him easily, it's less of a "score" for him. He doesn't feel that he has attained so much. That's what is meant by "easy", not that she is going to run out of sex.

The reality is that there are drawbacks to indiscriminate sex. Disease, unwanted pregnancy, the fact that many hyper-promiscuous people have low self-esteem and are using sex to assuage that. So someone not seeming at all picky, at all discriminating - male or female - loses attractiveness as a result. Not only are they not hard to get, they are actually desperate.

So in summary being more discriminate with whom you have sex with is (a) wise and (b) a more desirable trait, for BOTH genders.

Love this. Great depiction of a terribly harmful social norm. As far as the patriarchy bit, she lets us come to our own conclusions -- what does hubski think about "It terrifies us to even fathom that a woman could take ownership of her body" for example?

That question is part of why I tagged this with "grrlski". Going to mull over that question a bit more before responding. Got too caught up in the SU-Duke basketball game and now I'm too worked up to give a good response to anything.

Okay, now that I'm sufficiently calm (thanks Astronautalis) and have had some time to think. I think that that question is something that occurs very often in society. Look at how the double standard between guys who have a lot of sex and girls who have a lot of sex. In general, one is highly regarded and the other is disparaged. Men are allowed to have as many partners as they want with impunity, but women are subjected to being derided or looked down upon for the same thing.

Another aspect to the repression of female sexuality is the culture surrounding female nudity. People are much more comfortable being subjected to depictions of violence through movies, video games, etc. But the possibility of female nudity is somehow worse than that. Obviously for this part I'm referring almost entirely to North America. I do think that part of this is the viewing of the female body as a sexual object, and the dichotomy of nudity that exists all around the world. Meanwhile, in countries in the middle east where woman are forced to cover their forces is the extreme version of that question you have posed. Additionally, all of the above can attempt to be rationalized or excused by people other than the woman herself. I know I've observed people trying to excuse others sexual behavior as a matter of fact and it's rarely provided an answer of "well, it's her body and we should respect that".

what does hubski think about "It terrifies us to even fathom that a woman could take ownership of her body"

In general, I think there is an unfair social expectation that women experience anything sexual less than men. I would consider a woman taking ownership of her body if she chooses how to explore and enjoy her sexuality regardless of the norm.

Two of my friends in college had Suicide Girls galleries and weren't very secretive about them. As far as I know they never got any shit about it. It doesn't happen to everyone. Even if it did, responding "well she should have known better" contributes to making it acceptable.

The "array of designer handbags" doesn't speak terribly well of her judgement, if this is supposed to be a temporary financial choice to pay college fees.

While I agree you with you, I'm curious as to why/how you decided on 23 as the cutoff for that age range.