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Description
Pornography has long been a divisive theme among feminists, with many falling into either anti-pornography or anti-censorship camps. Feminist pornographers, on the other hand, don’t believe in the inherent maleficence of pornography nor that it should only be defended on the basis of free expression. Rather, they believe that better pornography must be created. Feminist pornography is important because of its potential to disrupt heteronormative patriarchal standards of sexuality, which it does through what is called the politics of perversion. Feminist pornography is moreover defined by its dedication to expanding the boundaries of sexual expression and representation; engaging in ethical production practices through the politics of production, which in part seeks to center the experiences of porn performers; using a feedback loop to democratize the dominant structures which have dictated who makes porn and whose sexualities are portrayed; dealing explicitly with consent; and focusing on the pleasure of women and other marginalized people whose pleasure has traditionally come second to heterosexual male pleasure in pornography. This definition was formulated by the researcher through the discursive analysis of definitions provided by feminist porn institutions, pornographers, academics, and performers. Beyond defining what feminist pornography is, this thesis is also interested in investigating the possibilities and limitations of this definition, as well as examining the radical potential of the politics of perversion and of production (via the feedback loop). The final part of the investigation explores how feminist pornography production companies, especially Erika Lust Productions and its crowd-funded porn series XConfessions, engage with and fulfill the requirements of this definition of feminist porn and moreover push its limits to be ever more inclusive and representative of the full spectrum of human sexuality.
