Sex Positive

Porn stars are often criticized for, well, just about everything. In this case, we're talking about how they (like nearly every mainstream model, actress, or celebrity) are blamed for perpetuating ...

Although we do have hard and clear evidence - archeologically speaking - that the veneration of women, of the yoni, and of Goddesses have been the primal and primary form of religion around the globe, it has been the East - specifically ancient India with its Tantric teachings - where this seems to have found its most exalted and open expression.

I wanted to write something about the human body in all its naked and diverse glory. I wanted to share the unexpected gift that sex work gave me; forgiveness for all my physical imperfections.

Working as a sex worker for many years I have seen naked bodies belonging to my clients, my co workers and myself in all sorts of positions, settings and lighting. Over the years I have become incredibly comfortable with human bodies and getting naked but that wasn’t always the case.

Taking my clothes off and showing my naked body to someone I just met, AND  having the nerve to expect them to pay me for it, was my first and most persistent fear about starting sex work. Before sex work my experience of being naked in front of people had largely been in the dark, after foreplay and with lots of anxiety. Each time i let my mind wander  what it would be like to do sex work, I would get stuck at the bit where I had to take off my clothes.

And it wasn’t just a concern for the first booking

[M]ostly, sex workers look like any ordinary joe, cellulite, disproportionate bodies, a range of colour, caste, social background, political intent. A range of reasons. A range of experiences.

Emer O'Toole: Instead of banning the diary from schools, as Gail Horalek would like, we should teach girls not to be ashamed of their bodies

Female porn stars are healthier and happier than other women, according to a new study. The Journal of Sex Research discovered than women working in the adult entertainment field tend to have a better body image, increased self-esteem, and higher energy levels than their non-sex worker peers.

Researchers compared 177 porn stars with a similar sampling of women employed in less erotic careers, according to Now.MSN.com. If the Journal of Sex Research study is accurate, the findings shatter some commonly held stereotypes about adult film actresses.

The study reportedly discovered that female porn actresses were not more likely to have been sexually abused as children than the average American woman. Feminist commentator Dawn Foster warns that the Journal of Sex Research study should not be used as an excuse to “gloss over” the “exploitative aspects” of the porn industry.

An excerpt from the study reads:

“Stereotypes of those involved in adult entertainment have been used to support or condemn the industry and to justify political views on pornography, although the actual characteristics of actresses are unknown because no study on this group of women has been conducted. Some descriptions of actresses in pornography have included attributes such as drug addiction, homelessness, poverty, desperation, and being victims of sexual abuse.”

Merriam-Webster defines feminism as an organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests. Instead of porn stars being considered the objects of exploitation, perhaps they should be noted among the ultimate feminists. The adult women who work in the erotic entertainment industry willingly enter a career which pays them a lot of money for doing a task. Since female porn stars are often paid more than their male counterparts, an equal pay argument could be for men in the industry.

This advice applies to folks of all sizes, not just thinner folks partnered (in all the myriad ways one can partner) with fat folks. And a lot of it is good advice for sex in general, regardless of whether or not your partner is fat.

Much is written on the effects of porn and female body image. Some complain fearfully of men who will, upon viewing porn, expect all women to have those bodies; others that women themselves fall into this trap and try to emulate such unrealistic things with their own bodies. Of course, these accusations and reservations aren't only reserved for pornographic materials, but magazines, television, any media.

And while you may think that I'm going to rant about how stupid this is, how silly it is to believe that people will be so affected by these images that they'd let ~ no force ~ them to be their realities, I'm not.