Diversity in porn

Human beings around the world are diverse. We are from diverse cultural backgrounds, speak many different languages, and have many different types of bodies.

We also look very different from one another. We're slim and plus-sized, tall and short, muscular and skinny, dark-skinned and fair-skinned. We are all shapes, sizes and shades, and everything in between. And of course, we also are extremely diverse when it comes to sex, gender, and sexuality .

Yet, this diversity is not always well represented in mainstream media, let alone in porn. Why is this?

Diversity in media

To some extent, we are increasingly seeing more diverse representations of people in the media. However, there's still a lot of room for improvement. For example, there are still limited roles for LGBTQIA+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with disability in mainstream shows.

Marvel had 20 movies, before they had their first lead woman. In 2022, Marvel had their first Muslim superhero. Fortunately, there are more and more conversations happening about these issues in the wider media industry, and we are starting to see a shift in the right direction.

Diversity in porn

Porn is also a form of media. This means that the issue of diversity in media also applies to porn. It is usually those who have the most money and power in society who determine what gets shown on screen. Globally, this tends to be older rich white guys in the USA who are in charge of the biggest international porn companies. The porn industry is often catering to what men want to look at, and cisgender & heterosexual men in particular.

❓Reflection

Can you think of examples of how mainstream porn does or does not represent the diversity of human bodies and sexuality?

One issue is: If only certain types of bodies or certain types of sex are repeatedly shown to be ‘desirable’, then we can start to think that anything else is ‘undesirable’.

Another issue is that some groups of people may be more likely to be shown in porn scenes that feature humiliation, while other groups may be more likely to be depicted as the ones who are humiliating. While these activities may be consensual for the porn actors, this may not reflect what others want for themselves offline. This can reinforce gender or racial stereotypes in our society.

Unrealistic and incomplete representations of human diversity and sex in porn can contribute to you thinking that you are ‘not normal’. You might feel insecure about your body, sex, gender, and sexuality, and what you want or don’t want in sex. It’s important to keep in mind the motives of the people creating the porn, who the ‘intended viewer’ is, and what stereotypes, attitudes and values might be embedded in what we are watching.

❓Reflection

Can you think of any ways that you have been influenced by porn and media?

Most people don't look like professional porn actors. Most people enjoy sex that looks different from what is shown on-screen. Our own needs and wants will continue to shift, grow, and change throughout our lives. Sex is always going to be unique to each person , each relationship, and each encounter.

We're always going to be influenced by the people around us, the cultures we live in, and the media and porn we watch. This is not always a bad thing, unless you're running on autopilot, which means that you're not aware of being influenced.

As long as all are consenting, you should be free to enjoy sex, pleasure, intimacy, and relationships in the ways that are right for you. This includes the freedom to watch porn or not, to enjoy media and culture, and to be free from being influenced by powerful porn industries that do not always have our best interests at heart.