For women to admit to experiencing pleasure in watching pornography means overcoming stereotypes about female sexuality. There are women who do not want to consume pornography, but at the same time there is a potential female audience for porn and I would say it is bigger than it has been assumed so far and it is increasing as our society overcomes gendered stereotypes in general.

Porn made for women, by women | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

These films don’t include horny schoolgirls, naughty nurses, nymphomaniac nannies or desperate housewives. Nor do they include Mafiosi, multimillionaires drinking cognac, pimps, drug dealers or super-sized sex machines. Because these women, as filmmakers and consumers, place themselves far away from mainstream porn.

(via randomberlinchick)

Yes, but…. part of the problem is that these analysts seem to believe there is one monolithic market for porn aimed at women. They treat female sexuality and desire as if it was a universal phenomenon and every woman was turned on by the same imagery or narratives. A lot of what passes for “porn for women” makes me want to gag. The soft pastel colors, the “love” narrative, with the sweet “love making”, etc. No. There has to be more than either “sexy school girl designed for the male gaze” and “Harlequin novel with the cuddled lady”.

They apply segmentation in almost every market study of practically every product consumed by men. Why cannot they apply similar principles to porn supposedly aimed at women? I suspect it’s because they would be faced with the nasty stereotypes they earn a living perpetuating.


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