Pornohealing: Pornography as a healing process
Summary
By taking as a starting point “The Clit List,” a pornographic database which includes non-triggering porn material addressed to individuals who have experienced sexual harassment(s) and/or assault(s), this essay brings forward the following question: can pornography take the form of a healing process for individuals with a history of sexual violence? In order to provide an answer, alternative uses and aspects of pornography will be explored, with a particular focus on queer, feminist, and ethical porn. Following the contemporary history of pornography, I engage with both Queer Theory by discussing queer feminist approaches to porn, but also Affect Theory by sharing queer feminist approaches to trauma and the potential healing that an (erotic) film can induce in the spectator. Furthermore, three erotic films will be discussed and finally, the results of a web-based survey, regarding feminist porn and the accessibility to it, will be shared. The survey is accompanied by three interviews, of people who experienced sexually violent incidents, displaying their quite different porn preferences. More than simply seeking for alternative aspects of porn, this essay accounts for the (re)introduction of pornography as a productive media with a sexual healing possibility.
Trigger Warning: This is a research article with specific reference to sexual violence. Though the focus is not given on the nature of the sexual harassment(s) and/or assault(s) that the individuals experienced, you might find some of the following material triggering.