THE SEX FILES: “Pioneers of Feminist Porn”

I’m not sure if you have heard/read of this, but Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals moderated a discussion with adult directors Candida Royalle and Jacky St. James, called “Pioneers of Feminist Porn” just the other day. Produced by Sssh.com and part of an ongoing Mindbrowse.com series, this was an attempt from Sssh.com to “to talk about where we are, where we came from and where we’re going, particularly with respect to women in the industry.”

That industry being porn.

Candida Royalle went from performing in front of the camera (she entered the adult industry in 1974) to moving behind it in the early 80’s…way back in the day when we were all watching porn on video tape. She is a pioneer of making porn from a woman’s point of view…and is an author and adult toy maker as well. Jacky St. James is a rather new writer/director to the adult industry (though she has worked as an actress in T.V. and film, directed, as well as worked in online advertising) entering through a writing contest the company New Sensations was holding in 2010. Winning that contest she directed films for the company and even won an AVN for Best Romance Release in 2013.

This segment touched on the two guest stars’ backgrounds, as much as discussing how porn has changed, what porn for women really is and how these women deal with taboo subjects in films. St. James is especially known for “faux-cest” movies and of course both have either worked on or have been bombarded by questions about rape fantasies in women’s films.

Of course there was discussion over what resistance these two powerhouse adult movie makers felt in the business from men (Royalle comes from those days when women directors were simply not seen) and what the future of the business holds. On that particular note, Royalle said: “We need to get adult entertainment out of the gutter, out of the extreme fringes and make it another form of art entertainment, so it will be a place people want to work, people who have talent. We will end up with a better product as a result.” While St. James’ closing thought was succinctly worded for the bottom line. “Please pay for your porn,” she said. “We’re not working for free.”

Being as much a porn advocate as a woman’s rights supporter, I am thrilled when women speak out from what has normally been considered a male dominated business. In fact, all too often we hear from what I would call “faux-feminist” groups demonizing porn for what they feel is the exploitation of women, when I have always opined that women indeed like porn and women who participate in the making of porn should be able to do whatever they damn well please to make a living, just as long as no one is coercing them.

The continued good work and informed opinions of women like Jacky St James and Candida Royalle is something we need to be aware of and we have Sssh.com, Mindbrowse and Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals to thank for this latest informative salvo.

For more information, please check out http://missjackystjames.com/, http://candidaroyalle.com/ and http://mindbrowse.com/.