There is something beautiful about a woman that openly enjoys pornography. Not a Yosemite-type beauty, of course. But it soothes the soul none-the-less.
It takes away the ache of guilt that digs beneath the ribs … that conflicted feeling of enjoying something that is causing the exploitation of others.
Of course we do this every day. We buy tennis shoes that encourage child labor. We drive cars that encourage oil dependency. We buy burgers that promote the razing of forests. But nobody buts a picture of an exploited laborer on the packaging of a new sneaker. (*NEW! The ‘AIR OPPRESSOR!’*) But porn makes it so overt. We know exactly who Is getting fucked over –Literally and figuratively — Because they are displayed naked and gaping on the box cover itself.
Of course, it is presumptuous to assume a woman in a porn movie is being exploited. Sure, there are drug addicted teens who are led astray by bad men and boob job debts. But that is not always the case. The modern world of porn is full of empowered women who are in control of their lives. Who are we to judge their life decisions?
People argue that childhood trauma is what allows them to be so cavalier about their sexuality. Even if that was the case, I would argue that the childhood trauma that allows an Enron exec to exploit OTHER people is far more concerning. We are all a result of our upbringing, our experiences, and our abilities.
It is hard for some of us to understand how a woman would be a porn star by choice. But many do. I can’t imagine why someone would commute 2 hours a day in order to afford the car that they drive during that commute. But projecting our own judgments onto others is a dangerous game. A wiser man than I once said something about glass houses.
And judging not.
