A Comparison of Male and Female Directors in Popular Pornography: What Happens when Women are at the Helm?

Abstract

Pornography is a lucrative business. Increasingly, women have participated in both its production, direction, and consumption. This study investigated how the content in popular pornographic videos created by female directors differs from that of their male counterparts. We conducted a quantitative analysis of 122 randomly selected scenes from 44 top‐renting adult videos in 2005 (half male‐ and half female‐directed). Findings revealed that all films shared similar depictions: Verbal and physical aggression was common, women were the primary targets of aggression, and negative responses to aggression were extremely rare. Compared to male‐directed films, female‐directed films were significantly more likely to portray women‐only scenes and sexual acts. Even when controlling for main characters' gender, female‐directed films showed significantly more female perpetrators aggressing against female targets and significantly more depictions of women as perpetrators of aggression. We highlight the importance of economic forces, rather than director gender, in dictating the content of popular pornography.

Women's Critical Responses to Sexually Explicit Material: The Role of Hyperfemininity and Processing Style

“…However, in the past two decades, increasingly more SEM has been produced that is intended for an audience interested in material other than mainstream SEM, such as women and heterosexual couples (Mosher & Maclan, 1994;Sun et al, 2008;Woodard et al, 2008). Compared to mainstream SEM, this material focuses less on genitals and intercourse (Laan et al, 1994;Mosher & Maclan, 1994) and instead emphasizes women's sexual responses (Mosher & Maclan, 1994;Scott & Cortez, 2011).…”

“…Most mainstream SEM has traditionally been produced by men and is intended for a male audience (Laan et al, 1994;Sun, Bridges, Wosnitzer, Scharrer, & Liberman, 2008;Woodard et al, 2008). Sexual activity in such SEM focuses on genitals and intercourse and pays somewhat more attention to men's desires and gratification than to women's (Gorman, Monk-Turner, & Fish, 2010;McKee, 2005).…”

Pornography Consumption and US Adults' Attitudes toward Gay Individuals' Civil Liberties, Moral Judgments of Homosexuality, and Support for Same-Sex Marriage: Mediating and Moderating Factors

“…They also provide additional support for the position that scripts activated by sexual media may be used as evaluative filters for a wider array of behaviors than were portrayed (Wright, 2011;; see also Bandura, 2001;Huesmann, 1986). Content analyses indicate that same-sex encounters are depicted explicitly in pornography (Bridges Sun et al, 2008). Consequently, the finding that an attitude such as moral acceptance of homosexuality correlates with pornography consumption follows from a straightforward "behavior positively depicted → attitude toward behavior changed" account of social learning (Baran & Davis, 2009).…”

“…The adolescence of actors is often highlighted (Jensen, 2010). Sex occurs between people of the same sex (Bridges, Wosnitzer, Scharrer, Sun, & Liberman, 2010;Sun et al, 2008). Procreation is not a sexual motive (Zillmann & Bryant, 1988).…”

“…Drawing on the 3 AM and research on pornography and nontraditional sexual attitudes (e.g., Carroll et al, 2008;Lo & Wei, 2005;Treas, 2002), Wright and Randall (2013) speculated that viewing positive depictions of nontraditional heterosexual sex leads to more positive attitudes toward nontraditional heterosexual sex, which in turn affects attitudes toward nontraditional sex in general including same-sex sex (i.e., viewing positive portrayals of nontraditional heterosexual sex → more positive attitudes toward nontraditional heterosexual sex → more positive attitudes toward nontraditional sex in general including same-sex sex). Drawing on the 3 AM, research indicating that same-sex encounters are not uncommon in popular pornography (Sun et al, 2008), and research indicating that same-sex encounters are viewed by heterosexual pornography consumers (Paul, 2009), speculated that viewing pornography might also directly affect heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexuality (i.e., viewing positive portrayals of same-sex sex → more positive attitudes toward same-sex sex).…”