Content Warning: Explicit content, suitable for readers over 18 years old.

 

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       I’m certain that, with today’s technology and internet, everyone is familiar with the concept of pornography. Whether or not have you watched it, you have heard about it. And when talking about porn, it is hard to not think of Japan, a country with one of the largest porn industry. In the Edo period, porn was sold door to door, and the porn was, of course, targeted to men. It has not been a long time since the idea of “porn for women” erupted in the porn industry. Silk Labo is one of the most well-known labels when it comes to porn for women, having started rolling the camera in 2008. Porn produced under the name of Silk Labo label is targeted towards female audience.

 

      That sounds lovely, I think. Finally porn that is not just for men’s taste. Finally it is the time of women. But I was wrong.

 

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      The problems of porn for men have upset lots of feminists. They feel that it is degrading and objectifying women. It should be noticed that that kind of porn gives men the feeling of conquest when they dominate women in bed (or elsewhere, for that matter). Mostly the women’s role is to lie there while men do what they want. And when it is time for the women to act, they do it according to what men want; for example, when they are told to perform oral sex or adjusted to do the cowgirl position. Women in this role seem helpless, forced. There is also the Mindbreak category where the women are mostly raped or gangbanged until their mind breaks from the pleasure that they cannot think straight so they simply enjoy the forced sex.

      You would think that all of these problems would not be found in porn for women, and you are right. There is no such aggressive violence in it, but that does not mean it does not have problems of its own. The problem with porn for women is that it still tells women what to want, expect, and behave when it comes to sex.

 

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      Let’s take a look at our case study: [SILK-085] Midnight Of Egoist by Silk Labo. It is a story about a blind date of three men and three women. In short, they meet at a restaurant, they chat, they laugh, and then they leave for the hotel separately as couples, although one man is too drunk to do anything so he just goes home, leaving us with two couples. The main couple of the story is that of Yuko, a hard-working woman with glasses and Takumi, a foxy man. We can see that Takumi has been making a move on Yuko since they were in the restaurant, but Yuko is such a shy little girl. At the hotel, the shy, inexperienced Yuko leaves everything to our Takumi who knows his way around the bed. Takumi does foreplay for exactly thirty minutes before they have sex. He covers every inch of her body with his soft kisses. His fingers caress her body in a way that is lighter than a feather. The sex itself is very gentle. When finished, they end up cuddling intimately.

 

 

      You might be thinking, well isn’t that every girl’s fantasy? Maybe, but the point is that no matter how the producer tries to please the female audience, there are still problematic issues that oppress women. The characterization of Yuko tells us how to behave in bed as a women. We should be shy, not forward. It is cute when a woman is shy and inexperienced, and men like that. Takumi smiles at her gently and takes control. And when female audience watches this movie, they will think that this is what they should expect and/or want from sex. They should want to be softly caressed and kissed for half an hour before sex. They should want gentle sex. Because this is what they are told that they want. They are told what to do.

 

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      In an interview with Tokyo Reporter, Ittetsu Suzuki, Japan’s first male porn star for female says that productions for women center more on “fulfilling that desire to be treated preciously or loved more so than the act itself.” And “men don’t understand that physical ecstasy and emotional satisfaction aren’t separate things for women — and that women especially value the latter.” These statements show that women want sex to be intimate and that women cannot separate love from sex. They want intimate, loving sex. If this is what the porn industry tries to tell us, then it is misleading.

 

       It is stereotypical that people would think that sex must mean something emotionally to women because women are branded “emotional”, when in reality, that is not always the case. To women, also to men and other genders, sex can be just about sex. Sex can be rough. Sex can involve more than just two people. Sex does not have to involve love or affection. As Olivia Fane, a famous female author, wrote in her article on The Guardian, “sex is purely a hormonal act.” She said “we have sexual desire when we want to have sex, not when we love someone.” So, it is wrong to assume that this is what all women want, and when watching movies like this, women should keep in mind that they are not obliged to want what the movie thinks they want. They can want to be tied up and choked. They can want a half an hour of foreplay. They can also want everything like in the movies. They can want anything they want to want.

      However, I am not writing this to discredit porn, the porn company, or any person in particular. As someone who also enjoys porn, I am merely writing this to inform you so that you can see the ideology behind porn for women that you probably did not know exist. I just want you to keep this in mind the next time you watch/read/listen to porn and be aware of it. If you like this kind of porn, you watch it. If you like other kinds of porn, you watch those. But just be careful not to fall into the stereotypes. Be free and empowered. (as long as it is legal) And remember, kids, buy it, don’t pirate it, because there are people making a living out of it.

Disclaimer: I do not get paid to promote these products, and the images are for educational purposes only, with no personal benefits.