Flesh & Fantasy: Entertainment & Reality

One of the things I feel like I have to address when talking about adult films, or even mainstream erotic films, is that what we are seeing is not reality. Even when the sexual acts are real, it still isn't real. Sex on film is done to look good, not necessarily to feel good. I bring this up because I have been reading and listening to interviews with performers and directors as I've been looking for material to review, and the topic keeps coming up. So, I thought it was only responsible to bring it up here. 

If it is not already clear, I view adult films as entertainment. Some entertain me in different ways than others, but in the end these are made for entertainment. The performers are performing, and what I am seeing on the screen is shot in a way that is intended to excite me, the viewer. The positions and situations that I am seeing in the films may not actually reflect what the performers really find erotic. For them, it's a job. The reason I bring this up is because you hear stories of people whose partners try to make porn sex happen in their real lives, and it very rarely goes well. In adult films the positions are chosen to work best on camera. While they may look good on screen, they may not be doable in real life. Especially for someone who doesn't know what they are doing. Certain positions can be downright dangerous, and can lead to actual physical injury. Something to keep in mind the next time you get inspired after watching a scene on your platform of choice. 

There is another part to this, and that is that the performers are just that, performing. It goes with out saying, but it always bears repeating, that sex work is work. It is a job that people do. They go to work, they do the tasks that are required of them, and they get paid and go home. Their persona at work is just that, a persona. Outside of work they could be a completely different person. They have lives outside of what is seen on screen. More importantly, they are people who are just trying to get on with their day today. Yes, the performer's day to day may look VASTLY different from yours and mine, but it is still a job. Even if they enjoy it, they are there to perform a task and go home. 

They also, usually, know what they are doing and have experience in how to properly prep for specific positions and acts to ensure that they and the other performers don't get injured. Porn leaves out a lot of prep work that goes into doing specific things. So do a lot of erotica novels, now that I think about it. That is the stuff that really isn't seen as being sexy. It is required, though. Especially when you get into the world of kink and BDSM, where safety and knowledge are key to a positive experience. 

I think I have mentioned this podcast before, but Holly Randall Unfiltered really helps bring this into focus. Hearing an adult film start interviewed about their job, and their experiences brings into focus how much this really is work for them.  As much as I love dirty movies, there is a danger to these films. Sometimes people for get that their favorite porn stars are people. That sounds insane, I know, but it happens. They think that this performer, without any prior consent, would love to hear about all of the depraved sex acts their top fans would love to do to them, or even better, get explicit photos sent to them that they didn't ask for. 

The truth is, unless that particular porn star has stated that they want to receive those kinds of posts, they probably don't. This happens with mainstream actors as well, but I have noticed when reading comments on other articles and in forums discussing porn stars in particular, that they tend to get talked about as sex dolls, instead of living people. Now, that is not all fans, or even most fans, but there are enough out there that I felt it worth mentioning here. 

Fantasy is great. It is exciting and freeing. Adult films allow people to make some of those fantasies into something visual that can be enjoyed. It is always smart, as a viewer and a fan, to stop sometimes and remind yourself that it is just fantasy, though. Porn is not sex education. Porn can inspire and excite, but it should not instruct. Now, if you want that kind of material it does exist. If I remember correctly Jessica Drake did a number of educational videos for Wicked years ago that were well received. Also, certian Hub sites do have educational content if you look for it. I'm just saying you shouldn't be looking at Kelly the Co-Ed or The Other Side of Aspen as how to videos for the bedroom. Let them get you and your partner hot and bothered, but remember that what you see on the screen doesn't always translate to a fun experience in the bedroom. 


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