There’s a new documentary on Netflix called Money Shot: The Pornhub Story, which has drawn a lot of attention. It’s an in-depth view of the industry that has often been deemed questionable, but this time, there’s more to the argument. The one thing that I’ve realized after watching it is, that the existence of porn is a very grey topic, and there’s no one correct answer.
The documentary has detailed interviews with performers, activists and employees, which actually gives us enough space to differentiate among arguments – now that there’s a clear picture for us to analyze.
There’s also a lot that anyone would learn about the industry – some of which are facts, while others are subjective inferences.
1. Working in the porn industry is like any other job.
According to one of the professionals, Noelle Perdue, the job of most employees are a lot like regular jobs. They have offices, with cubicles and it’s a lot like working in a tech company. And the fact that most of us have a different impression of it, is actually proof that there are a lot of misconceptions associated with being in the industry.
2. Porn-content creation is different from studio-produced porn.
The documentary features a number of interviews with the performers who have been a part of the industry for a long time. The women talk about how they’ve worked as independent creators and in pornography produced by studios. While almost all of them have experience of both, the formats (mediums) differ. With independent content creation, they have the autonomy over the narrative, content and even the money they make. On the other hand, studio-produced porn doesn’t always offer that.
3. Consent can easily be a subject in porn.
There have always been arguments for, against and around porn, and there will be more. But one of the major discussions is about the impact on sexual behaviour that is unhealthy. This is due to the fact that a lot of the content that people see lacks the acknowledgment of consent or safe-sex. So, changing that might be one way to reduce (if not nullify) the negative impact. Money Shot focused on the need for consent in porn, and the fact that there’s content where healthy practices have been included.
4. We mustn’t confuse sex-work or porn with sex-trafficking.
Our opinions of porn may differ, but there’s one thing that everyone can agree with, that porn is consensual. If it’s right or wrong, that’s a different discussion. There’s a fine line between sex-trafficking and porn (or sex-work) which we must know how to differ between. The lack of consent makes is rape, and in no way can or must be considered porn.
5. Porn sites have moderators to verify content.
The world has witnessed a growing and easy access to the internet. Which is good, but not always safe. An easy access also means that people can do things that are unethical. So, much like social media platforms, porn sites also have moderators who verify content and flag anything that’s unethical. However, the problem with most sites is, that there are limited professionals who are hired to do that. And hence, there can always be content that is missed out on. The fact that it gets to live on the internet without being noticed is concerning – one of major issues highlighted in the documentary.
6. Modelhub has a category called ‘Big Beautiful Women’.
A common notion about porn, like any industry, is that it’s only for a “specific body type”. One of the performers talked about this in the documentary, where she shared how people react to her being in the industry. She mentioned that she’s heard statements like, “I didn’t realize fat women could do porn.” Adding to that, she mentioned how she was reached out to create videos for the ‘Big Beautiful Women’ category on Modelhub, for verified models to monetize their content.
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7. Porn sites do not have proper means to filter content.
The issue with sites like Pornhub is that there has never been a proper method to filter content. As a result, unverified users were able to post content that was not only unethical but could even be classified as criminal. A number of victims of revenge porn and abuse have reached out to the company, to get videos flagged and removed. However, there was either no proper method to do that, or no action at all.
On the other hand, there are tags like “teen videos” that sites promote, which is unhealthy and concerning.
8. Attacking performers for their choices is a questionable, yet a common practice.
Our society usually questions the wrong people. When it comes to unethical practices in the porn industry, people attack women who choose to work as performers. We often ignore facts like: A) It’s a choice. B) People have reasons that we cannot always get, but that also doesn’t allow us to question them. In many ways when we target women in the porn industry, who made their choices, we’re also targeting their sexuality. And that can’t be right. So, while the debate is endless, we’re not making it easier on people who are already looked at a certain way, for doing what they do.
9. Some porn sites have a list of terminology that cannot be used.
A performer, Siri Dahl, shared a laundry list of terms that OnlyFans prohibits from using. According to her, some of it makes sense, because it’s sensitive language. While there are other terms which aren’t problematic. She mentioned that this list exists because the site is confined by other businesses that are associated with it.
10. Performers are part of the industry. They are not the industry themselves.
In the entire discussion that surrounds pornography we often miss out on the fact that performers are just the part of the industry. They do not represent the industry or a particular site. The sites help them monetize their content, and there’s no other association. But in targeting unethical practices, we end up targeting the performers, forgetting that the bigger role is played by the executives. So, the people in-charge aren’t held accountable in the public eye. And hence, society ends up blaming the performers for illegal practices, when it is the company that is wrong.
There’s no one truth, but multiple truths that come up in the documentary. But it majorly boils down to building safe spaces on the internet.