"Bearly Decent", from a hardcore photo shoot circa 1981.
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often in magazines, or films but it may also appear as a cartoon. Since the 1990s it has been distributed widely over the Internet.
Hardcore pornography was widely prohibited in many countries until the second half of the 20th century when many of the world's liberal democracies, experiencing a change in sexual norms, began to allow limited access. Supply is usually regulated by a combination of a classification system and regulation of points of sale, although today hardcore pornography can be easily downloaded from many Internet sites with little regulation. Public display and advertising is often prohibited. Supply to minors is usually prohibited.
Legalization
Since 1969, most of the world's liberal democracies have taken steps to legalize hardcore pornography. or they increasingly fail to enforce legislation to prohibit it resulting in de facto legalization. There is often vigorous opposition to legalization - see anti-pornography movement. The years that hardcore pornography was legalized are roughly as follows:
In the U.S., legal interpretations of pornography in relation to the constitutional right to free speech differ from state to state and from city to city. General legalization began in 1971, with substantial localized variance as to allowed form and content, including variance over time as some areas increased or decreased restrictions.
Denmark
A recent study conducted in Denmark written by Martin Hald and Neil Malamuth found that men and women generally believe that hardcore pornography has a positive influence on their lives. The respondents credited porn with improving their sex lives, their sexual knowledge and attitudes toward the opposite sex, and even their general quality of life. Other studies have come to strikingly different conclusions than the Denmark study regarding porn's impact on individuals and families.[1]
New Zealand
In Wellington, a topless parade of porn stars was given official approval.[2]
United Kingdom
The Independent reported in 2006 that Nielsen NetRatings found that more than nine million British male adults used Internet porn services.[3] The study also reported a one-third rise in the number of women visiting X-rated sites, from 1.05 million to 1.38 million. A 2003 study found that one third of all British internet users accessed hardcore porn.[4]
United States
A 2003 study by Eric Schlosser estimated that revenues from hardcore porn match Hollywood's domestic box office takings.[5]. According to that study, hardcore porn videos, internet sites, live sex acts and cable programming generate US$10 billion, roughly equal to US domestic box office receipts. Recently, several prominent people in the porn industry have said that due to internet and free competition, porn sales are far below those that are reported.[6] Paul Fishbein of trade magazine Adult Video News said that due to free and amateur Internet competition that rental sales are off 10 percent to 15 percent.[7]
Hardcore porn remains controversial in the United States, and is used as a campaign issue for politicians. Mitt Romney decried the "cesspool" of pornography, but came under fire from social conservatives, including Tony Perkins, because he sat on the board of Marriott, whose hotels profit off of porn movies.[8] Pay-per-view pornography generates a lot of revenues for hotels. Anti-porn activist John Harmer, who served as California's lieutenant governor under Ronald Reagan, estimated up to $500 million is generated industrywide.[8]
In particular, organizations with ties to the Christian right movement have concerned themselves with porn issues.[9]
See also
List of pornography laws by country
References
- ^ http://www.xbiz.com/news/legal/92115
- ^ New Zealand OKs Topless Porn Star Parade, San Francisco Chronicle, August 8, 2006; accessed August 4, 2008
- ^ Sex.com: We are a nation addicted to porn. And nearly 11 million of us got our fix on the net last year, Sophie Goodchild and Severin Carrell, The Independent, May 28, 2006; accessed August 4, 2008
- ^ Men and porn, Edward Marriott, The Guardian, November 8, 2003
- ^ With pot and porn outstripping corn, America's black economy is flying high, Duncan Campbell, The Guardian, May 2, 2003; accessed August 1, 2008
- ^ Hard Times for the Porn Industry?, Brian Braker, Newsweek, February 8, 2007; access August 4, 2008
- ^ Turns Out Porn Isn't Recession-Proof, Betsey Schiffman, Wired Magazine, July 21, 2008; accessed August 4, 2008
- ^ a b Romney Criticized for Hotel Pornography, Glen Johnson, The Washington Post, July 5, 2007; accessed August 1, 2008
- ^ Hardcore pornography isn't free speech, Matt Barber, The Christian Post, January 31, 2008; accessed August 4, 2008.
- O'Toole, L. (1998), Pornocopia: Porn, Sex, Technology and Desire, London, Serpent's Tail. ISBN 1-85242-395-1
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