The internet has changed …everything…and in the sex industry it’s changed porn more than anything.  This is the eighth in KBOO’s ten-episode series on the business of sex in Portland.  In this episode we tackle the subject of porn and the business of sex toys and how they fit in the business of sex in our city.

 MUSIC

 Porn is about…appearance, fundamentally….  And here’s economist Dr. Catherine Hakim speaking about how appearance and image seem to have become more important because of the internet:

 

            H-4: porn takes on a new reality (?)

 

By the way, Dr. Hakim notes that the line between sex and dating sites is blurring:

           

H-5:

 

Porn is an industry like…food?  Here’s Dr Sheila Tarrant, economist at UCLA, making that case:

            T-?

 Is porn a multinational business in which there are monopolies?  Ever heard of a company called MindGeek?  According to ---------, MindGeek uses more internet bandwidth than Amazon.com,……………………….., and ……………………………….Dr. Tarrant again:

 

 

 

Is internet porn good for women? Are the changes we’re seeing in the porn industry positive from a woman’s perspective?

 

T-6

 

Wait, there’s racism in the porn industry? Can you see the US Supreme Court taking up this issue?

 

            T-5:

 

Justice Thomas might be the person to write the majority opinion, in defense of the corporate rights of MindGeek.    

 

T-6?    

 

But let’s get back to Portland and talk porn films.  Here’s porn film director, Lilly Campbell, who’s got her own style.

 

So many changes in the industry…Will virtual reality become the next frontier?

 Okay, we have a spelling test for you today: phathalate.  We’ll use it in a sentence, just to help you think it through, and here it is:  “Amory Jane of SheBop recommends that you purchase sex toys free of phalates.”

 

So, you had your chance, and here’s the correct spelling: PHALATE  P-H-A-L-A-T-E PHALATE.  Got t?

 

And here’s Amory Jane herself:

 

            AJ-

 

            AJ-

 

            AJ-

 

Early on we asked the question, can porn be ethical, pro-feminist? And now we know what Drs. Hakim and Della Giusta, and Lily Campbell and Amory Jane think about that, but what do you think?

 We’d like your feedback. At the end of this series we’ll do a full episode in which you get to speak your mind on this subject.  If you have a comment or question about the series or about the sex trade, we’d like to hear it.  Call the KBOO Newsroom at 503-231-8032 ext. 202 and we’ll hear you out and put you on the air.

 The next episode is our PEN-ULTIMATE, second to last, and we’re going to strip the subject down to its bare essentials and talk about… stripping, the heart and soul of the business of sex in Portland.  So, join us for that next episode.