What is poverty porn? Thanks for asking!

Poverty porn is a provocative term of criticism which looks at how poor people and their living situations are portrayed in films, on television or on social media.

The term became more widespread after the release of Slumdog Millionaire in the late 2000s. The Oscar-winning film tells the story of a young boy who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and is close to winning ₹20 million on a TV quiz show.

Despite the film’s massive success, there were debates about whether it was poverty porn. Some suggested director Danny Boyle created it for a white audience looking for images of deprivation in a faraway setting.

What’s the link with porn then? But is it really such a bad thing? Can you have poverty porn in Western countries too? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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