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| Porn Users Forum » Has anyone watched the documentary Aroused yet? |
| 1-14 of 14 Posts | Page 1 |
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| 12-13-13 02:10pm - 4027 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
Has anyone watched the documentary Aroused yet? I stumbled onto a 2013 documentary titled Aroused by the British photographer Deborah Anderson. I found it on Netflix. The documentary was a sub-project of a photography book she did trying to show porn models as more sensual than just sexual. The documentary features 16 well known porn stars. These are: Belladonna, Kayden Kross, Lisa Ann, Katsuni, Teagan Presley, Ash Hollywood, Misty Stone, Tanya Tate, Asphyxia Noir, Jesse Jane, Francesca Le, Lexi Belle, April O’Neil, Brooklyn Lee, Allie Haze and Alexis Texas. Not all the models are given the same amount of screen time: Brooklyn Lee, Ash Hollywood, Misty Stone and Francesca Le seem to get the most coverage. Some models, like Lexi Belle and April O’Neil are probably on screen for only a few minutes. I really liked this doc and thought it was pretty eye-opening for a jaded porn consumer like me. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of flakiness in the models too. Not that I’m saying that porn models are flaky so much as I’m saying that women in their early to mid-20s are usually pretty flaky. (And to deflect any criticism on that point, I think that men of that age are also flaky but women likely grow out of it much earlier. It seems a lot of ‘men’ these days seem to have this extended adolescence that goes on until 30-something.) A few specific observations that I noted: • I think it was Ash Hollywood who noted that people might be mistaken when they suggest that broken homes are the cause of many girls heading into porn. Her position was that the connection is really the lack of a father figure to worry about disappointing. I thought that was an astute observation. • I’m surprised by the level of religiosity that some girls still have. Many report being brought up within strict religious rules and while most have moved past that some haven’t. I suspect that part of my surprise at this comes from not being an American or living in the U.S. which is easily the most religious western democracy. • I had no frigging idea that Katsuni is French. I don’t have much, if any, of her stuff and it really surprised me that she is French. • I want to marry Brooklyn Lee. I like her work, but after seeing this doc I’m officially in love. Yes, she’s physically hot, but she also seems like a genuinely interesting and very intelligent person. (Can I rely on one of you to break the news to Tanner Mayes that I have a new love interest?) Not all reviews are flattering. The Village Voice didn’t like it: http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-05-01/f...as-tube-of-lipstick/ I don’t agree with their comments and I suspect that this is likely due to them reviewing it as non-porn-consumers whereas I liked it precisely because I’m a porn consumer and have seen most of these model’s work. Check it out of you have a Netflix subscription or can get it elsewhere. | |
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| 12-13-13 02:55pm - 4027 days | #2 | |
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jberryl69 (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 1,000 Registered: Nov 27, '10 Location: neverland |
Katsuni is French Vietnamese. When the French left Vietnam they brought a lot of Vietnamese with them, especially (though I'm not saying Katsuni is) Eurasian kids (unlike the US which rejected any responsibility as did the Vietnamese so they were/are pretty outcast). The Smithsonian Magazine has a very good article on them (if you use the link be sure to check out the photos). rearadmiral, you might have to wait in line for Brooklyn since she has left the industry to marry. I think someone named "Spiegler Girl" has hijacked her Twitter account. Here is a link where Brooklyn discusses her departure and the subject of this thread. Apparently the New Behind the Green Door (which is up for a slew of AVN & XBIZ awards) is her last work and got good reviews. And just when you thought you had a chance....  If it ain't grits, it must be a Yankee.If you're going to lay her head over the pool table and fuck her throat, get your fucking hand off her throat! | |
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| 12-13-13 06:12pm - 4027 days | #3 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
^ jerryl69 - I'm too am old enough to remember that time but it never occurred to me that was the situation. The French connection here was so long ago that I forgot that could be the reason. Thanks for pointing that out. As for my future wife, I'm aware that I have competition. D'oh!!! Maybe I shouldn't get the guys here to tell Tanner that it's over yet... | |
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| 12-13-13 11:36pm - 4026 days | #4 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
Too late, rear admiral, I've been holding Tanner's sobbing body all night. It's way past my bedtime but feel that someone has to console the poor devasted girl. Rayveness has been shooting jealous daggers in our direction but what can one do? | |
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| 12-14-13 06:53am - 4026 days | #5 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
Oh who am I kidding? I could never leave Tanner! So you can let go of her now messmer. Any time now messmer... hello... you can let go of her now and send her back...  | |
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| 12-16-13 09:50pm - 4023 days | #6 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Yes, we're all a bunch of heavily armed, paranoid, religious fanatics.  But seriously, the religiosity of the U.S.--with a constitution that originally mentioned neither church nor God--is an uncomfortably bizarre outlier in the world of modern, industrialized countries. I guess it's why we can elect as president individuals who are "reborn" alcoholics who wish us to believe they are nothing more than plain ol' God-fearing cowboys. Or why even our current "socialist" president must pepper nearly every speech with praises to a higher power lest, what, the Secret Service will have to start taking lightning strikes and plagues of locusts for him? How this affects or effects porn stars probably varies widely, though I would hazard to guess it doesn't have the most positive influence. Kids love to rebel, and what better way to say "Fuck you!" to sex-scolding parents than to do something as socially treacherous as porn work. Even outside of porn I don't think religion has much good to say or teach in the way of sex, and I would go so far as to blame it on all the perversity (not sexuality) in our society. If we had a more mature and accepting handle on sex I don't think we'd have to pump it into every media and social outlet we can get our hands on. Furthermore we also wouldn't overact to things that we currently think of as scandalous just because they contain a hint or trace of nudity and/or sex. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 12-17-13 03:09pm - 4023 days | #7 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
Back a decade or so ago a Canadian statistician (Michael Adams) wrote a book titled Fire and Ice about the similarities and differences between Americans and Canadians. He based his first book on an in-depth study of people in both countries and then ran the study again a decade later to track the changes. The second (and I think final) book was published pre-September 11, 2001 and I wonder how that would change the outcome. His finding was that the U.S. was far more conservative than Canada on social issues and the two nations were moving apart. Just scanning the headlines makes me think that things might be different now because while Canada is still pretty liberal, we have, for the only time I know in my 47 years on the planet, a federal government that is more right-wing than in the U.S. The federal government in Canada would still be seen as pinko commies by the Tea Party but they're bringing in the failed initiatives that the U.S. tried in response to perceptions of growing crime. Heck, there were even U.S. politicians that visited Canada to try to dissuade the government from some changes. And take de-criminalization of marijuana. Police in Canada want more flexibility and many even support de-criminalization while the feds act like they just watched Reefer Madness for the first time. Anyway, all that to say that Adams had a theory about why the U.S. is so religious compared to other Western democracies. I'm over-simplifying it, but it makes sense. His theory is that it is precisely because of the separation of church and state that the U.S. places more value on religion. Prior to the 1960s religion was part of government in many Western democracies. In the province of Quebec the Roman Catholic Church pretty much ran the province. I was born in a city of Irish Catholics in eastern Canada and can recall the power the Church had over politics. But then the 60s and 70s came along and people became disillusioned by government and rebelled. For many Western democracies the churches were just seen as part of the authority to be rebelled against. But in the U.S. religion had none of that authoritarian smell about it and so escaped being tossed out too. That theory makes sense, because I'm sure that Americans don't have some genetic pre-disposition to religion. (And your signature line makes me want to watch that film again. My favorite line is "Gentlemen! You can't fight in here! This is the war room!" That cracks me up.) | |
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| 12-17-13 07:57pm - 4022 days | #8 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
You're quite right, rearadmiral, and our protection of religious liberties has also afforded numerous crazies and outright frauds to take hold and spread their nonsense. How else do you explain the rise of the Mormons or even the obsessively litigious Scientologists (founded by a creepy sci-fi novelist). Granted I'm not one to condone the persecution of a minority group simply because of the difference of their beliefs--of course burning bushes, water walking, and an undead messiah aren't exactly a metric of rationality to begin with--but our tolerance of the intolerant could one day be the undoing of the liberties that are in place to protect all of us. Interestingly it's the European countries with constitutional monarchies and state churches that seem to be coming to their senses. They have far more humane social safety nets, smaller prison populations, and less preoccupation with injecting religion or "God" into every single part of life. Many of these countries even have a church tax for members--I would love to hear some typical American conservative anti-tax theocrat make an argument against that.  "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 12-18-13 04:33am - 4022 days | #9 | |
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Drooler (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 1,831 Registered: Mar 11, '07 Location: USA |
The strict religious upbringing has been followed by the likes of Hugh Hefner and Annette Haven, to name two. Still, I wouldn't be able to explain in any convincing way just how the religious behaviors in their families would have wound up contributing to career choices in adult entertainment. Nor would I be able to explain it as a form of rebellion against a father figure, since Ash Hollywood said that it was a lack of such that left the door open. The point I'm making is that if we think carefully about these things, they could just be cases of post hoc ergo proper hoc. I wanted something new, so I left England for New England. | |
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| 12-18-13 07:25pm - 4022 days | #10 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
The same could be said of all the other wild and imaginative theories about why women--only women, it seems, as the concern seems to limited to the life choices of unchaste females--get into porn. They did drugs, weren't loved enough by their parents, didn't go to enough church, etc. Granted, many of these arguments seem to be made by those with a decidedly anti-porn ax to grind but there may be some truth in them. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 12-19-13 06:17am - 4021 days | #11 | |
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Drooler (0)
Disabled User Posts: 1,831 Registered: Mar 11, '07 Location: USA |
Yes, the implication is that something was wrong to begin with. And there may be truth in the explanations, but it's very case-by-case as people are born with different tendencies which may or may not be encouraged by their upbringings. In other words, who really knows? I wanted something new, so I left England for New England. | |
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| 12-20-13 07:48am - 4020 days | #12 | |
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BubbaGump (0)
Active User  Posts: 109 Registered: Jan 08, '12 Location: USA |
Well, I think a documentary like this serves more as a vehicle for entertainment rather than true objective insight. Just looking at the names on the list, it appears most of them are established in the industry and will be less inclined to offer candid insights that might reflect negatively on the industry as a whole. The subjects being interviewed therefore represent a biased sample, IMO. In these types of documentaries, you rarely hear from Jane Q Smith, who is an average worker in the industry. It would therefore be hard to draw any conclusions about general motives for girls or guys desiring to enter the industry. There are just too many variables to make any sweeping generalizations about an industry based on the input of a small number of workers, many of whom were probably hand-picked by the producer for one reason or another. Documentarians often take specific examples and use them as a means of bolstering a message they might be trying to convey. Take the recent documentary 'Blackfish', about captive cetaceans at Seaworld. Whatever your stance on the issue, any realistic individual would have to raise an eyebrow when it comes to the lack of objectivity present in the film. Yes, the images thrown our way can be emotional and gripping, but only one side of the story is present and only extreme examples and situations are are used to make sweeping generalizations about an entire industry. The producer has determined that Seaworld is pure evil and proceeds to offer emotional anecdotes that support such a conclusion. I consider this approach patronizing and insulting, as it assumes an audience is too stupid to draw their own conclusions if presented with objective facts. I have the same thoughts about documentaries I have seen related to the porn industry. They are always shallow and one-sided. A conservative producer will only focus on displaying the worse elements of the industry. A supporter will focus mainly on profiling the smiling and bubbly participants, the ones who are the least inclined to rock the boat. They producers have made up their minds and by the use of selective editing, they proceed to impose their own paradigm on the audience. Discussions of porn are usually bathed in black and white terms. In reality, truth is usually found somewhere in the middle of the extremes. Also, I wouldn't read anything into the above in terms of my opinions. I just think this is a complex subject and could only really be understood on a case-by-case basis when it comes to the workers. In other words, the answer to the question, Why do girls decide to participate in porn?, is a lot more complex than the typical cliches and one-liners offered up by both sides of the issues. Edited on Dec 20, 2013, 08:23am | |
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| 12-20-13 09:27am - 4020 days | #13 | ||
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
I haven't watched this particular documentary but Belladonna is both established and quite honest in interviews. In 2003 she did a teary Primetime interview about her personal abuse/exploitation in the industry, though she was only 21 or 22 at the time and hardly the more emotionally mature person she seems to be now. Of course Belladonna continued to work on camera for years afterward, performing some pretty extreme content with neither apology nor "finding" religion/God in the process.
They are very shallow, coming off as sort of documentary film versions of a coffee table book--a lot to gawk at, but not necessarily much to think about. Worse, porn docs don't even seem to take the route of more mainstream films and try and address a bigger issue. Free speech, anyone? Right to privacy? How about just the pursuit of you're own personal sexual happiness? Nope, just the spectacle and shock value of a part of our culture that the authoritarian moralists refuse to even attempt to understand, or admit is actually enjoyed and sought after by much of the population. I sometimes think I'm watching some weird propaganda video from that government in The Hunger Games, with the message being "See?! This is why you perverts are so miserable! Because you waste time lusting after brief moments of meaningless pleasure. Now back to work, assholes!"  "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | ||
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| 12-20-13 10:38am - 4020 days | #14 | |
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BubbaGump (0)
Active User Posts: 109 Registered: Jan 08, '12 Location: USA |
Hi. Yeah, I remember seeing that Belladona interview with Diane Sawyer. This type of presentation is an entirely different format from your typical documentary, They were pretty much letting her do the talking rather than employing leading questions to get the subject to head in a specific direction. This is in contrast to most documentaries, where the producers choose the specific types of questions that will be asked, in order to create a desired outcome. They also have the power to selectively edit bits and pieces of interviews or information and reassemble them to create a specific context. Most documentaries out there on most any subject are nothing but biased garbage. | |
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