Trend Report: Porn Normal

This summer, CNN among a myriad of others reported about a group of teenagers in Brattleboro, Vermont, disrobing near restaurants, bookstores and the town's many galleries, igniting a debate about whether Brattleboro should ban a practice long tolerated until now.

Aspects of porn surround us, unlike the porn of 10 years ago that remained shrouded in mystery and hidden in backrooms. The Playboy-like sex industry as we once knew it has become a reinforcement of conformity. Films like Boogie Nights and the Moguls have had the business simmering for years. At the Tribeca Film Festival, a documentary revealed the origins of the famed Paris Hilton sex video. And cable reality series abound from The Cathouse to Girls Next Door, as well as Fuse TV’s Pants-Off Dance Off. In spite of the emerging vaudeville-like amusements, the adult industry holds some serious weight when it comes to new media and emerging formats. Yet the aspect of “sex sells” has dulled as porno has become part of our everyday lives.

With porn on a pop pedestal, the more seedier side gets pushed even further underground. As reported by the Washington Times, people who download violent pornography in Britain could face three years in jail, under new legislation proposed Wednesday. Exempt from the law would be documentary films, news reports and works of art. The Spanner Trust, which campaigns for the rights of consensual sado-masochists, opposes any new measures.  Read the full report