Discrimination
Worse Than Objects: The Depiction of Black Women and Men and Their Sexual Relationship in Pornography
Full Article Name: Worse Than Objects: The Depiction of Black Women and Men and Their Sexual Relationship in Pornography
Open Access: No
Abstract
Previous content analyses of pornography suggest black women are more often the target of aggression compared to white women. Furthermore, research suggested that the most aggressive depictions occurred between interracial couples. The last content analysis on this topic was published in the 1990s, however. The current study examined 1741 pornographic scenes featuring heterosexual couples (including 118 scenes with black women) from two of the largest online pornographic streaming tube sites in the world (Xvideos.com and Pornhub.com). Findings suggest black women are still more often the target of aggression when compared to white women. In addition, black men are more often portrayed as the perpetrators of aggression against women and are depicted as significantly less intimate with their partners in comparison to white men. Notably, depictions of aggression towards women are highest in scenes featuring black couples compared to all other racial pairings including interracial. Further exploration of the depiction of other sexual behaviors, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex, indicated these behaviors did not vary significantly based on actor’s race.
Relevance
Black women were “significantly more often depicted as the targets of aggression” – such as spanking – “than white women.”
Black men were “significant more likely to be depicted as aggressive towards women” – such as spanking and hair-pulling – “when compared to white men.”
Scenes involving a black couples “were significantly more likely to include the portrayal of aggression” than scenes involving white couples.
Black women are more often depicted as “beaten objects” than white women, and Black men are more often depicted as “the aggressor” than white men.
Citation
Fritz, N., Paul, B., Zhou, Y., & Malic, V. (2020). Worse than objects: the depiction of black women and men and their sexual relationship in pornography. Gender Issues. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-020-09255-2