MILF hairdressing, a subculture of sex-obsessed, adult-oriented female dressers, has long been a subject of ridicule.
But as the industry has expanded, so have accusations of misogyny.
In the UK, the first-ever UK porn star trial is currently underway.
For many, porn has become a source of fascination and entertainment, with men and women using it as a means of self-expression, to get laid, and as a source for cheap sex, says journalist Emma McKean.
“It’s not as glamorous as it used to be, and it certainly isn’t the sexy, glamour of the industry,” she says.
“But for many, it’s a source to get them out of their comfort zones and explore their sexuality and find themselves and get to the bottom of their sexuality.”
The idea that men and porn stars are inherently different is the subject of some debate, with some women claiming that they are merely exploiting men, while others believe that porn can be a way of accessing a kind of emotional and sexual intimacy that may not otherwise be available to them.
But porn is often viewed as a tool for female empowerment and a source that can be used to empower women.
The term “pornstar” is also a slur that many women say has a long history in the UK and has been used against them.
But it was first used in the early 1990s to describe an Australian porn star named “Jemma,” who was seen performing oral sex on male performers.
A few years later, the term “sex worker” was used to describe women who worked as prostitutes, according to a 2011 BBC documentary.
Since then, the word has come to mean anything that involves a sex act.
In the United States, the US Census Bureau recently estimated that there are roughly 10 million adult video sites.
According to one estimate, there are over 30 million websites dedicated to adult video.
But the industry is still a largely male-dominated one, with male performers in porn making up just 8.6 per cent of the US adult industry workforce.
“In terms of representation of women, in terms of the male performers, the male-to-female ratio is about 8.4 to 1,” says Pornhub chief operating officer Chris Mascarenhas.
“There’s a lot of diversity.”
Mascarenis says that in recent years, the industry’s diversity has increased.
“We’ve seen more women get into the industry.
And we’ve seen a lot more women make their own videos.”
According to Pornhub, the majority of the site’s adult videos are made by women.
But Mascareys estimates that “more than half of the adult videos on Pornhub are made up of men.”
“We’ve got a lot less white, male, straight male porn performers than we used to.
So it’s not only a minority of the population, but it’s also the minority of people that can make a living as a porn performer.”
Mentoring and training are key to the industry, and Mascares believes that with more women in the industry and with access to better equipment, they can help improve the quality of porn.
As a first step, he says, the company is working with adult film stars and performers to create more training programs.
“Porn has really opened up for a lot people who were previously excluded.
We’re working to educate them to go out and meet other people and see what they can learn and that they can become a part of the porn community,” he says.
