Pornography in the United States

Pornographic literature in the United States

To be written:

• Playboy
• Penthouse
• Hustler (magazine)
• Fetish magazines

Pornographic movies in the United States

The movie camera has been used for pornography throughout its history, but pornographic movies were for most of that time typically only available in the United States by underground distribution, for projection at home or in private clubs.

The 1970s

More permissive legislation permitted the rise of "XXX-rated" movie theaters in the U.S. in the 1970s. There was also a proliferation of coin-operated "movie booths" in sex shops that displayed pornographic "loops" (so-called because they projected a movie from film arranged in a continuous loop).

At that time, pornographic movies even approached acceptance into the mainstream movie industry, with films such as Deep Throat, Behind the Green Door and Gerard Damiano's 1972 film The Devil in Miss Jones being shot on film with high production values, and grossing substantial amounts in movie theaters.

1980s and later

A few large companies operating out of Southern California's San Fernando Valley are responsible for much of the pornography produced in the United States.

The distribution of pornography has changed radically after the 1980s with videotape and cable television largely displacing X-rated theaters. Video distribution in turn is in the process of being replaced by DVD (and Internet distribution for niche markets). Distribution of pornography is a large industry which involves major entertainment companies such as AOL-Time Warner (which profits from pornography through its cable channels, and in-room movies provided by hotel chains).

Pornography in the United States tends to feature mostly blonde women with large breasts (usually augmented by breast implants) and buttocks and often with tattoos or body piercing. Men in pornography tend to be older and heavily muscled. American pornography movies often attempt to promote pornographic stars, and the boxes for video tapes tend to be extremely gaudy. Plot in pornographic movies is often minimal.

With the advent of AIDS in the 1980s, HIV transmission between performers resulted in a number of deaths, including that of the famous erotic actor John Holmes.

After this, the pornography industry instituted a system of testing for the HIV virus designed to prevent the spread of the virus within the industry. In general, the pornography industry does not depict safer sex: mainstream pornographic movies now depict a range of behaviors including anal sex that are high risk activities for STD transmission, as if the taboo status of these activities has made them more thrilling for the consumers of pornography. Anal sex and other similar activities are now part of U.S. heterosexual pornography in a way that was unprecedented before the outbreak of AIDS.

See also:

• 18 U.S.C. 2257
• pornography in Europe
• pornography in Japan

Referenced By