going down down under

Australian researchers studied the top 50 bestselling porn videos down under (most of which are produced in the U.S.) to see whether the movies depict women (or men) as sex objects. While the full study has yet to be published, early results suggest that nope, no sex objects here.

Porn does not make sex objects

"We were surprised at just how active and in control the women were in these videos," Prof McKee said today.

"This study suggests that mainstream pornography in Australia doesn't represent women as sex objects, it shows them as active sexual agents."

The findings are part of a three-year government-funded study – the most comprehensive of its kind – on pornography in Australia.

Interim results released in 2003 on the content of pornographic movies found super-size breasts scare some men, conservative voters love dirty magazines and adult videos have realistic plots.

Dr Alan McKee said those initial results had shattered the "dirty old man in a trenchcoat" stereotype of pornographic consumers.

Makes me think that people who buy porn videos – which is not the same thing as subscribing to adult websites – look for a higher quality and perhaps a more "realistic" type of movie.

Here's my favorite bit:

The researchers pored over the same 50 top-selling porn videos to analyse their plots and found most were believable and empowering for the fairer sex.