That’s not very MeToo! Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest tip for her eight million Goop fans is ‘ethical porn’
- Movie star was at the forefront of the MeToo movement and sparked a backlash
- Critics remain unconvinced and are concered about violence in pornography
- Paltrow advocates ‘female friendly’ porn which is catered for women’s tastes
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been accused of betraying her principles as a cheerleader for the MeToo movement by advocating the use of porn films.
Writing on her Goop lifestyle website, she says: ‘The first time you watch porn that genuinely and deeply arouses you is akin to the moment you have sex with another person and experience an elation that makes you think, “Oh, so this is what sex can be.’’’
The 48-year-old mother-of-two adds: ‘If you haven’t checked what’s available in a while, you might be pleasantly surprised.’
Paltrow’s attitude is unexpected considering that high-profile women have long condemned pornography as degrading – with much of it promoting female submission
Her intervention is part of a fightback by some feminists against misogyny as they champion ‘female-friendly pornography’ which ‘espouses ethical standards’
Her attitude is unexpected considering that high-profile women have long condemned pornography as degrading – with much of it promoting female submission.
But her intervention is part of a fightback by some feminists against misogyny as they champion ‘female-friendly pornography’ which ‘espouses ethical standards’. Some experts are unconvinced, particularly at a time of heightened concern about violence against women.
Claire McGlynn, a law professor at Durham University and an expert in pornography, said: ‘I fear that debating the niceties of ethical porn is a worrying distraction from the realities of mainstream online pornography.
‘In truth, the multi-billion pound porn industry is not going to be changed, or its impact diminished, by a few ethical porn companies.’
Ms Paltrow, whose Goop website has eight million followers, is an influential voice having been one of the few Hollywood stars to speak out about sex predator film producer Harvey Weinstein.
‘Of course, porn is not for everyone,’ she adds on her website. ‘For some, taking sex to an external world, on a screen, disconnects us from our own bodies. Others experience porn as a powerful exploration of sexuality.’
She goes on to give a guide to ‘erotica sites’ and Paltrow-approved porn which is ‘shown through the female gaze, made by women, ethically produced – and hot.’
One of these is XConfessions, founded by Erika Lust, a Swedish film director, whose output is ‘based on real-life stories and sexual fantasies submitted anonymously’.
Ms Lust says her £25-a-month subscription service offers an alternative to traditional, debasing pornography. Typical of the material on offer is a 43-minute video in which a woman – her hands and feet bound – lies on a leather bed before being approached by a man who teases and touches her with objects he describes as his ‘tools’.
Other sites recommended by Ms Paltrow include Pink Label TV, an £18-per-month channel whose titles include Teen Angels and Black Sex Magic. Neither Ms Paltrow nor Goop responded to requests for comment.
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