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Baring It All : Hot Girls' Representation of Workers' Experiences in Internet

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Baring It All : Hot Girls' Representation of Workers' Experiences in Internet Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Baring it All: Hot Girls’ Representation of Workers’ Experiences in Internet Pornography Production A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies Massey University, New Zealand Meg-Ellen Sarah Tatton-Brown 2019 Abstract This thesis uses the Netflix feature documentary, Hot Girls Wanted (2015), and Netflix TV series, Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On (2017), as a lens for exploring the issues and challenges faced by workers in the contemporary internet pornography industries. It analyses connected representational concerns, both in terms of how these individuals’ workplace experiences are framed in the documentary and TV series, and in terms of the representational implications in online pornography and broader ‘pornified’ culture. The documentary and the TV series episodes (including “Money Shot”, “Take Me Private”, “Owning It”, and “Women on Top”) have been utilised as case studies to focus the discussion in each chapter around the representational issues they raise, including those related to gender, race, violence, coercion and mediated intimacy. I have examined interviews with the subjects, mise-en-scène, and cinematography and editing techniques chosen by the filmmakers, to highlight the ways in which Hot Girls represents the various emotional and physical struggles experienced by workers in the pornography industry. I then compare and contextualise this close scene analysis with what academic literature evidences about the experiences and representations of these workers, arguing that along with the proliferation of opportunities in the expanded internet pornography industries, there has also been an expansion of workplace and representational concerns. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Claire Henry for her knowledge, guidance and encouragement throughout my research, without which this thesis would not have progressed so smoothly. I would also like to thank my family, friends and my fiancé Richard, for their unwavering love and support throughout this journey. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 2 Film style ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Film Review .................................................................................................................................. 5 Opening Sequence Close Analysis-Hot Girls Wanted (2015) ......................................................... 6 Opening Sequence Close Analysis: Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On (2017) ...................................... 7 Chapter Overview .......................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter Two: Literature Review ..................................................................................... 11 Chapter Three: Interracial Pornography - Violence and Racism ................................... 16 The Black Man ............................................................................................................................ 17 The Black Penis ........................................................................................................................... 19 Violence and Aggression ............................................................................................................. 20 Female Blame.............................................................................................................................. 22 The Latina ................................................................................................................................... 24 Class ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Latina Abuse ............................................................................................................................... 26 Influential Violence ..................................................................................................................... 28 An Effect on Men ........................................................................................................................ 29 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 30 Chapter Four: Cam Girls ................................................................................................. 32 Empowerment and Autonomy ..................................................................................................... 33 Self-esteem .................................................................................................................................. 35 Screen Personas ........................................................................................................................... 36 ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ ......................................................................................................... 40 Health.......................................................................................................................................... 41 Female Commodities and the Male Gaze ..................................................................................... 42 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 45 Chapter Five: Feminist Pornographers ........................................................................... 46 The Beginning of Feminist Pornography ...................................................................................... 47 A Male Dominated Industry......................................................................................................... 49 A Strive for Equality.................................................................................................................... 51 iv Pornography Influence ................................................................................................................. 52 Time and Money Constraints ....................................................................................................... 55 Debunking Sex Myths ................................................................................................................. 58 Porn Stigma ................................................................................................................................. 59 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 62 Chapter Six: Young Performers and Sexual Exploitation .............................................. 64 Sexual Health and Condom Use ................................................................................................... 64 Pornification of Mainstream Culture ............................................................................................ 67 Pseudo-Child Pornography .......................................................................................................... 69 Gonzo Pornography ..................................................................................................................... 70 Coercion and the “First Time” ..................................................................................................... 73 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 76 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 78 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 82 v Chapter One: Introduction This thesis explores how the Netflix feature documentary Hot Girls Wanted (2015) and the Netflix TV series Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On (2017) represent the experiences of pornography workers and how they frame the social and political issues raised by internet pornography. I use the phrase “Hot Girls” throughout this thesis when referring to both the documentary and TV series. Hot Girls Wanted is a 2015 feature-length Netflix documentary directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus. It focuses on the experiences of five young women between the ages of 18-25 involved in Florida’s amateur pornography industry. In 2017, a six- part TV series sequel to Hot Girls Wanted (2015) was released on Netflix: Hot Girls Wanted:
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