Porn Industry Conventions Just Ain't What They Used To Be

February 13, 2023 2:01 PM

There's a code of conduct and a dress code—for real! Fascinating and funny writeup by a "adult entertainment industry" journalist looking at how, over the past two decades, porn industry conventions have gotten mainstream and sanitized.
posted by AnneK (33 comments total)

Well I mean sure, you'd want sanitation to be a priority for that sort of event, wouldn't y--oh, you meant...ok never mind.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:45 PM on February 13, 2023 [6 favorites]

(Previously, and David Foster Wallace's 'Big Red Son')
posted by box at 2:49 PM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Nice first post!
posted by fizzix at 2:55 PM on February 13, 2023 [4 favorites]

“So… it’s a FitBit for your dick?”

“Exactly! It’s a FitBit for your dick.”

“You can use that slogan if you want.”

“Are you in marketing?”

“No.”

“You should be.”

posted by box at 2:57 PM on February 13, 2023 [6 favorites]

Thanks for this post!
posted by panhopticon at 4:08 PM on February 13, 2023

The Tally Wackr!
posted by chavenet at 4:20 PM on February 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

The old porn con, she ain't what she used to be...
posted by emjaybee at 4:27 PM on February 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

"To enter, the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, attendees must sign a code of conduct acknowledging that the following behaviors are prohibited:
[...]
- Offensive verbal assaults, including but not limited to negative comments based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity/presentation
- Harassment in public restrooms (guests at the AVN Show are welcome to use the restrooms that match their gender presentation or identity)"

There are plenty of technology conferences out there that aren't this inclusive or well-run.
posted by mhoye at 4:29 PM on February 13, 2023 [56 favorites]

In 2019, I went to Las Vegas to see Lady Gaga (a good time, recommend), and in the cab from the airport, my cab driver asked me if I was in town for the "convention." I said no.

It turns out the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo was that weekend.

One day during my trip, I went to a cute vintage shop off the strip and a man who was there for that was also in the shop, looking to buy neckties (which he did). I mentioned to the women running the store what my cab driver had said and I said something like "once I figured it out, I didn't know if I should be flattered or not."

They told me without any doubt that I should 100% be flattered. They're women running a vintage shop in Las Vegas so I'm inclined to believe them.

(To be fair, once I figured out what "convention" my cab driver was talking about, I wasn't offended or anything. It's Las Vegas.)
posted by edencosmic at 4:46 PM on February 13, 2023 [4 favorites]

I feel like if you are paying to operate a table to promote your business, you should be able to explain what your business is.
posted by Easy problem of consciousness at 4:58 PM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

This was actually a really well-written article. I support trans women making 12k a month doing sexy things, if that's what they want to do.

But then I've been following sex performers/workers on Twitter for a while, and their biggest problem seems to be the government continually making it hard for them to operate safely because they're an easy target for conservatives. Which is why Texas limits the number of dildos you can legally own (six) but not guns.
posted by emjaybee at 5:23 PM on February 13, 2023 [11 favorites]

while bodily functions may be profitable, they don't scale.

There goes my plan to make my fortune with seasonal congestion-related content.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:12 PM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

"Big Red Son" is one of my favorite David Foster Wallace pieces—highly recommend even if you're not a huge DFW person (and I'm not).

There are plenty of technology conferences out there that aren't this inclusive or well-run.

People whose professions or hobbies tend to be a lot more aware of (and spend a lot more time micromanaging) the various aspects of the thing they work with. It's no surprise that a conference that revolves around sex work thinks a lot more about consent and appropriate exhibitionism than literally anywhere else. Hell, I'm pretty sure the programming conference I go to annually for work improved its rules around gender inclusivity and harassment specifically because it appointed a couple of BDSM enthusiasts to its board.
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 6:20 PM on February 13, 2023 [9 favorites]

There goes my plan to make my fortune with seasonal congestion-related content.

Snot scales. But who's buying? [bass solo]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:49 PM on February 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Turns out, adult content creator and 90-Day Fiancé star Stephanie Matto made $200,000 selling her farts in a jar.2 Unfortunately, Matto didn’t produce enough “natural” gas to meet demand, so she switched to a high fiber diet that ended up sending her to the emergency room.3 After reading that, I realized that while bodily functions may be profitable, they don't scale. I decided against monetizing my burps and farts.
posted by Hypatia at 6:51 PM on February 13, 2023

you can’t even say “porn” on TikTok, but the adult performers on the platform have found a workaround by calling themselves “corn stars.”

Especially popular in the Midwest.

"Wanna see my niblets?"

"Check out my massive crop, baby..."

"I'm subsidized by the US Gov't!"
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:02 PM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

OMG, my old sketch comedy group used to do a recurring sketch where people kept mistaking corn and porn because of bad typing.

And I recently read a conversation - damned if I can remember where - in which someone complained about how dirty movies aren't as good as they used to be, and the other person argued that the pizza guy now has three jobs and doesn't have time to screw the customers. And you don't want people mixing up your Tinder profile and your Yelp reviews.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:32 PM on February 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Which is why Texas limits the number of dildos you can legally own (six) but not guns.

So, if the owner of six drops into a store to buy a seventh, how does the vendor know not to sell one? Please tell me the state government of Texas maintains a dildo registry.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:32 AM on February 14, 2023 [5 favorites]

Please tell me the state government of Texas maintains a dildo registry.

Here you go.
posted by JohnFromGR at 4:38 AM on February 14, 2023 [6 favorites]

The committee that put together the "Acceptable Dress for the Show Floor" policy must have had a great time. The specific definition on the exact degree to which a thong "must cover the anus" somehow reflects years of weary conference organizer experience.
posted by rongorongo at 4:40 AM on February 14, 2023 [5 favorites]

I learned a lot from this article.
Not sure if that’s a good thing, but I came here to be better informed.
posted by MtDewd at 5:01 AM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

The specific definition on the exact degree to which a thong "must cover the anus" somehow reflects years of weary conference organizer experience.

I suspect that Nevada has some laws about nudity in public, and that's just the Authority Having Jurisdiction's requirement. (Public Nudity/Obscenity/etc.) It sounds like a lawyer wrote it, because a lawyer did.
posted by mikelieman at 5:47 AM on February 14, 2023

Which is why Texas limits the number of dildos you can legally own (six) but not guns.

Just like in the old west, wwhere only outlaws will have dildos, but it's a lot more fun when they arrive to clean up the town.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:50 AM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

This was a great article, but my main takeaway was "man I wish David Foster Wallace lived to see the 2023 AVN Con"
posted by Mayor West at 7:36 AM on February 14, 2023

On failing to preview: Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted beat me to it.
posted by Mayor West at 7:37 AM on February 14, 2023

Just attach a ar15 lower to the non business end and your restricted marital aid becomes an unrestricted, if awkward, assault rifle.
posted by Mitheral at 7:43 AM on February 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

There goes my plan to make my fortune with seasonal congestion-related content.

The Sudafed people have already pivoted to something else.
posted by mhoye at 8:02 AM on February 14, 2023

Trinity told me it was going really well, and before we knew it we were talking about why she was there repping a platform called SextPanther.

"They've done studies, you know. Sixty-nine percent of the time, it works every time."
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 8:04 AM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I may regret asking, but now I'm wondering what the shelf life of farts in a jar actually is.
posted by 2N2222 at 12:53 PM on February 14, 2023

The article was a really interesting read, but something in the comments really made me think:
Nothing is dangerous anymore. The mainstream has eaten everything.

It's absolutely true, particularly if you equate 'dangerous' with 'interesting and maybe fun'. Everything is mainstream now and nothing is interesting in the way so many things used to be.
posted by dg at 2:55 PM on February 14, 2023 [5 favorites]

FYI, The 5th Circuit found the Texas law limiting people to six obscene devices (defined as dildos and artificial vaginas used for stimulating genitals) unconstitutional for violating the 14th amendment. (pdf of decision), though it's still on the books.
posted by Chrysopoeia at 5:37 PM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

The article was a really interesting read, but something in the comments really made me think:
Nothing is dangerous anymore. The mainstream has eaten everything

really made me think, too! really made me think they've never worked in any public-facing or physical-contact sex job, or ever rubbed two brain cells together trying to imagine what it might be to do that.

(it's dangerous)
posted by queenofbithynia at 8:39 PM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm certain that wasn't the way the comment was intended at all, but it's a valid interpretation I guess.
posted by dg at 9:42 PM on February 14, 2023 [1 favorite]