CHICAGO—Even for Oprah, sweeps month is important—so important, in fact, that her programmers have scheduled a very special show for Tuesday, Nov. 17, that will take a look at the pornography industry, and specifically why millions of women are using “porn and erotica.” The show will feature a “special report” by correspondent Lisa Ling and a chat with adult superstar and former performer Jenna Jameson.
Isn’t that special, the Church Lady might say.
Jenna, of course, infamously told the audience at the 2008 AVN Awards that she would never “spread her legs” again in an adult production, in the process eliciting boos from the crowd that was there precisely to honor those still spreading, and loving it. But that was then and this is now, and when Oprah calls you can be sure that no subject is off the table, even pornography. But then, why else would Jenna be appearing on the show?
All bitchiness aside, however, the spin the show seems to be taking bodes well for a fair and balanced discussion of women’s interest and involvement in adult entertainment. There also is every expectation that Jenna, who has always been a positive ambassador for the industry, will speak kindly about her experiences and the many opportunities that were made available to her and others.
Indeed, the one “fact” that promos for the show are touting is that 1 in 3 people who access porn online are women. While numbers like that shouldn’t be taken at face value, those whose job it is to cover online erotica are not surprised that women increasingly comprise a significant percentage of viewers and customers, and that they also—surprise, surprise…not—make up a very healthy percentage of the workforce at every level of the business.
[Ed. Note: The writer of this piece has had several female bosses during his time in adult and only wishes he had had more.]
