Hollywood's (Fault) Line in the Sand: An Act of Deception?
Even porn producers are recognizing the double standard
Here at Unpop Culture, we’ve addressed hypersexualized television fare before. One such example is Bridgerton, the third season of which was recently released on Netflix. The Guardian says that in this season, “the bonking is scarce but seriously steamy.” Decider seems to disagree, assuring audiences that “Season 3 gets back to steamy, dreamy basics.” Apparently somewhere in the middle, film and television critic Caroline Siede opines, “Bridgerton is at something of a crossroads over whether it wants to be an actual character-centric dramedy or just a Steamy Sex Show™.”
Having not watched Bridgerton myself, I can’t comment on the series as a whole. I do, however, have thoughts regarding onscreen bodice-ripping, and on that count I have found an unlikely ally.
Enter Noelle Perdue, a producer in the adult film industry, as well as a porn historian. You might guess (and rightly so) that I have serious disagreements with Perdue about pornography: she believes it is thoroughly legitimate, whereas I do not. Ideologically, Perdue and I are on opposite sides.
And yet, rhetorically speaking, she and I share some significant common ground.
After the release of Bridgerton’s second season, Perdue wrote an article for Slate with an intriguing subtitle: “I’ve worked in porn for years. I have some news for the new era of sex-soaked shows on Netflix and HBO.”
The news she shares with Hollywood resonates with the news I’ve been sharing with Christian audiences for over a decade. And I use Perdue’s article as the focal point in my latest piece for Christ and Pop Culture, entitled “Exposing The Arbitrary Line Between ‘Adult’ and ‘Mainstream’ Treatments of Sex.”
As I explain in my article, “Perdue’s ultimate point—that pornography deserves wider cultural respect—is diametrically opposed to a Christian sexual ethic. And yet her piece includes several instructive insights into what actually constitutes pornography.”
You can read more of these instructive insights by going to the entire piece here.
And if you notice any holes in my rhetoric, I would love to hear from you. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.