POV: Sexual norms behind the camera; A research about the role of porn producers in shaping, reproducing or challenging sexual norms and stereotypes

This innovative study shifts the focus from pornography consumers to pornography producers and aims to explore how producers navigate their role in reproducing or challenging sexual norms and stereotypes. The theoretical lens is based on the integration of the theories of Foucault (1976) and Bourdieu (1984). Foucault’s theories of power and discourse help to analyze the context of pornography, while Bourdieu’s theories of habitus and social reproduction demonstrate how pornography producers operate within this pornographic context. As expected from the theoretical framework, findings showed that the individual norms of a pornography producer are one of the main factors if a producer reproduces or challenges sexual norms. However, the in-depth interviews with eight Dutch and Belgian producers also reveal that the reality of reproducing and challenging sexual norms and stereotypes is far more complex and multifaceted than the theoretical models suggested.