Page 48 - AVN July 2015

FEATURE
Sexuality Through the Ages
The following is an excerpt from the new book by Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals. Titled ‘Exposure: A Sociologist Explores
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Sex, Society, and Adult Entertainment,’ it will be available July 7 in paperback and Kindle formats.
same time most people first saw her—
The first time I saw Bonnie Rotten was the
featured in her very own star showcase in
2012, Digital Sin’s Meet Bonnie Rotten. That
braceface young lady flashing her ID to
was her catapult.
Bonnie did a handful of scenes in 2012, but 2013
was her year. She blew up the porn world in tough-
”Call me kooky, but something about a
prove her eighteenth birthday was
girl features and super-hard hardcore. She was sweet
and vivacious and easy to work with. She had cute
yesterday rattles me to my core.
little freckles, a rockin’ new rack, and was already
tendency to put women into one of
and moving on. It was a coming-of-age story
mostly covered in tattoos (unusual on such a
two problematic boxes is almost as
for an age bracket that’s often dismissed and
popular performer, even today). In January 2014,
off-putting to me as those tight teens
rarely discussed, at least not without derision.
Bonnie was named AVN’s Female Performer of the
I was talking about before.
It was about life moving forward and being a
Year, which is essentially the highest honor anyone
Times change, though, and content
fun, a silly, and an unexpected adventure. It
in the adult industry can get.
evolves. And occasionally, we do get
was women-centered and progressive. It made
But when I first “met” Bonnie, by proxy of watching Meet Bonnie, I
different representations of womanhood
me think.
felt like an asshole—an ageist asshole. Her film was beautifully done
and, interestingly, women’s interpersonal
Our consideration of adult content is
by some of the best in the business. Her scenes were diverse and hot,
relationships. Consider, for example, Wicked
shaped by many things, including space and
though a little coltish at times. (The job was still new to her, so I gave
Pictures’ Divorcees, a laugh-out-loud hilarious,
place, era, and cultural trends. Currently, we
her a break.) But in spite of Bonnie’s solid sex performances and the
wistful, and empowering exploration of
are led to look at young adulthood and youth
film’s technical and aesthetic merits, I still didn’t like it. I didn’t like
women’s friendships, which is also porn.
as both desirable and problematic, a stage
it because, when Bonnie spoke to the camera, she seemed like a kid.
Written and directed by Stormy Daniels, this
of life in which people are simultaneously
It was creepy. Way creepy. I was actually so troubled by Meet Bonnie
film—which is occasionally painfully on point
autonomous and not, sexual and not. We have
that I didn’t feel I could write the film a fair review. How do you
in its real-life ludicrousness—is a thoughtful
drawn a series of somewhat arbitrary lines
discuss something that’s good but that simultaneously makes you feel
coming-of-age story about grown women. …
around a collection of statuses common to this
uncomfortable in a bad way?
So three BFFs in their thirties are all single.
stage of life that end up shaping how we view
Let me tell you a not-so-secret secret: “Young girl” porn really freaks
They’re all also pretty quirky. Stacy [Julia
the world. Thus, young girl content freaks me
me out. And I’m not talking about the campus coeds (wink, wink)
Ann] is a little surly and 100 percent over
out, but also it pisses me off every time I see
content or the stuff where an obviously adult woman is costumed in
sex, relationships, and guys in general; freshly
one of those wildly inaccurate descriptors I
knee socks and a pleated skirt. What I’m talking about is the “barely
cheated upon, Leanne [Stormy Daniels] is a
mentioned earlier. And I get all teary when
legal,” “really tight teenage” stuff. Call me kooky, but something about
bit more rageful and raw beneath her calm
I see something that shows women over the
a braceface young lady flashing her ID to prove her eighteenth birthday
exterior; and Carmen [Veronica Avluv] is
age of thirty as multifaceted and stimulating.
was yesterday rattles me to my core. I say this knowing several things.
having a relationship with a fitness instructor
Maybe this is because I’m well over thirty
First, young people have sexualities and experience sexual desire;
(via her television) and her vibrator. She’s
myself.
thus, eighteen-year-olds have sexualities and experience sexual desire.
really a mess. ….
There’s room in the human experience
Who am I to judge how they express it, and who am I to judge those
Divorcees is good because it’s well done. The
for all of it, for desire at all ages (just as
who desire it? Second, legal age really is an arbitrary assignment based
plot is simple but entertaining, the production
long as consent is involved and kids are
on culture and era. Consequently, in another part of the world or two
value is high, and the sex is steamy. But
not). And even though some of it may make
hundred years ago, those aforementioned tight teenagers may’ve been
Divorcees is also good because it explores many
us uncomfortable at various stages in our
well into cougarhood. Third, this type of content—young girl content—
greater dimensions and themes, all of them
lives, we have to allow for sexual expression
provides an outlet for people who have certain predilections and issues
relevant to real life. In other words, this film
at all points. And we must also allow that
generally frowned upon by society. Think about it: Isn’t it better for
is good because it’s exceptional.
expression to evolve.
those on the hunt for youth to indulge in a professional production
It’s worth noting that Carmen is not a
Since I “met” her in 2012, I’ve seen Bonnie
featuring a legal adult than to go out looking for teenagers on their
divorcée—she’s a widow. Though this is only
Rotten in many different scenes and roles.
own? (I think you know what I’m getting at here.) And finally, there are
touched upon for a moment, it’s rare for adult
I’ve read her interviews, seen her speak to the
all sorts of media that focus on youth—music and modeling and savvy
films to reflect such a true-to-life experience.
press, and heard quite a few behind-the-scenes
young genius upstarts. We as a culture love it if it’s fresh. Why should
Divorcees looks at progressive ways of dealing
stories. And I’ve never since gotten that same
our sexy time predilections be any different? …
with events and scenarios that can actually
“young” feeling from her. Years have passed,
Another interesting thing about age in porn is how compressed it is.
happen. As sad as it may be, relationships
and her reputation remains flawless. (Killer
Twenty-six-year-olds are MILFs, and any woman over thirty is a cougar.
often end. People die, people cheat, and
businesswoman is now regularly included in
And I guess if we’re filtering our sexual gaze through the eyes of youth,
people grow in different directions. But what
her inventory of accolades.) In many ways,
which is something we love to do in all aspects of social life, then this
happens after? Seriously, what happens to
she’s stepping into shoes once filled by Stormy
perspective doesn’t seem all that off base. But it does skew the “look”—
“normal” people after their lives change?
Daniels, who rode a similar rocket ship when
the perspective shaping our collective gaze—that we have of grown
Divorcees explores the ridiculous and the
she was similarly young. I look forward to
women, especially in porn. Women are inevitably corralled into some
mundane, all without some ludicrous thirty-
seeing how Bonnie evolves. I will work to be
version of motherhood, or they’re cast as sexed-up vixens preoccupied
plus fountain-of-youth fantasy story line. …
mindful of my own evolutions throughout
with draining all the lifeblood they can from any available source. Our
This movie was about friendships and loss
that process.
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