The Decade In Porn: Tristan Taormino Looks Back On 2000-2009

As the first decade of the 2000s draws to a close, Fleshbot's sitting down with adult industry influentials to learn how the business of pleasure has changed over the past ten years. Today's expert: writer, director, and educator Tristan Taormino.

At left: Tristan educates the masses about anal pleasure for men.

Fleshbot: Adult entertainment in 2009 looks a whole lot different than it did in 1999. In your opinion, what's been the single biggest change this decade?
Tristan Taormino: The internet, undoubtedly. It has changed who makes porn, how we watch porn, how we buy it (or don't), the costs associated with making it, and nearly everything about it, except for the naked people fucking.

At left: "Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women 1," Tristan's first ever porn movie. Released in 1999.

You shot your first film about ten years ago. How has your work changed over the decade?
I learn something new with each movie I do, and I think my vision and mission has gotten clearer over these ten years. I'm much more invested in collaborating with the performers in my films, having them participate in the creation of their representation, and allowing them to express their sexuality in an ethical, positive, empowering environment.

At left: "Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women 2," released in 2001.

How has the perception/acceptance of feminist porn changed over the decade? Is it more commonplace for porn/pornographers to be seen as feminist? Has self-identified feminist porn changed in content/tone?
I think that the Feminist Porn Awards, which celebrates its 5th anniversary in 2010, really helped spark a mainstream dialogue about feminist porn and also helped bring together a growing community of pornographers who identify themselves/their work as feminist. There certainly is more feminist porn now than ever before and it's gotten a lot more diverse, which I think is a good thing.

At left: "House of Ass," Tristan's first venture into reality porn. Released in 2006.

The internet has obviously had a huge impact on the adult industry. What's been the best change the internet has brought to the adult marketplace? The worst?
The best change is that amateurs and professionals can create their own websites, be 100% in control of the product and the profit. The worst is that pirating and illegal downloading are rampant and out of control. We are where the music industry was before they stopped Napster, but no one is going to step in to regulate porn pirating on the internet. I wish consumers realized that whenever they watch "free" porn that is copyrighted, it's like watching a mainstream movie without paying for it—you're taking money out of the filmmaker's pocket.

At left: "Chemistry 3," released in 2007.

Has anything changed about the performers who work in the industry? Is a different kind of talent attracted nowadays?
The talent pool has grown to an almost overwhelming number of people. I think there is definitely more diversity among performers in terms of aesthetics, age, ethnicity—there are more women without any plastic surgery, flat-chested women, tattooed and pierced women, plus-size women, MILFs, and women of color working today than there were a decade ago.

At left: "Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to the G-Spot," released in 2008.

Has public perception about the adult industry changed much since 2000? Is adult entertainment more accepted, less accepted, or about the same?
It's strange. There certainly has been more crossover between the adult industry and the mainstream entertainment industry, and I think porn is less taboo than it once was. But, that said, the people who make it (especially the performers) are still denigrated and stigmatized for the work they do. As a society, we are still so fucked up about how we see and treat porn performers—and sex workers in general.

At left: "Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Pleasure for Men," released in 2009.

Any thoughts on what the industry will look like at the end of the next decade?
It's hard not to see a bleak future considering what's going on right now in the economy and with illegally-pirated porn all over the internet. So, I'd like to offer my utopian vision for the next decade: 15-day STD testing (instead of 30), a decrease in STD rates among performers, no HIV outbreaks, Belladonna and I collaborating on a movie, more women and people of color in positions of power, The Feminist Porn Awards televised on a major network in primetime, and Buck Angel in the Senate.

At left: "Rough Sex," released in 2009.