LONDON — British newspaper The Guardian sent a reporter to cover XBIZ Amsterdam earlier this month, resulting in a lengthy article about the annual European adult industry conference.
Titled “Boom times and total burnout: three days at Europe’s biggest pornography conference,” the 4,200-word article was written by journalist Amelia Gentleman, who has previously covered issues related to the online adult industry for The Guardian.
Gentleman sat in on panel sessions and workshops, and spoke with a range of XBIZ Amsterdam attendees, including creators, creatives, entrepreneurs and executives.
The three topics that receive the most attention in the article are the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry, the rise of independent content creators, and the question of whether the modern adult industry is empowering or exploiting women.
The article’s treatment of the latter question is relatively even-handed, especially compared to past mainstream media coverage of the industry, which has historically been sensationalizing at best, demonizing at worst.
For example, while Gentleman does quote a rep for the anti-porn Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, who accuses OnlyFans of exploiting vulnerable women, she also gives equal time to director, performer and sex work activist Paulita Pappel, who takes an opposing view.
“The fact that a lot of women believe that women in porn are being exploited and are victims makes their life way harder,” Pappel tells Gentleman. “It suggests that women have no sexual agency, and that men are predators, that women wouldn’t perform pornography or sell sexual services if they didn’t have to. If you’re shaming these women, you’re not helping.”
To read The Guardian’s “Boom times and total burnout: three days at Europe’s biggest pornography conference,” click here.