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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The photographer’s name was Larry Sultan. In 2001 he shot a photo essay on the porn industry. His photographs are about what happens when the cameras aren’t rolling.
And the overwhelming conclusion is that this is a disturbingly unglamorous industry.
First, porn stars without their make-up are surprisingly average looking. Like in other movie productions, the actors and actresses sit around while the technical people set things up and set things down. Only at these shoots, the actors and actresses don’t bother to put their clothes back on… they’ll be off once the director calls “action”. His pictures show people in various states of undress, waiting. One of his pictures, shot from a distance away, shows the actual filming of a scene. Two people are engaged in a most intimate act. They are surrounded by two people holding cameras, one person holding a boom microphone, two people holding lights, and someone who appears to be a make-up artist. It looks… unappealing. The final photo in the series is a female performer in her underwear. It appears that the shoot is over for the day. Someone is changing the bedding. Underneath is a torn bedsheet, and a stained and soiled mattress. It is, in a word, disgusting.
And, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the professional porn industry is in ruins. They’re being put out of business by do-it-yourself amateurs who post videos of themselves for cash on OnlyFans.
I know this is an unusual topic for Friday on Faith. So why do I bring this up? Because the bible sets an impossibly high standard for sexual morality. Christ tells you if you have lusted in your heart, you are an adulterer. It’s a test I think almost all of us have failed.
The Larry Sultan photographs remind me of something important. Physical intimacy is a gift from God. Hopefully a gift intended for our enjoyment. Imagine how empty someone must feel when what’s intended for pleasure becomes one’s business. The pictures are online, and most body parts are blurred out. Tell me how something that’s supposed to be beautiful becomes something ugly.
That’s not as God intended.
Chris Conley
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