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Episode 3: From Victorian Censorship to Digital Porn — How Power Shapes Pleasure
Season 1 — Pornography in Context
Why did Victorian England panic over erotic novels? How did early photography, stag films, Playboy, VHS, the feminist sex wars, and the internet transform pornography forever? And what does AI-generated porn mean for the future of consent and desire?
In this sweeping episode of Complex Sex, Dr. Mallorie Sorce traces pornography’s evolution from the 1700s to today — revealing how sex, censorship, technology, and power have been intertwined for centuries. This is not just a history lesson. It’s a look at how culture decides what counts as “obscene,” who is allowed to express desire, and who gets punished for it.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
- Fanny Hill (1748) — the erotic novel so bold it reshaped the definition of obscenity
- The Obscene Publications Act of 1857 and why Victorian moral panic silenced women, queer people, and working-class sexuality
- The secret vaults (literally) where museums hid erotic artifacts from Pompeii
- How Enlightenment philosophy separated “art” from “desire,” shaping modern porn stigma
- Erotic photography, French postcards, and the rise of underground sexual expression
- How Playboy rebranded porn as lifestyle — and the contradictions beneath the glamour
- The “Golden Age of Porn,” mainstream movie theaters, and the arrival of Deep Throat
- VHS culture, the porn boom, and the feminist sex wars that split the movement
- Queer erotica as a hidden archive of LGBTQ+ history, identity, and resistance
- How the internet revolutionized porn through accessibility, anonymity, and algorithms
- The creator economy: OnlyFans, user-generated porn, empowerment, labor, and exploitation
- The rise of AI-generated deepfakes — and why they’re one of the biggest consent crises of our time
- The growing movement for ethical porn, performer rights, and healthier sexual culture
Perfect for listeners who want to explore:
- Porn history
- Sexual politics and cultural power
- Feminist perspectives on porn
- Queer media and representation
- Technology’s impact on sexuality
- Consent, AI, and ethical erotic content
Dr. Sorce weaves together humor, research, and cultural analysis to show how every era of porn — from Victorian novels to AI deepfakes — reflects the anxieties, laws, hierarchies, and desires of the world that created it.
If you’ve ever wondered how we got from secret erotic manuscripts to infinite digital porn, this episode connects the dots.
Up next: Sexual fantasy and desire — what our inner world reveals about who we are.
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Learn more at: https://www.healingheartscounseling.co
