Why is the pornification of our culture so difficult to oppose? Partly because it takes subtly different forms. There used to be prostitutes and pornographers. Now, there are online influencers like Lily Phillips, subject of the documentary I Slept With 100 Men in One Day. These influencers sometimes talk like feminist activists, too.
The idea that sex belongs in committed relationships is rubbished
There are also TV shows that are not quite porn, but are not quite not. A few years ago, I attacked the Channel 4 reality show Open House, which features first-time swingers. It doesn’t just document their adventures; it arranges them. I hoped that my attack would finish it off, but it is back for a new season.
Of course it is ‘reality porn’ – titillating entertainment involving real people. But it feels the need to present itself as therapeutically virtuous – it provides counsellors who help these couples to express themselves, to follow their liberated hearts.
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