Consent and Sexualized Leisure in Sin City: Observations from a US Pornography Expo in Las Vegas

Authors

Crystal A. Jackson, John Jay College-City University of New YorkFollow
Paul J. Maginn, University of Western Australia
Aleta Baldwin, University of Texas
Barbara G. Brents, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-17-2020

Publication Title

Leisure Sciences

First page number:

1

Last page number:

19

Abstract

This article deploys a sexualized leisure framework to analyze the management of consent at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE), one of the largest and longest running conventions in the mainstream U.S. porn industry. Drawing on field observations in this naturalistic setting and observers post-Expo reflections, we explore the complexities of consent in a porn tourism scene. We corroborate our qualitative analysis with survey findings (n = 433). Taken together, our findings indicate attendees-who are largely white, straight, cisgender men-attend AEE to socialize in a sexual atmosphere. We conclude that consent was managed, specific to a touristic sexuality. This challenges anti-porn assertions that consent is impossible or improbable in sexualized spaces.

Keywords

Consent; Heterosexuality; Leisure; Pornography

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology | Sociology of Culture

Language

English

Repository Citation

Jackson, C. A., Maginn, P. J., Baldwin, A., Brents, B. G. (2020). Consent and Sexualized Leisure in Sin City: Observations from a US Pornography Expo in Las Vegas. Leisure Sciences 1-19.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2020.1712280