These days, with the influx of pirating tube sites and illegal downloading, it seems as though society at large takes its adult entertainment for granted. We seem to be losing sight of the fact that mere decades ago, pornography was still illegal in the United States – and most of the world. The fact that we have this massive online library of XXX content at our disposal would surely be a shock to our pre-Baby Boomer generation relatives, and would undoubtedly be an enviable feature for them of living in today’s day and age. In honor of the incredible journey modern pornography has taken, we’ve decided to write up a series of appreciative posts entitled Porn By Decades. Starting with the 1960s-70s, we’re going to take you through the historical moments and landmark movies and stars that shaped the porn industry as we know it today.
But first, the etymology behind the word “pornography.” Pornography was officially added to the English language in the 1850s, and meant “writing about prostitutes.” This, obviously, has since broadened in definition; today in 2018, pornography encompasses “any print/visual material depicting or describing sexual organs or activity – intended to erotically stimulate.” Yeah, porn definitely doesn’t only belong to the “professionals” anymore,
1973
The U.S. Supreme Court defined obscenity using a three-part test in its 1973 Miller v. California decision.
The average person must find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest.
The work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct or excretory functions specifically defined by applicable state law.
The work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
This definition mandates that all obscene material must be pornographic. In United States v. Stevens, the Supreme Court rejected a claim in 2010 that animal torture videos can be classified as obscene because most material traditionally classified as pornographic would not be considered obscene under the Miller standard. All mainstream pornography would qualify as indecent, however, by definition.
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