The first ever journal dedicated to the study of pornography is available as of Friday. The journal, titled Porn Studies will explore everything from skin-flick trends and porn culture, to the psychology behind porn and sexual fantasies.
Porn Studies is the first "dedicated, international, peer-reviewed journal to critically explore those cultural products and services designated as pornographic," said a 2013 announcement about the journal, Live Science reported.
Some critics denounce porn watchers as having pathological disorders. But studies on pornography, an industry estimated to be worth billions, are not as developed as scientific studies in other categories.
The journal's editors wrote that they hope to develop "knowledge of pornographies past and present, in all their variations around the world," Live Science reported.
One trend explored in the journal is parody films, which are X-rated parodies of big-time, Hollywood movies. In the paper "Gonzo, trannys, and teens- current trends in U.S. adult content production, distribution and consumption," independent scholar Chauntelle Anne Tibbals wrote that parody films peaked during the years 2010 and 2011. But Tibbals wrote they are not as popular today, Live Science reported.
Niche porn has also become increasingly popular, where Internet users can search for specific styles of porn. One example involves "BBW," which stands for "big beautiful women," Tibbals wrote according to Live Science.
Another author, Christophe Prieur, takes the study of porn niches a step further. Prieur, a professor at Paris Diderot University, explains how "tag" words, or keywords, are used to categorize porn.
"The accumulation of categories does not separate fantasies from each other, but permits flow from one fantasy to another and draws thousands of paths corresponding to more and more precise desires," Prieur and his co-workers wrote according to Live Science.
Porn Studies, published by Routledge, and will be available to anyone online for a limited time.
