Shades of gay: Performance of girl-on-girl pornography and mobile authenticities

Abstract

Sexuality is often considered to be ‘naturally’ derived, and thus subject to discourses of authenticity. Through a discussion with non-exclusively heterosexual women performing lesbian sexuality in pornography, this article seeks to complicate ideas surrounding performance and authenticity. I argue that performance itself, by reiterating certain culturally salient codes, determines what is generally viewed as ‘authentic’. In addition, I argue that ‘authenticity’ is a mobile descriptor that may or may not be applied to a participant’s sex-work performances for reasons that go far beyond simple consistency between off- and on-camera sex acts.