Pornhub’s new domestic violence clothing line is a slap in the face

Pornhub, the biggest pornography site on the entire internet, recently announced they would be launching a clothing line to “support victims of domestic violence.” The company is partnering with porn star, Christy Mack, who went public about the extreme violence she faced at the hands of ex-boyfriend and MMA fighter, War Machine, in 2014.

“The exclusive clothing line will consist of a limited run of gear set to be sold on Pornhub’s newly created Pornhub Apparel e-commerce site, with 100 per cent of the profits to be donated to a yet unnamed domestic abuse charity of Mack’s choosing,” the site announced on Wednesday.

Corey Price, Vice President of Pornhub said, “Domestic violence impacts women, men and children across the United States each and every day. Nearly one in four women and one in seven men have suffered severe physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Here at Pornhub, we want to be part of the solution and help stop the cycle of domestic abuse.” He added, “We’re hoping our new partnership will raise necessary awareness around the issue and contribute to sparking meaningful discussions on the subject within our community.”

“Meaningful discussions,” huh? I bet y’all are wondering what a site that has made billions off of the degradation, objectification, and abuse of women looks like, don’t you? Well, naturally, it looks like this:

Pornhub

To be clear, Pornhub is using domestic abuse as a means to sell more porn. Sure, they’re (supposedly) donating what are sure to be meager earnings, in comparison to the money they make through the main website, to some “domestic abuse charity,” (I am interested to see which “domestic abuse charity” will accept money from a company that profits from the abuse of women) but what they’re selling is still porn. They’re using violence against women as a way to advertise their product.

So, business as usual, I suppose. I mean, Pornhub quite literally sells violence against women. If you Google, “Pornhub domestic violence,” the first thing that comes up is a link to the endless videos on their site tagged “domestic violence,” the second is a link to their “sexual abuse” videos. The third, ironically, is a link to Pornhub’s announcement that the company “cares about ending domestic violence.” Oh yeah. They care so much they’re willing to sell it to men as masturbatory material.

Liberals and so-called “sex positive feminists” have called the line “an incredible, empowering collection,” apparently mixing up the words, “infinite levels of amazing,” with “disgusting, opportunistic, manipulative effort to capitalize on women’s suffering for their own gain.” The Frisky, renowned for its valiant efforts to sell violence against women as sexy and empowering, has also jumped on board, encouraging women to support this “important cause.”

It’s so funny how misogynists don’t give a rat’s ass about women’s liberation and humanity until they can make a buck off of it, hey? lol.

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the day we can have a “meaningful discussion” about the fact that sexualizing violence against women quite literally normalizes and contributes to violence against women. Oh. I guess we’re already doing it. Here in feminism. Not in attendance: the pornographers.

Meghan Murphy

Founder & Editor

Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist from Vancouver, BC. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including The Spectator, UnHerd, Quillette, the CBC, New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and is now exiled in Mexico with her very photogenic dog.