Reflexivity in the Pornographic Films of Candida Royalle

Abstract

Both conventional wisdom and prior scholarship indicate that women typically find pornography less appealing than men. Recently, researchers have suggested that the sexually explicit films of Candida Royalle represent a new form of pornography that is more attractive to women. We examined the films of Candida Royalle in terms of reflexivity, a film technique that draws attention to film conventions and the filmmaking process within the context of a film. We identify three reflexive processes that operate in Candida Royalle’s films and consider how they may contribute to the development of a subject space that makes her films more appealing to women, in comparison to traditional pornographic films. The benefits of this new subject space are considered.