“We find real Indian clips more interesting because they are people like us.”
Porn consumption has grown exponentially since the emergence of the internet. One country leading the way in its usage is India – yes, the land of the Kama Sutra.
The net worth of the porn industry is around £68,000,000,000, according to various reports.
EDsmart has reported more than 1 in 5 Google searches are for porn and there are over 572 billion porn web pages online.
With the types of porn increasingly changing due to demand, one genre which is aptly growing is amateur porn.
Dubbed one of the most ‘long-lasting genres of pornography,’ amateur pornography is a category of porn that features unpaid non-professionals. This allows seemingly ‘normal’ men and women to feature in sex films.
Much of the amateur porn produced is either by couples who are fully aware that they are filming themselves having sex, or being filmed by a third party, or clips of people having sex that have been filmed without the knowledge of those in the footage.
This ‘real’ kind of porn has developed a huge appeal in India. The growth of amateur porn websites and the views on videos being uploaded is a strong indicator of the demand.
Indian consumers of amateur porn feel they are not being ‘cheated’ by having to watch specially selected men and women having ‘edited’ sex.
In particular, in India, amateur porn stems from the growth of MMS (multimedia messaging service) porn leaks and distribution via mobile phones and the evolution of social media platforms – including WhatsApp and porn sharing sites.
We take a closer look at how amateur porn in India is becoming a growing trend.
Pornography in India
In India, though watching pornography is legal, producing, publicising and distributing such material contravenes Indian laws.
Indian law classes pornography as an “obscenity” and is explicitly mentioned in Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Information Technology Act, 2000 specifies online pornography as a punishable offence.
Despite the social stigma, India was the 3rd most porn watching country in the world in 2016 according to Pornhub.
In 2015, the Indian government did try to ban porn, however, it did not last long when there was a huge public outcry. The ban was lifted on August 4, 2015, after being enforced for only 5 days.
The surge of porn consumption in India has been attributed to its availability on the internet, the growth of smartphones and the ability to share adult content easily.
Whilst the Indian government is in the persistent pursuit of suppressing its access, eyebrows were raised when government ministers in Karnataka were caught watching porn on their phones whilst in parliament.
In many ways, porn is being used as a form of sex education in India due to the restrictions on dialogue about sex in school and in society.
Indian women are viewing porn at increasing rates, giving them insights into understanding sexual pleasure.
Amateur Porn in India
Amateur pornography has slowly crept its way through to Indian territory. Millions of Indians are becoming aroused over couples’ intimate moments online.
The reasons for the outbreak of amateur porn in Indian society varies. Contrary to popular belief, revenge porn is not the only form of amateur pornography to reach India.
The MMS Era
In the early 2000’s, the camera phone was introduced. Though it came with its perks, it also began to pose serious threats to privacy.
Some of the earliest forms of amateur porn were established through MMS – Multi-Media Messaging. This allowed users to share images, videos and audio to dozens of people with the push of a button, which was particularly popular with Indian audiences.
But why does our generation, in particular, enjoy watching novice performers in substandard, often clumsy erotica?
“Amateur has the most popular genre right now worldwide. The novelty of porn and overproduction has worn out to the point that pornos are trying to ape the amateur style,” says Reddit user, Sheetal.*
According to an earlier report from The Times of India, MMS “may become favoured ‘vehicle’ of pornography.”
This can have dire consequences, as was the case for a couple in Kerala who reportedly took their own lives after a video of them kissing circulated via MMS.
More disturbing cases have been brought to the surface.
In 2013, Delhi Metro CCTV footage had been leaked to porn sites. This meant that images and videos of couples expressing any form of intimacy was now available on the net for the world to gawk at.
There was a stark contrast in public reactions. Whilst many were outraged at Delhi Metro, others were shifting their attention to the participants and putting their ‘promiscuous’ behaviour on blast.
Reality of Content
Homemade videos and amateur porn are becoming hugely popular on video websites focused on the Indian market.
Dedicated Indian websites provide Indian amateur porn or clips that are said to be ‘amateur.’ These are taken from clips being ‘shared’ on mobile networks or made by couples.
There are suggestions that some Indian hotel rooms may have secret cameras filming couples having sex. Especially those on their honeymoon or celebrating their first night – validating the rise in such clips available on amateur porn websites.
There is increased interest in married Indian couples when it comes to amateur Indian porn – indicating the use of such videos to provide a form of education or ‘targeted voyeurism’ for those who have never experienced sex, enjoy it as a kink, or are getting married soon.
Vijay,* a user of amateur porn, says:
“Sex education in India is very poor. We are not taught anything about how to be sexy with a girl. So, most of us are using porn clips to learn. We find real Indian clips more interesting because they are people like us. Not like the American people.”
Neena,* another viewer, says:
“Many Indian women are watching porn. It’s like a new wave of discovery. But there is no top quality Indian porn, which leaves us with homemade Indian clips which do give us the reality of Indian sex.”
Laila,* says:
“I don’t like how shady amateur porn is. I’d like to have a clear view of what’s going on and I absolutely cannot stand a dirty room with dirty sheets when I watch porn. Some aesthetics should be prioritised.”
Conversely, Hemant* expresses the demand for hidden camera porn:
“One of my friends is super into hidden cam vids, homemade and amateur stuff since school days and this dude still is into this same kink. We used to make fun of him for watching all that low-quality Indian porn. But I get it now, it’s the real deal.”
The Thrill of Secrecy
There are some who genuinely appreciate the thrill of getting ‘caught’, especially within reserved Desi communities.
Popular content and discussion sites such as Reddit have a dedicated page (subreddit) for Indians, to share their personal snaps.
One Indian woman, who posts her intimate photos on the subreddit, shares her motives:
“I started it with my old boyfriend a couple months ago, and once we broke up I kinda just got back into posting.
“As for the reason – I was born in India but was lucky enough to move to rural America when I was in my teens, and grew up being stigmatised, and told I was gross etc because of my skin colour, etc, so I guess it’s one of my own ways to feel validated?
“I guess overall it’s a mix of thrill and scare that someone who I actually know will find me.”
A South Asian male user mocks the idea of getting caught by a family member:
“Actually, the more I think about your question, the more it amuses me. If someone here happens to figure out who I am, then they will have a lot of explaining to do about browsing through the depths of this subreddit.”
Despite his derisive response, he and the majority of users were careful not to disclose their identity by only providing body shots.
Though attempts at regulation have been made, nothing can guarantee complete protection of the individual and their photographs on such sites.
Liberated, Young Indian Women
The number of images posted of young Indian women taking semi-nude photos of themselves in their bathrooms or bedrooms on their phones has significantly grown.
The desire to be ‘liked’ online in such a graphic way has also reached Indian youth.
With WhatsApp being one of the most popular social networks in India, there are indications that sharing of such amateur Indian porn images or videos are done using this app mostly.
Parveen*, an Indian student says:
“I’ve sent lots of images of me in my undergarments and nude shots from my phone to my boyfriend and so has he. It makes us feel sexually closer. We both know it is so dangerous! But cool too!”
The ‘excitement’ of contravening social rules and regulations is a constant appeal.
The ‘self-validation’ approach also appears to be increasingly popular for many Desis, which although can be empowering for some, highlights a more serious problem regarding South Asians and the conventional standards of beauty.
Types of Indian Amateur Porn
Indian amateur porn exists in many different categories. With the demand showing its growth, these different types are aiming to please the viewers of this specific type of Indian adult content.
Dedicated websites, forums, and social media platforms are all being used. Hence, Reddit is not the only forum site where Indian amateur porn is making an appearance.
There are many other dedicated forum sites which have members regularly sharing explicit clips and images.
The different types of Indian amateur porn include:
- Leaked Images or Videos – images or videos posted on sites are from possibly leaked files or those stolen from personal smartphones, perhaps given for repair. Some sites even go as far as saying ‘don’t blame us if your girlfriend or wife appears here’.
- Kinks – such as a ‘cuckold kink’ where Indian men encourage comments from fellow male followers on nude images or videos of their wives or girlfriends (frequently without faces) for their own pleasure.
- Bollywood Actress Fantasies – where ‘sexy’ images of Bollywood actresses are used to act out sexual fantasies amongst other followers of a forum or website. Some images are photoshopped with faces of actresses on nude bodies of other women, called ‘fakes’.
- Mature Fetish – images and videos of the ‘aunty’ or ‘bhabi’ engaging in sexual intimacy. These also include maids and house-keepers.
- Desi Girls – sites dedicated to nude or underwear-clad images or videos of Desi girls around the globe. Many of these images or videos appear on these sites most likely without the women in them knowing – as some of the images appear to be personal images sent to boyfriends or partners.
- Hidden Cameras – these are videos of sexual acts featuring an Indian couple shot by hidden cameras in a hotel room, a car or even internet cafe. Honeymoon and first-night wedding videos are very popular in this category.
- Personal Experiences – where a couple or husband posts images or videos on a site of his sexual experience with his wife or girlfriend. These can include ‘personal conquest’ videos, usually posted by men expecting glowing feedback.
In a society where sex alone is so stigmatised, the contribution of the various categories of amateur Indian porn is quickly shaping the growth of this underground adult genre for which there is an unequivocal desire, denoted especially by its huge consumption in India.
Crossover of Amateur and Revenge Porn
It’s not just the desire to see ‘real’ men and women engage in sexual intimacy that entices millions of Indian viewers.
India is one of many countries that has seen the arrival of amateur pornography in its most hostile form – revenge pornography. Often involving bitter ex-partners disclosing footage of their former lovers in their most vulnerable form, revenge porn is a sordid attempt at public humiliation and social exclusion.
The ‘honour’ mentality is most prevalent in South Asian communities, where the concept of respect and shame carries great significance.
Though there is no specific law criminalising revenge porn in India, ‘voyeurism’ is recognised as an offence under Section 354C of the Indian Penal Code. This is defined as ‘watching or capturing a woman in a ‘private act.’’
Section 66E of The Information Technology Act can also protect victims, providing punishment for violation of privacy.
However, the problem is that of how to report such violations.
For an Indian woman to report such a crime, strength and perseverance are essential.
A typical view of Indian law enforcement on the ground would be, “why did you take such photos in the first place?” – Implying that such violations are the fault of the source and not of the perpetrator.
An example case is that of a female Indian student in New Delhi who took her own life in April 2017, after her boyfriend threatened to leak personal videos online. He and the police were branded as responsible for her death due to lack of support.
Incidentally, the first case of such a conviction taking place was in March 2018 where Animesh Bakshi, from West Bengal, was jailed for sharing photos of his ex-girlfriend.
In addition, there is also the increase in Indian vendors selling videos featuring criminal acts such as gang rape in seedy shops at a price range of Rs 50-150 (£0.57-1.70), depending on their ‘exclusivity’.
Hence, the path to justice for revenge porn is a bumpy one.
Vivek, raising caution about making amateur Indian porn, says:
“This is why you should never record a video of yourself having sex. You never know when you might get your phone/laptop stolen and next thing you know it’s on the internet.”
The difference between amateur porn in India and revenge porn is a grey area and is only going to matter to a victim, not the consumer.
So, is the demand for Indian amateur porn going to grow? Yes, most certainly. Currently, this is the only type of porn available which has a ‘realistic connection’ for viewers.
The sexually repressed status of Indian society most certainly plays a role in the infatuation with amateur porn. Naive youth who have had no previous ‘talk’ on sex may rely heavily on pornographic material for educational purposes, with its authenticity and relatability feeding its tremendous success.
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