Does ‘moral’ porn exist: adult content with integrity and, dare we say it, ethics? You know, porn where healthy, happy, consenting, age-verified actors are paid a fair wage and its consumers can indulge guilt-free?

The answer is: maybe. It’s called ethical porn: a sort of fairtrade variant of XXX-rated material. Forget bargain-basement grot knocked out in a shed in Poland; more like ‘this is not just porn… this is Marks & Spencer porn…’

But could it catch on? The first barrier is the word ‘ethical’, which conjures up visions of muesli or, worse, fully paid-up members of the Green Party.

YES, IT IS A “THING”

There’s even an Ethical Porn Partnership, run by my mate Nichi Hodgson, who used to be a dominatrix and is also seriously hot, which helps shatter the sandals and unisex beards image. Nichi assures me absolutely nobody is harmed during the making of ethical porn. Unless they want to be, of course.

In the spirit of ‘don’t knock it until you’ve tried it’ I gave ethical porn a whirl. One thing that’s immediately obvious is that, unlike the majority of porn, it isn’t made just for men.

FANTASY VS REALITY

That’s reflected in weird things like plot, dialogue and extended foreplay. Many of the directors are women and the performers don’t look like waxed Barbies and Kens. Instead, the bodies are diverse and hairier. For the love of God, some blokes even keep their socks on. Which begs the question: do people want reality in their fantasy?

Isn’t porn meant to be about escapism, not bouncing beer bellies and full muffs? Talking of which, some ethical porn is also feminist porn – an F-word that, for many, is the ultimate turn-off. Then there’s the deeper, philosophical question: can porn ever truly be considered ethical? For some, the two are completely incompatible.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

In 2013, I spent six months making a TV show for Channel 4 called Porn On The Brain, which looked at how porn is shaping the sex we have, and worked intimately with young men (and, later, women) who felt addicted to porn. I interviewed anti-porn feminists who scoffed at the notion that porn can ever have a conscience. In their minds, all porn leads to bad porn, and bad porn leads to violent sex. Such critics will always maintain that women are harmed during the making of porn, whether or not they choose to admit it.

I now visit schools where I’ve spoken to thousands of kids aged 13-18 about porn and its role in sexual consent. I even report to the big knobs in government. We may not like it, but porn is a part of the modern world. We can’t turn off the internet, and some porn is undeniably ‘worse’ than other stuff. For those who desire a cleaner conscience, could ethical porn be the answer?

Read more: Is porn bad for you?