The social networking site GoneWild is an offshoot of the mega-popular Reddit. On this site, so-called “normal people,” or non-porn stars, can post naked pictures of themselves and solicit comments back from other users. Surprisingly, the vast majority of those who upload images are women. Consequently, most viewers are men. The site is free, but those who post pictures can receive internet Bitcoins or upgrade gift packages on Reddit. From a cursory examination, most of the pictures would be considered soft-core porn: consisting of topless shots and closeups of breasts; almost all are headless – concealing the person's identity. I was mystified by the small, but still substantial, amount of women willing to show their faces as well as their bodies. A fair number are hard-core: including images of genitalia and various sex acts.
Sadly, what I find most disturbing, is not the crassness and vulgarity of the photographs, but the willingness of women to self-exploit themselves; and for little to no economic rewards; this is even more bizarre because almost 100% of the women whom I knew in the porn industry got involved with pornography because they needed the money; some saw it as a stepping-stone to fame, but they were in the minority. Some of the various articles that I perused on the internet, about Reddit, interviewed certain women who have become involved with GoneWild: most claimed that they posted images in order to get a a boost to their “self-esteem.” Tragically, this is how far the porn-mentality has dug into the very psyche of America. For, now, women think they have to act like porn-stars in order to get recognition and praise from men.