Food porn is a glamourised spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media,[1] foods boasting a high fat and calorie content,[2] exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex.[3] Food porn often takes the form of food photography and styling that presents food provocatively, in a similar way to glamour photography or pornographic photography.
In the United Kingdom,[citation needed] food porn is usually acknowledged as advertisements where food is presented in an 'arousing' manner, for example; with water dripping from it in order to imitate a woman with bodily fluids dripping from her loins. The term appears to have been coined by the feminist critic Rosalind Coward in her 1984 book Female Desire[4] in which she writes: "Cooking food and presenting it beautifully is an act of servitude. It is a way of expressing affection through a gift... That we should aspire to produce perfectly finished and presented food is a symbol of a willing and enjoyable participation in servicing others. Food pornography exactly sustains these meanings relating to the preparation of food. The kinds of picture used always repress the process of production of a meal. They are always beautifully lit, often touched up." (p. 103)
In the United States, food porn is a term applied when "food manufacturers are capitalising on a backlash against low-calorie and diet foods by marketing treats that boast a high fat content and good artery-clogging potential".[2] The origin of the term was attributed to the Center for Science in the Public Interest[2] which began publishing a regular column called "Right Stuff vs. Food Porn" for its Nutrition Action Healthletter in January 1998.[5][6]
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In popular culture
Jim Lahey, owner and executive baker/chef at Sullivan Street Bakery and Co. Restaurant, was one of the first chefs to bring the term to the culinary scene on his website launched in 1996.[citation needed]
Another possible meaning is referring to the attractiveness and presentation style of some cooking show hosts, such as Nigella Lawson. Lawson has become renowned for her flirtatious manner of presentation, and the perceived overt sexuality of her presentation style has led to her being labelled by several commentators as the "queen of food porn".[7][8][9]
Food porn and junk food
The term is also sometimes used to refer to food that is very high in calories or a poor nutritional choice, but nevertheless extremely enjoyable. In this way, it is synonymous with junk food. Fast food and sweets are primary examples of junk food. This usage is favoured, and perhaps coined, by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Actual pornography
The term may also refer to pornography in which sexual games are played with food items.
The film 9½ Weeks started a (mostly short-lived) fad of incorporating food into erotic play.[citation needed] This was spoofed in Hot Shots! See also wet and messy fetishism.
The title of the 1999 film American Pie refers to a scene in the film in which the lead character is caught masturbating with an apple pie after previously being told that third base feels "like warm apple pie".
The 2006 film Idiocracy, which portrays a dystopian society in which the entire world population has low intelligence, features a scene where a man watches a pornographic television program that shows a woman cutting a steak with a fork and knife using her feet.
See also
References
- Hertneky, Paul, Popmatters.com (August 15, 2006). More Than a Mouthful
- Footnotes
- ^ Probyn, Elspeth (1999). "Beyond Food/Sex: Eating and an Ethics of Existence". Theory, Culture & Society 16 (2): 215–228. doi:10.1177/02632769922050485.
- ^ a b c Davis, Simon (2000-05-10). "Unhealthy eating is new fad in US". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2000-05-12. http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0038mb. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ Bourdain, Anthony (2001-11-04). "Food Porn: Lust for the gastronomic--from Zola to cookbooks--is nothing new, but maybe it's time to shelve it". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/11/04/RV201066.DTL. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ Coward, Rosalind (1984). Female Desire: Women's Sexuality Today. Paladin. ISBN 039454591.
- ^ "1998 Index". Center for Science in the Public Interest. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/1998index.html.
- ^ "April '98 Right Stuff vs. Food Porn". Center for Science in the Public Interest. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/april98back.htm.
- ^ Sands, Sarah (2006-12-01). "I don't want to be some kitchen blow-up sex doll". The Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=420003&in_page_id=1879. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Duff, Oliver (2007-07-20). "Davis awaits 'chat' with researcher's lawyers". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/pandora/davis-awaits-chat-with-researchers-lawyers-457957.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
- ^ Gaudron, Melissa (2007-11-20). "Nigella Feasts". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv-reviews/nigella-feasts/2007/11/20/1195321761821.html. Retrieved 2008-04-01.