Book Excerpt #6: Meet Iman

When viewing pornography that features Black men, do you typically watch interracial pornography or that featuring only Black actors?

I would say 65% only Black actors.

Is there any particular reason?

It's definitely changed over time. I think, as a kid I was much more, kind of like, shameful of my ethnicity, and I didn't view Black women as beautiful as White women or Latina women. I would say as a kid, for starting out watching, it would be like 90, 90% of other races, other ethnicities, but I don't know. My perspective has drastically changed for my own ethnicity, my own dignity and that, so as a result, who I deem as beautiful and attractive has also changed and I like, really now appreciate more, you know, Black women, and see them as beautiful. So, I feel like that's changed over time. Yeah, so I just find them attractive and, you know, beautiful. I guess more realistic as well. Like, when I think of like, White women or something, I see them as less, like, realistic in terms of my own circumstances because growing up in the South, it’s just that odds are that wouldn’t happen.

When did the change start to happen—the shift in attraction?

Let's say junior year of high school—that was like a slow start—and then by senior year of high school it was a heavy change.

In the scenes featuring Black men, how are the Black men depicted in the scenes you view?

If both actors are Black, they're just treated as a person. If the actress is White, then they're kind of more seen as like, exotic, or like something like more bestial or something like, “Wow you're so this and that.” It's more featured on their body features and things like that. So, it depends.

When you say, “treated as a person,” can you elaborate?

It’s like, when I say it, there’s no emphasis on the fact that he’s Black. He is simply a male actor.