Georgia Harrison’s Journey: A Deep Dive into Revenge Porn
In recent years, launching a serious documentary has become almost as much a rite of passage for reality television stars as snagging a fast fashion collaboration. Figures like Chris Hughes have tackled male fertility, Olivia Atwood has explored the world of cosmetic surgery, and Zara McDermott has established herself with documentaries on topics ranging from revenge porn to eating disorders, even covering the tragic 2022 University of Idaho student murders. The latest islander to step into this arena is Georgia Harrison, who starred in the 2017 season. Her two-part ITV documentary, Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power and Profit, aims to shed light on the harrowing realities of revenge porn.
Harrison’s documentary is deeply personal; it stems from her own traumatic experience. In 2020, her ex-boyfriend, television personality Stephen Bear, callously uploaded a private video of the couple engaged in an intimate act to his OnlyFans account. This footage, filmed without Harrison’s consent, quickly went viral, thrusting her into a nightmare of public scrutiny. Fast forward to 2023, and Bear was convicted of voyeurism and the unauthorized sharing of private, sexual photographs and films, receiving a 21-month prison sentence, of which he served only half. In a courageous move, Harrison chose to waive her anonymity and has since become a vocal advocate against revenge porn.
The premise of her documentary highlights a shocking reality: despite Bear’s conviction and Harrison’s relentless efforts to remove the video from the internet, it continues to resurface without her consent—a situation she likens to a frustrating game of “whack-a-mole.” Her investigative approach revolves around the question of financial motivation, probing into “who profits from this and what drives their actions?” It’s revealed that Bear made £22,000 from the video, which he was ordered to repay, in addition to paying compensation to Harrison. Yet, she seeks to uncover the larger players profiting from a staggering $90 billion industry.
Investigating the Underbelly of the Adult Industry
What follows is a commendable, albeit somewhat naive, exploration into the murky world of free “tube” porn sites and their advertising models. Harrison sends out numerous emails to obscure contacts in the industry, attempting to secure interviews, and she even engages in a Google Translate-assisted WhatsApp conversation with a site owner from Vietnam. Though her enthusiasm is palpable, Harrison lacks the journalistic experience necessary to deliver the thorough scrutiny this subject matter demands.
Her journey takes her to an adult industry networking event in Bucharest, where she interviews a former porn star turned sex coach. This individual shares that men are drawn to leaked videos because they represent a “taboo” that conveys authentic intimacy and pleasure. However, Harrison misses the opportunity to challenge this narrative, failing to question whether the allure lies more in the non-consensual nature of these acts.
In a pivotal moment, she briefly speaks with Patricia Nilsson, a journalist from the Financial Times who has dedicated years to investigating this issue. It’s evident that while Harrison’s intentions are sincere, she is only scratching the surface of a complex problem.
Despite these challenges, Harrison does manage to secure a significant interview with Solomon Friedman, a rabbi and partner at the private equity firm owning Pornhub. His discomfort in facing a real victim of these crimes is palpable, highlighting the disconnect between corporate interests and human suffering.
Where Harrison truly excels is in her willingness to share her own exhausting and humiliating journey. It is enlightening to witness her visit a revenge porn helpline, where she learns that, despite her relentless efforts, her video is still accessible on nearly 90 websites, accumulating a staggering eight million views. Even more shocking is the revelation that her name is exploited as a clickbait search term, driving traffic to videos featuring other women, many of which may also be non-consensual.
Georgia Harrison undoubtedly displays immense courage as she becomes a relatable figure tackling this pressing issue. However, while her documentary raises awareness, it also underscores the need for rigorous journalism to expose the hidden truths of this opaque industry. Unfortunately, this well-intentioned documentary falls short of delivering the comprehensive investigation that the topic so desperately requires.
‘Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power, Profit’ continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV2
