Canada- Jesika Joy’s work has been lumped in with pornography because of its sexually explicit orientation. A critical appreciation of her work, however, suggests a rejuvenated feminism empowered by social responsibility and spirituality.

Ms. Joy creates new sexually expressive visual representations to contrast with what she views to be the exploitative milieu of the porn industry. For Joy, the problem with the porn industry is not so much nudity and explicit sexuality as expressed by religious fundamentalists and other lobbyists.

The problem is first that the porn industry has become another exploitative “spoke” in the wheel of “global capitalism”. Secondly, the porn industry, or more specifically our consumption of its products, is devoid of social responsibility.

In consuming porn we indirectly use the body of another for our masturbatory pleasure without any genuine interpersonal interaction. This erases the necessity of negotiating the social complexities inherent to all face-to-face sexual encounters. This, according to Joy, renders pornography spiritually defunct in that it does not necessitate any commitment on the part of its viewers.

Capitalism is an economic ideology which vaunts the acquisition of capital, (including the materialistic exploitation of “Human Capital”) for commercial profit, over the alternative of Human Development. The porn industry, like most industries, has profit as its primary motive. In order to hold onto the possibility that our sexual relations might escape capitalism’s logic, Joy seeks to inspire her audience to become more than passive consumers in a materialistically “market-driven” society.

Instead she hopes her images might encourage us to become sentient human beings engaged in creative dialogue with one another. Her visual presentations show that erotic expression geared to social liberation has the possibility of inspiring progressive social change.

Joy’s vision during the pursuit of her graduate studies at Toronto’s York University, was for her work not just to speak to feminist and arts-based constituencies alone but to a diverse public. Her website’s lack of the commercial focus that typifies self-presented feminists in the porn industry (including Annie Sprinkle, Danni Ashe, and Nina Hartley) immediately sets it apart for public reflection. Her seductive and sometimes shocking works inspire the kind of personal and societal introspection missing from the porn industry that is highly focused on maximizing commercial profits.

Indeed, Jesika Joy’s spirituality is implicit in her sexuality, including her views of sex. Joy indicates in the article titled “The Paper Bag Princess” by Denise Mertiri in the Fall 2007 edition of F Nouveau Magazine, that she views sex as a “spiritual act of connection between two people, and as a way of speaking to God.” This view is similar to that expressed by ancient Gnostics as documented by John Lash and practices of tantra.

What is critical in Joy’s work is the artistic pursuit of interconnectedness. Her constant return to religious themes of sacrifice brings forth ideas that commitment always involves its sacrifice – including commitments that strive towards interconnectedness.

For Joy, an excessive consumption of pornography becomes a spiritually defunct masturbatory activity that does not encourage reflection and transformation upon how we exist in the world.

Joy’s spiritual concerns are not separate from her appreciation of social issues. She strives to develop a feminism that avoids the traps of victim narratives that can often provoke social despair and paralysis. She is critically concerned with the plight of women and institutionalized discrimination in white male dominated society. Joy demonstrates that erotic creative expression can be embraced by women in a manner that inspires critical thought as the basis for substantive democracy. She uses art to engage her audiences and create new visions for communality.