# Food Porn, Real Estate Porn, Etc.: What Was The First Non-Sexual 'Porn' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993 "2020-01-26T15:12:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/1 "2020-01-26T15:12:01Z")
I’ve been hearing the phrase “food porn” for at least a decade. I’ve also heard of “real estate porn” and, of late, “poverty porn” and “inspiration porn.” What was the first usage of “\_\_\_\_\_\_ porn,” where the word “porn” is used to describe something that isn’t necessarily sexual? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/2 "2020-01-26T15:29:15Z")
I recall kung fu / karate movies being described as “violence porn” in the early 1980s. I think that predates when I first heard the term “food porn”. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/3 "2020-01-26T15:57:36Z")
Interesting question. **AHunter3** ’s example predates mine: I think the first non-sexual use I recall is “torture porn”, which I started hearing when _24_ was on the air. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/4 "2020-01-26T16:23:32Z")
Google books ngrams show food porn in 1980, but maybe I don’t understand how that site works because it didn’t return anything for the other terms people have mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/5 "2020-01-26T16:29:25Z")
I first used the term “food porn” in the late 80s, and I thought I had invented it, although I suppose I might have heard it before that. The people I was with at the time thought I’d invented it, too, and liked the invention. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/6 "2020-01-26T19:27:30Z")
I recall the phrase “ski porn” being used for Warren Miller type films in the early eighties. It fits logically as these were movies shot for a smaller audience using a lower budget. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/7 "2020-01-26T19:49:48Z")
The concept, though not the term, of ‘food porn’ comes up in a CS Lewis essay from around the 40s, where he does a thought experiment of having a ‘striptease show’ equivalent, only with a plate of tasty-looking food on display instead of a woman’s body. I can never read it without thinking ‘Little do you know…’ ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/8 "2020-01-26T20:11:01Z")
Here’s an interesting article about the definition of porn(ography): [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sex-wars/201903/what-does-porn-mean-anyway](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sex-wars/201903/what-does-porn-mean-anyway) Interestingly, the first time I heard it used to refer to non-sexual content (though arguably, it may be sexually arousing to some people) is gore porn or slasher porn in the early '80’s. I suspect the early 80’s saw the rise of the use of \_\_\_ porn because X-rated movies had become more socially accepted in the early to mid 70’s after _Deep Throat_ and \*The Devil in Miss Jones \*became mainstream. Edit: Food porn makes since for some (many?) there’s a sexual aspect to eating food. So does violence porn and kung fu porn in that context. The other uses are less connected to the sexual aspect. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/9 "2020-01-26T20:28:38Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > The concept, though not the term, of ‘food porn’ comes up in a CS Lewis essay from around the 40s, where he does a thought experiment of having a ‘striptease show’ equivalent, only with a plate of tasty-looking food on display instead of a woman’s body. > > I can never read it without thinking ‘Little do you know…’ I recall this as well. I believe it shows up in _Mere Christianity_ ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/10 "2020-01-27T01:55:40Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Google books ngrams show food porn in 1980, but maybe I don’t understand how that site works because it didn’t return anything for the other terms people have mentioned. In fact, Google Ngrams viewer shows occurrences of “food pornography” as early as the mid-1960s. I don’t have any examples of its use, though; could just mean ordinary pornography involving food. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/11 "2020-01-27T02:00:51Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In fact, Google Ngrams viewer shows occurrences of “food pornography” as early as the mid-1960s. I don’t have any examples of its use, though; could just mean ordinary pornography involving food. Ah good catch; I didn’t write out “pornography”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/12 "2020-01-27T02:48:38Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In fact, Google Ngrams viewer shows occurrences of “food pornography” as early as the mid-1960s. I don’t have any examples of its use, though; could just mean ordinary pornography involving food. I remember some talk about Muscle car porn in the 70’s, iirc, but I think you have the winner. But maybe the muscle car porn included a sexy babe - sorta clothed- sprawled on the hood. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/13 "2020-01-27T07:01:53Z")
I remember the “-sploitation” films that cropped up in the 70’s. Remember thet what was being exploited by the movie producers was the audience’s ability to ignore how unlikely a situation was, if it involved its desired “thing”. Blaxsploitation was at its best when every role in the film was filled by an African American actor (except John Vernon or Tony Franciosa’s roles). Including roles that in real life was never going to be African American. See also “Live and Let Die”. That seems the definition of blank-porn movies. Just to mention, I used to call a lot of anime “space porn” because every house, every room in every house, was absurdly huge. Sofas big enough to park a car on, after you’d driven the car down the hallway as wide as a two lane road. People like to see things they can’t get in real life. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/14 "2020-01-27T07:15:10Z")
Not the earliest, but to me the most amusing, use of the word “porn” in a non-sexual way was a tornado chaser who talked about people who like to watch severe-weather videos. You guessed it: “torn porn.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-porn-real-estate-porn-etc-what-was-the-first-non-sexual-porn/846993/15 "2020-01-27T07:54:53Z")
Could the whole pimple-popper fandom be labelled ‘pop-porn’?