TW: Depiction of sexual assault, drug abuse, alcoholism
The marketing for the show was incredibly misleading. I was vaguely aware of the show last year in peak lockdown and watching the advert you’d think it was some zany, girl-power comedy. Instead when you watch it, you’re consuming something which is much more disturbing, at times messy but overall surprisingly profound.
The show follows Hayley, (or her porn alias “Jolene Dollar”) and her opening scene is her filming a simulated masturbation during a car wash. She shares the same name as her actress Hayley Squires (from I, Daniel Blake), I do think Squires is definitely getting typecast in stereotypical working class roles, however I believe Adult Material is her first comedy. Our protagonist is bold with her magenta hair and appears remarkably charming. On set, a naive newcomer Amy is having her first ever day and is brimming with excitement. Hayley immediately acts maternal towards her (being a mother of three herself) but seems rather tense around her too. I don’t know if this really is an actual procedure in the UK porn industry, but both Hayley and Amy are interviewed on camera to check in if they felt violated during their act. However, Amy is the catalyst in exposing the archaic and seedy elements of their shared workplace. Uncomfortable questions around consent and coercion are brought up when the sleazy director suggests Amy could do an anal scene. Hayley is adamant that Amy shouldn’t be pressured into the scene on her first day. However, Hayley later proves to be contradictory as when her teenage daughter tells her about her boyfriend raping her (she is unaware it was rape), Hayley dismisses it as “boys being boys”. It’s a slight flaw with Hayley’s characterisation as how can she be firm with boundaries in her professional life and not recognise violations in real life?
I do wonder how accurate this show is in depicting the porn industry, particularly the UK. In our sex-positive times, Adult Material does lean into the negative stereotypes associated with the industry. Rupert Everret plays Carroll, a powerful porn producer who looks like an 80’s pimp and has a complicated friendship with Hayley. Carroll puts Hayley (and many other women) in an uncomfortable position as he ships in American predatory star Tom who Hayley clearly has had an unpleasant experience with. Tom feels perhaps a little too villainous, though I am starting to feel this recent “nice guy in wolf’s clothing” version of predators is quickly becoming a tired trope, though of course I recognise the reality of that archetype. Adult Material is careful not to verge into a didactic sex-negative view. MP Stella Maitland at first seems to be set up as a SWERF but she gently says to Hayley later, “A century ago, I’d have been outraged by your ankles. There’s nothing inherently dirty about desire”. The intersection between feminism is an interesting theme the show investigates. Hayley herself is very outspoken and bold and berates a judgemental headmistress by pointing out she is probably intimidated by a working class woman earning more than her. However, due to Hayley’s upbringing and conditioning she’s at odds with the current progression after the #MeToo movement. At one point, she hisses at
Stella saying she hates women who complain about their boss touching their bum back in the 90s, but Stella forces Hayley at one point to investigate how she herself can push boundaries with others. Therefore, the show shines a light on how women can be complicit or even perpetrators of crossing the lines in consent. Hayley isn’t always particularly likeable and can be borderline disturbing at times, but you can see she’s endured too much tragedy and exploitation for one person to bear. I was reminded of Fleabag when Hayley recalls a memory with her boyfriend of running home to a neighbour’s house after being flashed and the said neighbour chuckling to Hayley, “One day Hayley…dirty old men won’t even look at you. And when that day comes, do you know how you’ll feel? You’ll feel like a fucking ghost”. It reminds me of Fleabag because of how it investigates how women are so tightly tied to this idea of being desirable and catering to the male gaze. It’s a constant and contradictory battle most women have to contend with.
I actually binged this in one weekend. Not exactly binge material with the heavy and disturbing themes. The show concludes on a slightly messy and puzzling note, but I still think it’s a worthwhile watch. There definitely still is humour to balance the gloom, I particularly enjoyed it when Hayley shouts, “Farming is the oldest profession actually! Farming!”.
Juliette
Feminist Book Club 