You give me cabin fever

AM I the only one to feel a little challenged by the pervasive use of the word ‘porn’ on social-media sites or in book titles?

- Pamela Goodman

‘Porn’ seems to have become a generic, catch-all suffix for something that aims to tantalise or to stimulate, generally in an aesthetically pleasing way, hence food porn, property porn, bicycle porn, chocolate porn. Add the word porn and supposedly the most prosaic of subject matters will become instantly desirable.

When a friend gave me a book called Cabin Porn, there was a moment’s hesitation as my imagination fluttered briefly over the possible contents. No need to worry, of course, as the book was as tasteful as could be, presenting an assortment of exquisite rural escapes the world over, plus advice on how to build your own. I have since discovered that Cabin Porn is a New York Times bestseller— translated into eight languages.