Feminist porn – the rise of ethical sex
Some people read erotica, some use their imaginations, and other prefer to get sexual inspiration from pictures and videos. The recent explosion of ethical porn is getting a lot of attention in the media this week, so we thought it’d be good to give an overview, and hopefully get your thoughts on the rise of feminist porn….
The BBC this week reported from the Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto – a gathering of filmmakers, performers, and others involved in the industry. If you’d asked most people about feminist porn ten years ago, many would stare at you in surprise – there were very few people championing the idea that porn could be produced by and for women.
What is ‘feminist porn’?
Recently we’ve seen a sharp increase in the amount of pornography created by, and aimed at, women. The idea of porn as something that men watch alone has been challenged by producers creating videos that are much more inclusive – a wider diversity of performers and scenarios, as well as explicit and obvious enthusiasm on the part of the performers.
Pandora Blake, owner of ethical porn site Dreams of Spanking, says “if it’s possible to have sex in a feminist way, it’s possible to record it in a feminist way.” This includes thinking about ‘female gaze’ – what straight women might like to see from a scene – as well as embracing people with body types and sexualitiues that are underrepresented in traditional porn.
What makes porn ethical?
This kind of pornography appeals strongly to those who have previously been turned off by the impression that the porn industry as a whole is exploitative. There’s an idea that in order for porn to be made, someone down the line has to be exploited – certainly financially, if not physically. The ethical porn pioneers are doing their best to challenge that.
Cindy Gallop, the founder of MakeLoveNotPorn.com, is one of the pioneers trying to change that power balance. Her site is user-generated – couples upload videos of them having sex in the ways they enjoy, then other users pay to rent these films. There’s no director pushing people to take things further than they like, and no exaggerated enjoyment.
Cindy’s site was launched as a way to counter the impact she perceives of hardcore porn on our sex culture – to “counter the impact of porn as sex education” – as well as show that you don’t need to get ripped off if you’re working in the porn industry. Her website works on a revenue-sharing model, meaning those who make videos get a 50% share of the revenue they generate.
Ethical turn-ons?
The good news for all of us is that in recent years there has been much more discussion around pornography, and a rise in erotic products of all kinds – books, videos, sex toys and more. There’s now a huge range of material – from 50 Shades of Grey to ethical spanking films – catering to a broad range of sexual tastes.
There are still some people for whom porn will always be a turn off, as when it comes to sex everyone has different preferences. But do you think that the image of porn is changing? And are you more tempted by porn that’s been made by an ethical production team?