Pornography is something that most of us engage with from a relatively young age. As we grow up, it seems that people develop a clear anti-porn or pro-porn stance regardless of whether or not they viewed pornography behind closed doors. The reality of the situation is less opinionated. Pornography is beautiful, but it is only truly good when its creation and distribution are entirely ethical. To put it bluntly, porn is either morally and ethically sound, or it’s not. Unfortunately, most mainstream pornography is not produced with ethical standards in mind. As a result, the scenes you watch on popular tube sites like Pornhub could, at best, not fairly compensate the performers (especially female performers) or, at worst, include traumatic events like sexual assault or rape.
The majority of mainstream porn relies on problematic gender stereotypes for their storylines, often depicting women as submissive vehicles for male penetration and subsequent domination. Dom and sub-dynamics do healthily exist in BDSM but follow a strict code of consent and respect that most tube sites fail to depict these essential boundaries. This can create an in-authentic depiction of sex. In my opinion, there is only one way to help move the industry toward safe, authentic porn creation: for us consumers to engage solely with ethical porn sites and creators.
Ethical pornography can be hard to spot, Dr. David Ley suggests, as “porn is vulnerable to being "harmful, exploitive and misused.” Although it can be difficult to find pornography that adheres to ethical production protocols and advocates for ethical consumption methods, it’s not impossible. Once you find one ethical creator or site, the others begin to come out of the woodwork, as many ethical creators work with one another and promote each other's content. If you’re ready to begin your ethical porn consumption journey so you can feel good about the porn you engage with, look no further!
We at SHA are here to guide you through the process by creating a list of a few of our favorite ethical porn creators. This list includes ethical Pay-Per-View (PPV) options, as it’s fair for performers to have a paywall in front of their content. We understand that not everyone can shell out a lot of money for ethically sourced porn, so don’t worry; we’ve included very affordable options.
Afterglow
The first spotlight is on Afterglow, a sex-positive, pleasure-focused platform and community shifting the adult media paradigm. Afterglow is the picture of ethical porn done right, and it’s the first place you should stop on your ethical porn journey. This site is mainly PPV, but it’s affordable, and there is no doubt that it’s worth every penny. The content is truly one of a kind and transcends what is currently available on the market today due to its unique nature. The platform was founded in 2020 by Lilly Sparks with a mission “to help more people have great sex… through porn that’s hot enough to masturbate to, yet still realistic enough to be relatable.” Sparks and her team of women created the platform for people of all gender orientations.
The site is all-around inclusive: Afterglow’s videos showcase more than your traditional white hetero-cis couple, including people across different races, genders, and sexual orientations. We all deserve to see our identity depicted in a sexually desirable way, and Afterglow makes this possible. The site includes steamy ethical porn videos and eduporn (educational pornography) that you can learn from, including partner exercises and guided masturbation! Afterglow removes the taboo from engaging with pornography and rather provides us with content that we can use to explore our sex life, either alone or with partners. Afterglow provides ethical porn that is empowering, allowing its consumers to become experts in their pleasure by normalizing sex and porn in a modern world. Afterglow is absolutely committed to creating porn for the female gaze rather than the traditional male gaze. One of the sites consumers, Tricia, details her love for the content:
“I love afterglow because it's not just your average porn site--they are actually committed to creating scenes that are for the female gaze and create an environment that is ethical and safe for its workers. The first film I saw, Lip Service, was very realistic and very beautifully shot (and something that not only female-identifying people will enjoy!)” – Tricia
Not only is the content on Afterglow rooted in cinematic aesthetics but it’s also very inviting for people with all sorts of sexual backgrounds. Afterglow confidently and successfully produces content not only for people who are confident about sex and pornography but also for those who may have some sexual trauma or shame from religious or conservative ideologies. Leigh was one of these people and after becoming a consumer of Afterglow she became a raving customer:
“As a woman who experienced trauma around sex earlier in life (and a lot of shame around sex, too) I have been looking for porn that is exciting without the "ick" factor. Afterglow is IT! Their videos are sexy and don't make me feel cringey afterward. Highly, highly recommend to anyone looking to get turned on!” – Leigh
Afterglow is a platform that creates porn that you can both get turned on at and feel good about. Their porn is not only sexy but it’s also educational. Most importantly Afterglow provides us with porn that is ethical! Performers depict authentic safe sex that they are properly valued for in the industry. Afterglow is currently producing the best of the best in the ethical porn industry and we at SHA recommend that they should be at the top of your ethical porn list!
Xconfessions
Xconfessions was my introduction to ethical porn before Afterglow came into the industry. Created in 2013 by acclaimed filmmaker, Erika Lust, the platform quickly became known for its artistic, indie adult cinema that portrays sexually intelligent narratives, relatable characters, and realistic hot sex”. Lust makes ethical porn because she produces films where “sex can be shot in a way in which women and all genders are treated as equal sexual collaborators.” More than this, she aims to show authentic pleasure and portrayals of sex and bodies.
This is an important aspect of ethical porn because much of mainstream porn centers around fake depictions of sex. Consciously or not, people view pornography as sex education, making it all the more important for porn to be as real and authentic as possible. Xconfessions is a platform that features explicit short films based on the best anonymous confessions they receive. If your confession is chosen, you are rewarded with a one-year access pass to the site and get to see your story on film. Porn production can’t get any more relatable than stories inspired by consumers’ actual experiences and fantasies. Lust promotes the following message on her website that I feel perfect sums up Xconfessions:
“Together, we are changing the rules of pornography. We don't just show what sex looks like; we tell stories about what sex and desire feel like and how we communicate and interact intimately with each other. Each film is visually arresting and goes beyond traditional gender roles and tired stereotypes, pushing the boundaries of fetish, lust, desire, and intimacy.”
Xconfessions is another ethical porn site that pushes social boundaries surrounding sex and pornography. The content of this platform is all pornographic films and is great for those who are only looking to consume porn. The films are cinematic and visually pleasing as well so you feel as if you’re watching a tastefully made movie.
Pink Label TV
Next on the list is Pink Label TV. This platform “is created and curated by Shine Louise Houston of Pink and White Productions… it’s an online platform where audiences around the world could experience...the types of bodies and desires that aren’t often depicted on conventional adult websites.” Pink Label TV is ethical in the sense that it produces pornography that exists outside of harmful stereotypes and ideologies regarding porn.
This site has been described as a Netflix or a Criterion Collection specifically catered to independent adult films” and is credited with having a diverse selection of erotica to choose from- “genres include classic and vintage adult films, sex education, documentary, and collections of award-winning films selected at adult film festivals around the globe.” They have clear guidelines on their site regarding their adherence to ethical guidelines. Pink Label TV “...supplement[s] our service with filmmaker resources, including Crash Courses, Newsletters, an adult film events calendar, and articles on our blog...encouraging a sustainable #payforyourporn model where artists can continue expanding their craft.” This site is great because it has a little bit of everything from a bunch of different creators.
Jennifer Lyonbell
Harvard graduate and independent film creator, Jennifer Lyonbell, found herself wishing that all movies had longer and better sex scenes. When movies continued to fail to produce, she decided to take matters into her own hands. With Blue Artichoke Films, based in Amsterdam, she mixes arthouse cinema with explicit hot sex to create erotic fiction and documentaries illuminating the riveting, intimate, and sometimes delightfully awkward side of sex. Lyonbell’s films fall under the umbrella term of ethical porn because she intends to showcase authentic pornography through her creations and does not reproduce harmful stereotypes or ideologies in her pornography.
More than this, her porn is educational. For example, “her love/porn collaboration “Skin. Like. Sun.” has been embraced by sexologists at home and abroad for its unusually realistic depiction of female pleasure.” To supplement her film creations, Lyonbell furthers individual sexual education by teaching workshops on topics such as alternative/feminist porn, historical stag films, and cognitive film theory approaches to porn. Her self-empowering creative workshop “From Fantasy To Film: Design Your Own Erotic Film” has taught all over the world. Lyonbell is another great creator who incorporates cinema and aesthetics into her pornography. Lyonbell’s Blue Artichoke Films and other ethical pornography sites leave you feeling like you’ve watched a beautiful film rather than a quick clip of a man getting his rocks off.
Conclusion
Porn is an essential part of many people’s lives. Arguably, porn may be most important when we are first introduced to it, whether that be from a puberty-fueled internet search or an accidental opening of an older family member’s computer. For younger viewers porn “teaches” us what sex “should” look like, what it should sound like, and who should partake in which roles. Mainstream porn puts sex in an oppressive bar and ultimately limits who is seen on screen and what type of sexual acts each person engages in. On top of that, mainstream porn typically does a poor job of depicting the pleasure of vulva-owners and rather focuses on what feels good for penis-owners.
Ethical porn is a concrete way for us to change the porn industry and not only make it so that there is authentic sex educational content on the internet but also authentic content for people to self-pleasure and/or enhance their sex lives too. All of these sites are amazing platforms to check out on your ethical porn journey. We at SHA recommend Afterglow because is at the front and center of this industry change as it’s the most recent platform that produces both hot and steamy porn along with one of a kind educational videos. Happy searching!
Written by Alyssa Morterud.
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