Have you heard of free use? No, this doesn’t have anything to do with copyright law. “Free use” is a porn genre and a type of erotic fantasy that can offer an interesting peak into human desire. So let’s talk about what “free use” means, what’s hot about these fantasies, and what they could show us!
It’s hard to know when “free use” first started being thrown around as a porn keyword, but it seems like it’s been growing in popularity over the last several years. By 2014 it was already popular enough to have a subreddit, which now has grown to have over a million members and counting. The most popular fanfiction website Archive Of Our Own has over 800 stories tagged this way. But…like…what is it.
In its most distilled form, free use refers to the fantasy of someone being available for sexual “use” at any time. Generally speaking, this means that no flirtation, seduction, or foreplay is necessary to initiate a sex act. This can be within a specific relationship, scenario, or even broadly with anyone anywhere at any time. Classically, free-use narratives involve a man or multiple men “using” a woman, although gay and gender variant variations aren’t uncommon. At first glance, this sounds very similar to fantasies about sexual assault or sexual submission, which isn’t entirely untrue. The scenarios in free-use fiction don’t tend to meet real-life requirements for consent and people certainly do tag rape fantasy stories with the term sometimes, but generally speaking, free-use porn’s erotic tension doesn’t seem to derive from lack of consent. In fact, r/FreeUse explicitly bans “anything involving rape/non-consent.” Instead, free-use erotic media seems to have a unique set of elements that create eroticism without relying purely on the popular fantasies of dominance, submission, and overpowering lust.
Something fascinating about free use as a porn genre is its utilization of sociological storytelling. Instead of focusing the erotic gaze on specific dynamics between characters, many free-use narratives are fantasies about the settings: imaginary societies which contrast starkly with our own. According to r/FreeUse, erotic media falls under this genre when it exists in a “free-use world.” This would be a fictional setting where either a specific group of people (usually women) are constantly available to another group (usually men) on demand, or where society assumes “universal consent” for everyone. This fantasy element is interesting because it both mirrors and is a foil to aspects of nonfictional society. A fantasy setting where all men have unquestioned sexual power over all women’s bodies clearly exaggerates and plays with the real-life patriarchy where women’s bodies are sexually commodified much more than men’s and rape culture forces women to experience sexual vulnerability throughout their lives. At the same time, the seemingly only subtly different free use culture where everyone’s consent is assumed at all times does something else. It’s a fantasy of freedom of self expression – freedom from the puritanical values and sex negativity that still plague much of the world.
In almost all variations of free use there’s an emphasis on mundanity. In free use societies sex is an everyday occurrence and not particularly noteworthy. It relieves a physical urge, but most or all of the social meaning and ritual are removed. In erotic writings, this often looks like casual sex being initiated in public with no one batting an eye. R/FreeUse even explicitly bans any posts that make reference to hiding sex from possible onlookers or people acting dismayed or confused to witness public sex. In video porn and adult films, this sort of radically casual tone is often conveyed in other ways, commonly by the person being “used” paying little to no attention to the sex act. Those being “used” will read books, play video games, text, or do just about anything but look at the person who’s having sex with them. It’s actually pretty funny to watch, especially if you’re not used to it. Typical mainstream adult films are usually so full of noise and facial expressions and performative arousal that watching quiet, disconnected sex can be a bit uncanny or at least absurd. But that stark contrast to other pornography (and most other sex generally) is, I think, a big part of the appeal for some people. Sex, at least in western cultures, can occupy a simultaneously very elevated and denigrated place. On the one hand, it’s a core aspect of heteronormativity and social structures like marriage and the nuclear family, on the other hand, it’s treated with near-constant suspicion. Fantasies that allow people to imagine different sociological and cultural landscapes that allow for more open, casual, and less “loaded” sexuality are understandably popular.
The pornographic free-use fantasy isn’t exactly practical, let alone safe, to practice in real life. People have kids, work, and commitments that require existing in public spaces which certainly aren't appropriate for blatant explicit sexual acts. Consent is also very important, so even in private spaces like sex parties or your own home, 100% “free use” isn’t particularly ethical or safe. That being said, that doesn’t mean no aspects of this fantasy can be lived out. With good communication, boundary setting, and safe words, people can find sexual arrangements that operate on an opt-out rather than opt-in basis. This could be something as simple as the arrangement I have with my roommate: I can grope her chest or her butt whenever I want in private unless she says otherwise. For some, it can be a little more intense, like people who agree to be woken up with oral sex whenever their sexual partner wants. Some people take it so far as to agree to penetration at any random time (as long as it’s not violating other people who didn’t agree to see it). The important part is always allowing everyone involved to revoke consent, communicate openly about boundaries, and evolve their boundaries over time. It’s also a good idea to start slow, as with any riskier sexual practice, and be open to the idea that real-life versions of the free-use fantasy might not work for you. Oh, and for the love of god don’t skimp on the lube if you’re trying out impromptu zero-foreplay penetration!
Written with consultation from Sophie R Galarneau.
By Aiden/Estelle Garrett