Most of us have been consuming porn since our teenage years, around the time we first discovered the joys of masturbation. Most of us also probably frequented porn sites with no paywalls like Pornhub or Xhamster. These porn sites are problematic because they often feature videos that are produced unethically. Unethical porn can signal a plethora of different things. For example, on sites like Pornhub performers are usually not compensated for their videos, and often times are forced to fake their pleasure for the camera. The porn is not authentic and it often time plays on male-gaze stereotypes in which the videos are centered around male pleasure rather than equal pleasure for everyone involved in the scene. When you use a website like PornHub to view un-paywalled porn for free—especially the kind made by performers who run their own business—you’re stealing from people whose careers are deeply stigmatized and whose jobs are, if not criminalized, heavily regulated and censored by puritanical legislation designed to keep sex workers in unsafe and unfairly compensated working conditions. One way to combat this injustice faced by sex workers is to start paying for your porn! Pay for porn sites follow a more ethical framework for producing porn and allow the performer to have more control over the scenes they produce. Moreover, paying for porn sites allows for fair compensation for workers. If audiences start consuming their porn in an ethical fashion, both the porn industry and the stigma surrounding it would improve.
The Importance of Ethically Consuming Porn
One of our SHA advisory board members, Dr. David Ley, can lend us some useful information when it comes to the consumption and analysis of ethics in pornography. In his book Ethical Porn for Dicks, Ley notes that “people need to recognize porn is vulnerable to being "harmful, exploitive and misused.” In this sense, the validity of ethics in ethical porn is not entirely rooted in the production of pornography. Rather, the consumption and use of pornography add or take away from the validity of the attached “ethical” label on erotic films and photos. Dr. Ley puts this sentiment well, informing his audience that “when [they] watch porn, [they] are voting, as it were, for that type of porn, that style of porn, and for the people who made it." Dr. David Ley also notes, the porn industry is one that faces enough misrepresentation, and using the label “ethical” to limit the community is not necessary. Rather, when interacting with pornography, look for porn that is produced by a company that aligns with your values. Feel good about NOT clearing your search history after you’ve finished. It’s important to be aware of your individual interactions with pornography and make sure that your intent to view is just as ethically sourced as the porn you choose to watch!
Where Do I Start?
Subscription services like OnlyFans, JustForFans, FanCentro, and AudioDesires are just a few of the many ways to purchase porn directly from the person making it (though the platforms and credit card companies they operate with will take a cut). These platforms are great for purchasing content from individual creators that you like. You can also subscribe to as many performers as you would like and even create your own content on the sites if you want to! There are also a lot of great websites that allow you to pay a monthly fee and have access to unlimited pay for porn that is ethically produced. You’re paying for something that you can feel good about consuming! Some popular sites that produce creative and ethical pornography are:
Ersties
Ersties is a German porn website that features amateur porn performers created by Paulita Pappel. Pay-for porn sites center around individuals of all genders authentically enjoying sex. The site features performers who actually engage in sex onscreen and are actively experiencing pleasure during filming. Paulita Pappel, the site's creator, describes Ersties porn as feminist porn that focuses on female pleasure rather than the male gaze. When engaging with feminist porn, both the audience and the participants enter and leave the space empowered. This is because feminist porn places emphasis on one exercising their own agency in sex; it’s not about acting out others’ fantasies for the camera. The site reads “Ersties is all about 100% real girls experiencing 100% real intimate moments. This is porn…done differently!” This pay-for porn site is great for those looking for inclusive, realistic born. The site features performers from all over the globe and prides itself on their authentic performance.
Xconfessions
Xconfessions was created by Erika Lust. Erika Lust is an acclaimed filmmaker who creates artistic, indie adult cinema that portrays sexually intelligent narratives, relatable characters, and realistically hot sex. Lust’s creation style creates 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. Xconfessions is a platform that features explicit short films based on the best anonymous confessions received. If your confession is chosen, you are rewarded with a one-year access pass to the site and you get to see your story on film. Lust promotes the following message on her website that I feel perfectly 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.”
Jennifer Lyonbell
Jennifer Lyonbell is a Harvard graduate and independent film creator. Lyonbell found herself “Forever wishing that all movies had longer and better sex scenes… she then decided to take matters into her own hands. With Blue Artichoke Films (Amsterdam), she mixes arthouse cinema with hot explicit sex to create erotic fiction films and documentaries that illuminate 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's sexual education by teaching workshops on alternative/feminist porn, historical stag films, cognitive film theory approaches to porn, and the self-empowering creative workshop “From Fantasy To Film: Design Your Own Erotic Film” which she has taught all over the world.
Pink Label TV
Pink Label TV “...is created by Shine Louise Houston of Pink and White Productions, it’s an online platform that creates visibility for different bodies and sexual experiences that aren't typically portrayed in mainstream pornography. This platform is ethical in the sense that it produces pornography that exists outside of harmful stereotypes and ideologies regarding porn. Pink Label TV has been described as a Netflix or a Criterion Collection specifically catered to independent adult films. The platform is credited with having a diverse selection of erotica to choose from genres including 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] 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.” If you want to know where to find ethical porn then this site is a great place to start!
Four Chambers
Four Chambers is a more abstract take on pornography as the platform produces content that transcends the idea of labels. The idea came from a background in analog photography, art school influences, and digital sex online, Four Chambers is a project, an idea, and an ongoing collaboration with the intention to explore the aesthetic and conceptual potential of pornography as a medium for ideas. The platform is led by performer Vex Ashley. It is ethical partly because Four Chambers now exists alongside a new wave of creators making contemporary pornographic work from a new perspective. It falls under the ethical category because it is a part of the growing decentralization from traditional adult industry practices and studios and enforces positive ideologies regarding the art of erotic cinema. The following denotes the themes explored on the platform: “...technology, symbolism, mythology and alchemy and their intrinsic intersection with sex, Four Chambers is independent, DIY, conceptual, pornography cinema.”
Royal Fetish XXX
Royal Fetish XXX is a pay-per-view pornography website run by Jasmine Johnson (Jet- Setting Jasmine) and Hasan Salaam (King Noire). The website “brings passion, sensuality, sex appeal, romance and kink to adult entertainment.” This site is perfect for fans of Jasmine and King Noire because the videos on the site feature their performances. Together they explore a lot of aspects of kink and BDSM culture and also produce romantic scenes as well. Jasmine and King are married in real life, making the pornography they produce even more authentic. Jasmine is also a licensed sex therapist so the pornography she produces comes from a place of knowledge of sex-posiitivity and therapeutic practices.
Overall, porn has come far in terms of ethics within the past few years. With the emergence of porn sites centered around inclusivity and authentic depictions of sex, one can actually feel good about engaging with pornographic content. That’s not to say that the industry is perfect though as there are still improvements that need to be made within a lot of mainstream porn websites. Sites like Pornhub for example need to start compensating performers for their content fairly and move away from centering porn around harmful stereotypes. It’s exciting to think that this new world of authentic and inclusive porn is just beginning. I for one can not wait to see what the future holds for the porn industry.
By Alyssa Morterud