Ms Naughty Porn for Women Blog
Ms Naughty looks at porn for women, the adult industry and sex in general.
I.M. In Love Trailer
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012Just before Christmas I finished my latest short film I.M. In Love and hurriedly submitted it to the Cinekink film festival in New York. Then I went on holiday.
I’m pleased to say that the film has been selected to screen at Cinekink during the “Coupling” Program on 10th February 2012. And since this has happened I had to get off my butt and edit together a little trailer for it, above. I’ve also made a page for it on my Indigo Lush film site.
I.M. In Love is a cute movie involving cybersex and geekery… but not is all as it seems.
This short film only offers a glimpse of the larger scene starring Aeryn and Theo which I am still editing together. Suffice to say it was gorgeous and full of laughter and I can’t wait to get it out into the world. In the meantime, there’s the trailer and the short film. Enjoy.
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Porn For Women Retrospective 2011
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
Once again it’s time to write a wrap-up of the news and happenings from women’s porn over the past year. Continuing financial and social insecurity have been big news in 2011 and the world of porn has also seen its share of uncertainty. Something that has become apparent over the last 12 months is that female consumers have become incredibly comfortable with adult material; the new generation of internet users see porn as their birthright and nothing to be shocked about. And alternative visions of porn are increasingly being embraced by more and more people.
News, Research and Statistics
* In October, preliminary results from the massive Porn Research project showed that younger women were more likely to use porn. Female survey participants aged 18 to 25 actually used porn twice as much as their male counterparts of the same age. They also used porn more often than older women, although those aged 26-35 used it just as much as men in that age bracket.
* In April, an article in the Wall Street Journal asserted that women’s main erotic interest remained the romance novel and that this was due to an evolutionary difference in women’s brains. A book – A Billion Wicked Thoughts – by the article’s author, Ogi Ogas, used online traffic statistics and forum discussions to draw conclusions about people’s porn-surfing habits and to make numerous assertions about gender. To the authors, women’s primary interest was in written erotic material. It didn’t take long for the “research” to attract considerable criticism. When I discovered that they authors had used dodgy and made-up statistics about For The Girls to justify their conclusions, I wrote a rather angry blog post.
* In February it was reported that Dusk, the Dutch erotic TV channel for straight women, had expanded onto the two largest cable providers and was thus available to 1.2 million viewers.
* In March The Guardian softened its usual anti-porn stance to report that – gasp – women liked porn. The article included interviews with Erika Lust, Anna Span and Petra Joy, plus the inevitable anti-porn arguments of Gail Dines. I blogged about it here. It prompted this response in Salon, asserted that “porn for women” was a null concept because women like too many different things.
* In May The Sydney Morning Herald featured a piece on feminist porn which included an interview with me, as Louise Lush. The comments by Sheila Jeffries prompted me to write the post Anti Porn Feminists Can’t Acknowledge Feminist Porn. Around the same time I was interviewed by a News Limited journalist about feminist porn but nothing came of it.
* In November, Slate made the amazing discovery that porn star James Deen had a lot of female fans (via this interview piece entitled “What Women Want: Porn and the Fronteir of Female Sexuality”). After musing that Deen’s wasn’t the typical beefcake guy, Slate acknowledged the homophobia in porn that insists that male porn stars can’t be too attractive or threatening. (Way back in 2005 I wrote about the porn industry’s fear of “catching the gay“.)
* Science finally got around to looking at female sexuality in depth this year, with a landmark study mapping the female erogenous zones in the brain via a functional MRI scan. The female subject even wrote an article about her experiences, learning to orgasm in the MRI without moving via a bell on her forehead.
Events and Happenings
* On 22nd February blogger Rachel Rabbit White instigated Lady Porn Day, an online celebration of the erotic and women’s enjoyment of porn. The blog carnival exploded in popularity and before long Lady Porn Day was being reported on in the mainstream media. My blog post for the day was Don’t Dream It, Be It: Women Enjoying and Making Porn
* February also saw the great Cambridge Porn Debate, where a packed audience saw feminist pornographer Anna Span, sex expert Jessi Fischer and porn star Johnny Anglais go head to head with anti-porn campaigner Gail Dines, ex-porn actress Shelly Lubben and psychologist Richard Woolfson. The pro-porn team won.
* In April and May the Slutwalk movement exploded across the world as women stood up against rape and slut-shaming. In May I took part in the Brisbane Slutwalk and made this video.
* On October 21st, queer porn stars Jiz Lee and Courtney Trouble launched International Fisting Day, a blog carnival designed to celebrate to this much maligned and censored sex act.
* Queer porn star and artist Madison Young gave birth to her first child and launched a series of adult sites called the Feminist Porn Network. Her decision to include her child in an art photograph ignited an online controversy, thanks to a certain troll.
Porn Movies
* The Female Voyeur, Petra Joy’s latest and most extravagant film, had me drowning in sensuality. The film is gorgeous and dares to break several porn taboos. Its production was hampered by obstructive council officials and bad health but the result is impressive.
* Cabaret Desire is the new film by Erika Lust and shows just how well-made erotica can be. It focuses on the idea of story and takes its time building up four enthralling erotic scenarios – but doesn’t stint on the hardcore sex. Further thoughts here.
* Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Female Orgasms was officially released mid December 2010 but I’m going to include it in the best of 2011’s films. It’s a tour-de-force of female pleasure. Tristan also released Rough Sex 3: Adrianna’s Dirty Mind and the Expert Guide to Advanced Anal Sex
* Major adult studio Wicked’s launched a new series of films aimed at couples – Wicked Passions. These films have high production values, a romantic slant and slightly less cliched sex scenes. They are similar to the New Sensations Romance series which won an AVN award and has some of the most professional, Hollywood-style boxcovers I’ve seen.
* Director Nica Noelle left Sweet Sinner productions and started a new company, Sweet Sinema, which aims to produce erotic re-interpretations of classic films. Nica also created the Adult Performers Association, an advocacy and rights group for porn stars.
* Queer film director Courtney Trouble launched Trouble Films, her own production line, in December, along with Live Sex Show, a gang-bang featuring Jiz Lee and Nina Hartley. Her previous distributor Good Releasing appears to have stopped production of further alternative titles this year.
The Written Word
* At the end of November, editor Suraya Singh disappointed a legion of female fans by announcing the closure of Filament Magazine. Despite two years of growth and many eager subscribers, the magazine was closed for personal reasons.
* Ebooks continued their incredible growth this year, particularly within the genre of women’s erotica. New erotica publishing companies have popped up on the web, including longtime women’s erotica site Oysters and Chocolate. In May it was reported that Amazon was removing Yaoi titles from its Kindle store.
Awards and Festivals
* This year I attended the Berlin Porn Film Festival where my short film was screening. I had a ball, met Jiz Lee, Adrianna Nicole and Aiden Star and had fun with old porny friends. My mini documentary of the event is here and my report is here.
* The Feminist Porn Awards celebrated their 6th year with another awards ceremony, film screening and party. Erika Lust’s Life Love Lust won film of the year. The full list of winners is here.
* Cinekink had another successful year in February and I’m pleased to say my short film Fucking Is The Only Prayer was selected to screen. Vivian Darkbloom’s film Indietro won the audience award for Best Narrative Feature.
* The inaugural Eros Shine Awards were held in Melbourne in November. For The Girls was nominated for Best Adult Website. My report and video are here.
Ms Naughty in 2011
The Thought Of Her - Trailer from Louise Lush on Vimeo.
Like last year, 2011 was marred with the ongoing drama of the For The Girls site revamp. No, it’s still not finished, and we’re into the 3rd year now. Our new programmer was caught up in the Christchurch earthquake and ended up quitting with the thing 95% done. We can’t find a replacement Drupal programmer as most companies refuse to work for an adult site. The saga continues.
Still, I managed to progress my filmmaking career this year, with my short film Fucking Is The Only Prayer screening at several festivals and being nominated for a Feminist Porn Award. The male masturbation film I made in June, The Thought of Her, screened in Berlin. In November I shot some more scenes which I’m currently editing and I’m hoping to have a DVD out in 2012. More info at Indigo Lush.
In February I attended the Erotic Screen and Sound Conference in Brisbane and gave a presentation on the history of porn for women. In October my article on feminist porn appeared in the German film magazine Schnitt. I also wrote a 6000 word essay for an upcoming book on feminist porn, edited by Tristan Taormino and several others. It will appear in 2013. My short story Tweetup was selected for Best Women’s Erotica 2012. And my very tame trailer for That’s What I Like was censored by Youtube in July.
I also mucked up by going to France and eating lots of chocolate eclairs. And I developed a serious thing for True Blood.
Some Longer Posts From 2011
Let’s Talk About Extreme Porn – In which I discuss the fact that bad porn does exist and get picked up on my use of the word “extreme” in the comments.
Am I Queer? – In which I ponder labels, definitions, monogamy and giant penis floats.
A Need For Privacy Makes This “Debate” One Sided – Why it’s hard to speak out against anti-porn feminists
Beware These Skewed Statistics About Porn “Addiction” – Dodgy stats used to justify censorship
My Encounter with a Flasher – My run-in with an unwanted French penis
The Artistic Male Centerfold – I had fun photoshopping our nude hunk Martin
Now, on to 2012, huzzah!
Have I left anything out? Comment or email me, msnaughty at msnaughty dot com
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Cabaret Desire Is Like Visual Erotic Fiction
Monday, December 19th, 2011
As a writer and editor of erotic fiction, I’m a big fan of sexy stories. Written erotica is at its best when it has the freedom to build characters, emotions and motivation before the inevitable sex scene, allowing the reader’s imagination to colour the scenario with fabulous detail.
Alas, the same can rarely be said for porn films. If the creators bother with any kind of plot, it’s often arbitrary and shallow. The “story” usually exists only to throw together flimsy reasons as to why people should fuck. There might be 3 minutes of “plot” before the inevitable 20 minutes of sex.
Cabaret Desire, the latest film from Erika Lust, is different. Here, the story is the main attraction. The film features stories about sex, to be sure, but the sex is part of the journey, not necessarily the ultimate goal. In switching the focus to the more traditional filmic aim of telling a story, Erika Lust shows us just how good – and how arousing – porn movies can be.
Cabaret Desire is set in an uber-trendy Bohemian salon called the Poetry Brothel. Patrons pay the poetry “whores” to tell them erotic stories. As the cocktails are served and the cool jazz continues, we settle in to hear four different sexy adventures, each told via means of a voiceover and luscious cinematography. We meet a queer woman having simultaneous affairs, a woman with a full-body gimp outfit and a passion for theft, a young woman given a tantalizing birthday gift and an estranged couple meeting for a fresh date. Each story quickly introduces its characters but doesn’t stint on building atmosphere and tension. When the protagonists have sex, you know exactly why they are doing it and how they feel about it. Naturally this makes it a more compelling experience.
The sex itself is hardcore but doesn’t linger on gonzo style shots. Indeed, the editing is just right. You never get bored with endless pumping.
The sets are sumptuous, the lighting and cinematography high-class, the music stylish and well suited. The actors are natural, good looking in their own way and never stilted or self-conscious.
In short, I really enjoyed Cabaret Desire. It’s like collection of women’s erotic fiction with an added visual element, beautifully told and executed with an artistic flourish. I am a fan of Erika Lust’s work and I think this movie is her best yet. Certainly it raises the bar in terms of what can be accomplished with erotic film. I watched it and wondered how I can ever make porn this good. I guess the best I can do is try.
You can download or buy Cabaret Desire at Erika’s site Lust Cinema.
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Filament Says Goodbye
Saturday, December 17th, 2011Filament, the hard-copy women’s magazine that set out to bring naked men to the masses, is closing down.
Launched in June 2009, Filament branded itself as “the thinking woman’s crumpet” and championed the cause of the female gaze. It featured full frontal nude photos of a variety of men, most of them average guys, not the standard beefcake seen in Playgirl magazine. It also featured erotic fiction, articles about sex and politics and even recipes.
At the end of November, editor Suraya Singh released this statement saying she was closing the magazine for personal reasons. It seems that the magazine will not continue on in any fashion but the website will feature all previous content.
I’m sad to see this happen as I’ve considered Filament to be a great thing for porn-loving women. It certainly attracted a lot of devoted fans and gained its fair share of media attention. It showed what a broad range of erotic tastes women can have. And it reminded me that I’m getting on a bit and need to stay in touch with what young women are thinking.
It’s tempting to speculate as to the reasons behind its demise. It may simply be a matter of economics – perhaps the money it was making didn’t justify the amount of work required to run it. I know that it featured a lot of unpaid contributions because it didn’t have the cash to pay staff and many contributors were perfectly happy with that. If it became too stressful with not enough reward, I could see why it would be time to end it.
When Filament first started, I was a little skeptical as to how it would go. Not because it was women’s erotica but because of the choice to be a hard copy magazine. In the era of the internet, it was a big call to go with paper and all the associated production and distribution costs (and subsequent censorship by printers). I think Suraya was very pleased to prove me wrong. Plenty of people were happy to subscribe, pay cash and get their subscription in the mail. Over time, Filament began to appear on newsagent and bookshop shelves across the globe. It really did seem that Filament had made it – up until now.
They are still selling the final issue, though there’s not many left. I’m pleased to say I was involved with this last issue as I judged the erotic fiction competition. You can read one of the runner-up stories here.
I consider Suraya a friend and I wish her well in whatever she does next.
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I’m In Best Women’s Erotica 2012
Monday, December 5th, 2011
The Best Women’s Erotica books from Cleis Press are one of the longest-running erotica series. Violet Blue has been the editor since 2006 and she’s shown herself to be quite the talented curator of dirty stories.
The 2012 edition is out tomorrow (6th Dec) and I’m pleased to say that a story of mine made the grade this year. My story Tweetup is listed second and appears under my Louise Lush pseudonym.
Here’s a small excerpt:
“I should have recognised you,” Scott said as he handed me my glass.
“How?”
“Your hoop earrings. You wrote you always wore them. A few weeks ago?
I thought for a moment. “That’s right, I did. Gee, you pay attention.”
He smiled. “I like your tweets.”
I laughed. “Now there’s a 21st century compliment.”
We fell into a very easy conversation, comparing thoughts on politics, computers and whether Stephen Fry was worth following anymore. Scott seemed to hang on every word I said, eager to hear my opinion, his eyes always on me, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the room. I felt flattered by his attention and found myself responding in kind, drawn to his presence, keen to hear what he had to say. The wine had started to kick in and I felt warm and happy in his company. I also felt more than a little flirtatious.
“Are you married, Geekguy?” I asked.
“Uh, no, not yet,” he said. “IT guy, remember? That means lots of lonely nights at home eating two minute noodles and playing World of Warcraft.”
I nodded, laughing at the stereotype. “Yeah, me too. Just me and the frogs.”
“And the porn.”
I shrugged, blushing. “Uh, yeah, the porn.”
“I like how you tweet about porn.”
Best Women’s Erotica 2012 is available from Amazon.
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New Porn For Women Movies
Monday, November 21st, 2011I finally got around to updating my Porn Movies For Women Site and ended up adding more than 20 new titles. I thought I’d share a few of the new female-friendly films that are now available.
The Female Voyeur
Petra Joy’s latest film is an incredible journey into sensuality and female fantasy. This erotic and sumptuous film breaks porn taboos by including a threesome where the two guys are bi (mainstream porn won’t allow this unless the title is officially “bi” or “gay”). There’s also a cheeky male beauty pageant where three guys compete to impress the panel of horny female judges. The main attraction, though, is the intense, 40 minute orgy scene where a Queen is pleasured by her multiple slaves. Think all the debauchery of Caligula but from a female perspective. It’s a feast for the senses and is accompanied by an amazing soundtrack. I’ve never seen anything like it in porn before and I love it. Petra works hard to create erotic films that women will enjoy and I think this is her best movie so far.
Available From
Good Vibrations: Download
Gamelink: Download
Cabaret Desire
Erika Lust’s latest film isn’t quite live yet (it will be online in the next few days). Cabaret Desire tells the story of a magic and behomian place where people go at night to be told erotic stories. Each guest is assigned a lady or gentleman by a Madame and prepare themselves for the poetic trip they’re about to take. Words flow and desire smoothly invades every corner. This film seeks to intertwine erotic poetry with sexual images and made use of the Poetry Brothel, a Spanish group of performers and writers. This film is Erika Lust’s biggest project so far. Her films feature very high quality cinematography and a distinctly artistic flavour, though they are also very sexy.
Available From
Lust Cinema: DVD or Download
A Touch Of Seduction
Major porn studio Wicked have tried their hand at romantic couples porn with the Wicked Passion series. A Touch Of Seduction is the first film that features only people of colour and it’s actually a little bit groundbreaking because it – gasp – doesn’t portray them in a racist way. This film simply features sexy black couples getting it on in a realistic way. They’re all big-name porn stars and the sex can sometimes stray into porny territory but there’s also lots of foreplay, kissing and real chemistry involved.
Available From
Gamelink: DVD or download
Ms Naughty Store: DVD
Good Vibrations: DVD
Tristan Taormino’s Rough Sex 3: Adrianna’s Dirty Mind
I met Adrianna Nicole in Berlin and she’s a wonderful, smart woman who really enjoys sex. This film is a thorough exploration of her dirty fantasies and delves into the darker parts of sexuality. She creates the scenes. She chooses her partners. She controls what happens. In this film she tests her own boundaries, and rides the seductive line between pleasure and pain. Rough sex is not everybody’s cup of tea but here it’s done properly, with context and care. Award winning director Tristan Taormino also includes interviews with the performers so you get a good idea of the fantasies, emotions and motives behind each scene.
Available From
Ms Naughty store: DVD
Gamelink: DVD or Download
Good Vibrations: DVD
Lust Cinema: DVD or Download
Expert Guide To Advanced Anal Sex
Another Tristan Taomino film, this one takes anal instruction a step further. Like previous “Expert Guide” films, this movie features comprehensive explanations about the best ways to have anal sex and includes instruction in sex toys, advanced positions, g-spot stimulation and male anal pleasure. Then we get to see the techniques in action. Like all of Tristan’s films, the sex scenes are realistic, include vibrator and lube use and focus on female pleasure. If you’re a fan of anal you’ll love this film. I would also recommend the Expert Guide to Female Orgasms as a great female-friendly porn film.
Available From
Ms Naughty: DVD
Gamelink: DVD or Download
Good Vibrations: DVD or Download
Some older titles:
Crash Pad Series 6: Wide Open
Award winning director Shine Louise Houston continues her queer porn adventures with the latest installment in the Crash Pad Series of videos. The idea is simple: People come to the Crash Pad apartment to fuck without inhibition or complications. This movie features a broad range of queer identities, including queer women, femmes and butches, transmen, and real lesbian sex plus genderqueer expression and hot action of every kind – it’s passionate, intense, tender and edgy, but more than anything, it’s real.
Available From
Gamelink: DVD or download
Good Vibrations: DVD or Download
Or you may just want to check out the Crash Pad Series website
Dirty Diaries
Mia Engberg’s collection of short films made headlines a while ago because the Swedish government subsidised the production. I’m pleased to say the film can now be seen online via Lust Cinema. The 12 short films include hardcore action and vanilla sex, queer and straight, flashing and fucking, provocation, penetration, even poetry. Art and orgasms abound in these unique short films for open adult minds. This isn’t standard porn but it is feminist and it is from a female perspective.
Available From:
Lust Cinema: DVD or Download
Back In Time
Playgirl have now created so many titles that they’ve taken up making compilation DVDs. This one features lots of erotic scenarios set in the past. It’s heavy on the romance and courtship and naturally rife with costumes so it will come in handy for firing up those old fashioned fantasies. Be warned that Playgirl has nice setups but the sex tends to be formulaic and very similar to what you’ll find in most mainstream porn films. Features a bonus sex scene and a bonus solo scene plus behind the scenes footage and photos.
Available From
Gamelink: DVD
Ms Naughty store: DVD
The Porn Movies For Women site is desperately in need of a revamp. I created it in 2004 when there weren’t many films to choose from. Now I have over 300 titles listed and I update it all by hand. It’s hard going but it’s worth it. Please check it out for a complete listing of female-friendly movies. Beyond boy-girl vanilla stuff that is often associated with porn for women, I’ve listed queer, lesbian, instruction and kinky titles as well. I hope to expand the categories further in the future.
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New Erika Lust Film: Cabaret Desire
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011Cabaret Desire - Trailer from Erika Lust on Vimeo.
Erika Lust has been busy. In October she is releasing another erotic film called Cabaret Desire. As with her previous films, it has a real cinematic look to it. Can’t wait to see it.
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Hot Male Centerfolds From FTG
Monday, June 13th, 2011I have, once again, been busy hand-editing content for the member’s area revamp of For The Girls. Yes, it’s still going. One of the good things about this arduous task has been the way it’s forced me to look at every single photo in our entire site. I’ve become re-acquainted with a lot of pics I’d forgotten about. I’ve also re-enjoyed some of our newer ones.
I thought I’d do a blog post with some sample photos of recent male centerfolds. These pics are all by the talented photographer Nancy Murrian and the guys are just gorgeous. Enjoy.
You can see the full sets of photos (with erect cocks) at For The Girls.
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The Female Voyeur – Sneak Peek
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Petra Joy has spent over a year working on her latest erotic film, The Female Voyeur. She encountered huge difficulties in getting it made and ended up in hospital halfway through. Thankfully, though, it’s finally ready for release. She’s put the trailer for it here.
I downloaded it and took a few screenshots. The whole thing looks visually amazing and the fantasies on offer are very different from the usual porn fare. I can’t wait to see it.
Visit Petra’s site for more info. Or check out my Petra Joy page at Porn Movies For Women.
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For The Girls Turns 8
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
June has rolled around again and that means it’s now 8 years since we launched For The Girls.
Allow me to stand around in wide-eyed astonishment for a bit. Eight fucking years! That went quick. It’s also been a bit of a slog, especially over the last 18 months with the never-ending struggle to revamp our member’s area (still going). But wow. I never thought when we started out with our little “porn for women” site that it would still be going strong eight years later. I’ve seen so many changes in the adult industry and porn has practically fallen to pieces over the last year or so but we’re still here and still going strong.
We considered having 8th birthday competitions but we’re going to hold off for a bit. When the revamp finally goes live, we’ll do something big. Because by god that’s going to be worth celebrating.
Thanks to all the lovely women and men who have joined FTG over the years. I hope we made you happy. And thanks to everyone who has supported For The Girls and what it stands for. I still believe that straight women want and need porn that caters specifically to them. It empowers, it entertains, it includes and it satisfies.
Time to open the champagne and eat cake. Who cares if its 10am?
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Anti-Porn Feminists Can’t Acknowledge Feminist Porn
Friday, May 6th, 2011A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed (in my Louise Lush filmmaking persona) by Alyssa McDonald and the end result was published today in the SMH: Feminist Porn Faces Hardcore Critics.
I had a decent chat with Alyssa and showed her my film which she enjoyed. I think the end result isn’t too bad, although I wish she’d included some of the other things I’d said. I also have an issue with this paragraph:
The vast majority of explicit material is made for a male audience; at best, it is degrading, and at worst it is often physically harmful to the women featured in it.
This is too much of a generalisation and not backed up by facts. Porn is not inherently degrading and it’s doubtful that porn is “often” physically harmful to the female performers. Not to say that these things are concerns but this is too much of a blanket statement.
My other problem is that last quote about “objectification.” It hasn’t quite come out right. I was questioning the entire concept and the way it’s always trotted out as a criticism of porn. No-one really questions what it means, or whether “objectification” is something that only happens in porn. I was pointing out that objectifying others is a human trait, it happens in everyday life all the time including when we’re at the supermarket.
And, I should say to all the shop assistants at the supermarket: you do an excellent job and thank you for doing it.
As all news articles will seek out an opposing opinion in the name of “balance”, this article features quotes from Sheila Jeffreys who is a professor of Political Science at the University of Melbourne. Prof. Jeffreys is an anti-porn feminist in the mould of Andrea Dworkin and she has also written about transgender issues, much to the consternation of some in the trans community. She is also critical of BDSM practices and has advocated lesbian separatism.
Unfortunately, anti-porn feminism doesn’t seem able to accept the idea that feminist porn might exist or be a force for good. I think this is because it’s founded on the belief that all porn is inherently sexist, harmful and bad. The existence of good porn undermines the basic premise, therefore it must be dismissed.
Anti-porn feminists do this by claiming false consciousness (”feminist pornographers are just regurgitating the same sexist ideas because they are unthinking tools of the patriarchy”), fake marketing (”feminist porn is just a term invented by the mainstream porn industry to sell the same stuff”), or by simply denying that feminist or ethical porn even exists.
Sheila goes for the false consciousness idea right off the bat:
The ideas of the [feminist] filmmakers have been constructed by mainstream pornography, so they don’t come from somewhere completely different.
Firstly, how does she know where feminist filmmakers get their ideas?
Secondly, why would it be wrong to look at mainstream porn, get an idea and then work from there? A lot of us look at porn and make a checklist of what NOT to do. That to me is a positive thing. Perhaps her issue is with the very concept of depicting sex itself; perhaps she believes that any image or footage of people having sex is inherently wrong. Given that anti-porn feminism concerns itself with heterosexual porn, perhaps we’re back to the old Dworkinesque concept that all sex with men is rape and therefore any depiction of it is wrong.
I’m also wondering what “completely different” porn might look like. Because, in the end, sex is sex and there’s only so many ways you can depict it. I’d actually love to hear more about Prof. Jeffreys’ idea of what porn that comes from “somewhere completely different” would look like.
And the culture pornography creates is a culture of violence against women… it’s a culture in which women are shouted at in the street, in which gang-bangs are ordinary in the Australian football league…
Cart before the horse. I actually think that the sexism of our culture sees some of its expression in porn and that’s the kind of porn I don’t like. But to say that porn is what causes footballers to be obnoxious rapists… um, no. Try harder, Homer.
Oh, but there’s feminist erotica. Oh, but there’s something else. And the fact is, thirty-five years on or whatever, I haven’t seen the something else that is completely different…
Again the call for something “completely different.” I’m fascinated as to how different porn needs to be before it meets the standards of Prof. Jeffreys. Poetry instead of dialogue? Unusual costumes? Disco lighting? No sex whatsoever?
I’d like Sheila Jeffreys to actually watch some feminist porn. Maybe not my films but I’m sure the work of Shine Louise Houston or Bren Ryder might be more to her taste. I’d really like to hear a refined critique as to what exactly is wrong with filming two consenting, happy lesbians having sex together and then watching it. (Or two straight people. Or three people. Or six trans guys, a hot gay man and their luscious female friend who has tied them all up and is making them pleasure her with their tongues… Um… what was I saying?)
It really is a shame that anti-porn feminism feels the need to decry feminist or positive or ethical porn. The argument is too black and white. Fact is, the feminist pornographers share some of the concerns of people like Sheila Jeffreys with regards to how porn is made and what it depicts. We should be having a sensible discussion about the whole thing. Instead, we’re denied and derided, dismissed as shills for the mainstream porn industry and excluded from the realm of “true” feminism. It’s no way forward and ultimately doesn’t help women.
For more info on pro-porn feminism, I recommend Violet Blue’s Our Porn, Ourselves site.
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2011 Feminist Porn Awards Winners
Saturday, April 16th, 2011
The winners of the 2011 Feminist Porn Awards have been announced. I originally compiled this list from the Twitter feed, which was fun. The official list from Good For Her is now live here.
Sex Experiments: Bisexual Scenes and Sex Interviews – Best Bi Film
A Little Part of Me – Steamiest Romantic Film
Tight Places: A Drop of Color – Most Diverse Cast
Jaiya – Smutty School Teacher
Taxi Volume 1 – Hottest Lesbian Vingette Series
Maybe He’s Gifted – Golden Beaver Award for Canadian Film
An Open Invitation – Sexiest Straight Movie
Billy Castro Does The Mission – Most Tantalizing Trans Film
Lost – Hottest Lesbian Feature
Rough Sex 2 – Hottest Kink Movie
Drew Deveaux – Heartthrob of the Year
Life Love Lust – Movie of the Year
My Own Master – Honorable Mention
Art School Dykes – Honorable Mention
Genderfellator – Honorable Mention
Twisted Getaway – Honorable Mention
Honoured Websites
Heavenly Spire
Art of Blowjob
Queer Porn TV
Padded Kink
Here’s the full list of nominees.
Unfortunately I didn’t win anything this year but it was nice to be nominated. I also want to say that I think Erika Lust deserved Movie of the Year. Life Love Lust is a glorious film and well worth seeing.
I’ve just updated my feminist porn award listings at Porn Movies for Women and made a full list of all the nominations over the past few years.
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Cake and Cunnilingus Day 2011
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Quite a while ago I got a little peeved at the whole “Steak and a Blowjob Day” idea. The men behind it reckoned Valentine’s Day was all about women forcing men to buy them gifts and dinner. The whole thing relies on tiresome stereotypes about men and women. So while I could have sat down and written extensive blog posts unpacking the philosophy, I thought, fuck it. Instead I’ll just make a similar day for women a month later on April 14.
Hence, Cake and Cunnilingus Day.
Sure, you could say it’s just as stereotypical but really, does it matter? It’s about eating cake and enjoying oral sex. What’s not to like?
Here’s a little gallery: Cunnilingus In Ten Positions
Or you could check out my major site Pure Cunnilingus which has a huge collection of photos and videos.
A couple of celebratory photos taken from the female point of view:
More pics
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Porn For Women (?)
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011I thought I’d have fun today and thus made a little promo video for For The Girls, messing with the idea of “what women want” – the men doing housework, the bridal stroll along the beach, the romance novels…
I have to say, it took a lot longer than I expected because I had to only use sexy videos that weren’t remotely explicit, while still giving the idea of sex. No nudity, no nipples, nothing beyond kissing. I still suspect the video may end up banned somehow. Even though there are a heap of vids on Youtube with nudity and far sexier content.
Nonetheless I thought I’d at least try my hand with Youtube. You never know how they’re going to interpret the terms and conditions on any given day so I might be fine.
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The Thrill Of Tagging Erotic Fiction
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011I’ve just finished hand-editing every single piece of erotic fiction at For The Girls. It was a huge job, manually going through eight years of content, looking at every single story (400+) on the site, fixing the text and photos and then adding categories and tags to each one.
I’ve re-read every one of our erotic stories and there’s just so many brilliant pieces of writing. I’ve been immersed in FTG for so long it’s easy to forgot just how good this site really is. Not to mention hot! Phew. It could well be the steamiest bit of data entry I’ve done for a long time.
I’m so pleased we can tag our stories because it will make finding specific interests/kinks a lot easier. And one of the things that’s really become apparent in this process is just how ridiculously diverse our fiction is. A sample of some of the tags I’ve added over the last few days:
69, amateurs, anal, bisexual, blind, blood, CFNM, costumes, cunnilingus, dancing, double penetration, fairytale, female domination, first time, food, games, glory holes, girl-girl, gothic, infidelity, longing, male escort, MFF, mile high club, multiple men, nipple clamps, orgy, pegging, phone sex, pirates, priests, pubic hair, power play, queer, religion, role-play, romance, rough sex, seduction, sex toys, slaves, spanking, swingers, transgression, virgin, voyeur, wet, whip…
Yeah, so all those people who say “porn for women” is just about candles and romance… STFU, OK?
We’ll also be applying these tags to our photos and movies.
It’s such a huge job, but we’re getting there.
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For The Girls Sample Galleries
Ms Naughty On Twitter- msnaughty: @girlonetrack I couldn't empathise with any of the women. It all just seemed to be about fashion so they lost me. But I see your point.
- msnaughty: @girlonetrack I gave up on Sex and the City after half an episode because it shitted me.
- msnaughty: RT @girlonetrack: Hold on, I've seen something PINK. OMG. *scream* Must now GOSSIP with my GIRLS over BRUNCH. SHOES!!! BUBBLY! PINK!! *h ...
- msnaughty: My short film I.M. In Love is showing in the Couplings program at @cinekink NY Friday night!
- msnaughty: RT @CineKink: Fri 8:45 / COUPLINGS is a hot mix of two-somes, three-somes and more-somes! http://t.co/1DQli10P
