The Feminist Porn Debate

Now to delve into the endless debate, can porn actually be pro-woman, or feminist? Can porn reflect actual female desire and pleasure, and be filmed under ethical, safe, respectful conditions, with women at the helm of producing and writing creative content.

Well I say, hell ya! I attended the Feminist Porn Awards screening, hosted by Good For Her last April in Toronto and saw numerous examples of legitimate, empowering female pleasure on the big screen. The films were independently produced, with real women celebrating their sexuality for themselves and women everywhere, not just for a male meat-wanking audience.

Alison Lee, the manager of Torono’s feminist sex shop, Good For Her, organized the awards last year and actively works to bring a large variety of independent porn DVD’s into her store. She published the feature article in the November/Decemeber issue of This Magazine, entitled “The New Face of Porn,” about her own experience as a feminist to accept and celebrate feminist porn, and the historical backlash against pornography from certain feminist groups. Below is also a video of Alison inside Good For Her, sharing her thoughts about the article and her own experiences with porn.

Reading this article really got me thinking about my own feelings about porn and its capacity to empower women as opposed to demeaning them. I truly feel that the women behind and in front of the camera don’t have to be victimized as moral-less women who need to be saved and were forced into this line of work as a bankrupt last resort. Some of them make porn or act in porn because they truly want to change the face of pornography today and cater to female pleasure while showcasing the beauty of natural women with curves, queer and trans women, women with disabilities, women of different ethnicities, and women who look like everyday women, not an unattainable standard of “plastic” beauty.
Bren Ryder films and features real lesbian sex in Gooddykeporn.com

Loree Erickson is a queer-femmegimp who showcases her own sexy times in "Want"

Although when it comes to feminist porn, many debate whether certain sexual acts can be defined as “feminist”, such as cum shots, anal penetration or anything that could be construed as degrading. First of all, what gets some women sopping wet could potentially turn a whole crowd of ladies right off, and that’s part of the beauty of pornography. It can individually cater to our desires, and what I desire may not even remotely resemble what you vibrate to, so get over it already. Each of us has a parcel of unique fetish’s, and as long as it isn’t something that obviously inflicts unwanted, serious pain on a woman, then you don’t have to watch it if you find it offensive. If some women relish having semen on their face, tits or ass, well, power to them, they have a right to enjoy and participate in that on screen if they so choose, and any woman at home has the privilege of revelling in observing it. What makes one woman a feminist isn’t true for another, so trying to fit every single sexual act under some umbrella “feminist” definition isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. Spanking, bondage, and many other kinks are specific to your arousal, so this discussion will likely continue for as long as porn does.

Erika Lust is a feminist film maker featuring hot, steamy stories for women

But it is very rewarding and admirable to witness some independent companies led by women who are trying to get diverse, natural, female-driven, sexy feminist porn out there for women who are tired of watching tanned, bleached, hairless, cellulite-free women who look like they were fashioned by surgeons to feed male desire.

Porn should also reflect female-desire, and most of us don’t look like plastic “dolls”, so I’m glad there are examples of real women and real sex out there for this generation of girls who are discovering their sexuality and aren’t shamed of it.