Much like listening to the Backstreet Boys or scrolling through the Daily Mail’s celebrity sidebar of shame, watching a little porn now and again is something that many women indulge in, but few are prepared to admit to. After all, porn is meant to promote unrealistic expectations, objectify women and all-in-all be pretty degrading, isn’t it? So surely women can’t possibly be enjoying it more than ever? Well, according to 2017's year-in-review figures from two porn sites, Pornhub and xHamster, yes they really can. Not only that, but they know exactly what they want too. According to both sites, women now make up 26 per cent of users globally, a number that has been rising consistently for the past few years. Pornhub received 28.5 billion visits to their site last year and the number of women logging on increased by 10 per cent in America and 15 per cent in the UK. But it's Indian women who are the fastest-growing group, with an astonishing 129 per cent increase in visits. Russian women, it seems, needed a little more convincing, as they were the only country in the top 20 to see a decrease. [caption id="attachment_12349265" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Credit: Pornhub[/caption] In line with this increase in female users, one of the categories to witness an upsurge in demand is female-friendly porn, with “Porn for Women” being the most frequently trending search of 2017, witnessing a year-on-year increase of 1,400 per cent. Typically characterised by less male dominance and more of a focus on female pleasure than traditional porn, it marks a shift away from the portrayal of women in porn as simply the ‘givers’ and tends to include more, shall we say, realistic body images. So long impossibly-fake tits and embarrassingly vocal moans. So what else are women looking at? Well, while not all users reveal their gender, for those that have definitely identified as women in their profiles, one of the quickest rising search terms was “cheerleaders”, with “lesbian” and “threesome” also ranking in the top five. For the first year, the term “anal” fell out of favour with women, being replaced instead by “lesbian squirt”. A perhaps surprising entry to the top 15 list was the term “gang bang”.   The changes in what women search for online have been put down to a shifting cultural landscape, with women more determined to make their voices heard: “2017 seems to have been the year where women have come forward to express their desires more openly,” commented Dr. Laurie Betito, sex therapist and director of the Pornhub Sexual Wellness Centre. And she believes the trend is only going to continue: “Women are feeling more empowered and they have found their voice. This is a sign of things to come.” [caption id="attachment_12349279" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Credit: Pexels[/caption] So what about wider searches overall? (Don’t fib, you were curious). Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, girl-on-girl porn is still the most frequently sought type of porn, with “lesbian” being the top category for the third year running. However, the use of this search term isn’t strictly limited to a male audience, despite Betito labelling this the number one fantasy for the site’s male users: “For women that have a soft fantasy or curiosity, lesbian porn allows them to explore that part of their sexuality without risk.” In a sign of the times, demand for raunchy robots has also risen, with the use of the term "Virtual Reality" moving up a massive 14 spots in 2017. Hentai, a subculture of Japanese manga, which contains animated and explicitly sexual characters or acts, has soared, taking the number two spot globally. In Canada, the US and the UK, “step mom” is also still a hugely popular search. And in a completely irrelevant (but really quite bemusing) insight, Fidget Spinner Porn and Rick and Morty parody porn also performed extremely well - to be honest, I have no idea what either of these entail, but something tells me I really shouldn't Google them at work. [caption id="attachment_12349268" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Credit: Pornhub[/caption] But back to the ladies. While the Pornhub stats can’t tell us exactly how women are consuming their porn, a 2015 survey by the magazine Marie Claire, which spoke to over 2,000 women, found that a third of women watched some porn every week. However, just three per cent of women said that they regularly tune in with their partner, with 66 per cent saying they "always" watch it alone. And as you may expect, this shift towards more female-friendly porn has given rise to a global increase in vibrator sales, with business market analysts Technavio predicting that if current trends continue, the industry will see a 15 per cent rise in vibrator sales by 2020. As these trends show, there is a rapidly increasing demand for porn that lines up with the way women approach sex and the things they actually want to see - a demand that is just starting to be fulfilled by the industry. But rather than associate this upsurge with women suddenly waking up to the idea of porn, we should probably see it more as a sign that women are more content than ever to take their sexuality into their own hands, so to speak. After all, female sexuality is nothing new, and it's about time that the porn industry finally caught up with the idea that *shock horror* women like to masturbate too.

Pornography is an industry which is viewed with contempt and curiosity in equal measure. The modern, tolerant view is that porn is OK. Yet in many households, porn is seen as a vice. But what do women in the industry have to say about their experiences?

The #MeToo campaign has exposed Hollywood’s less glamorous underbelly and shed light on the harassment, abuse and rape of female actors. So in an industry intrinsically related to sex, do women fare better or worse? VT spoke to a number of adult stars to find out.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Richelle Ryan]]

“My experience has changed dramatically,” explains Silvia Saige, who joined the industry at the age of 30. “I did have some issues earlier on. But in the past year, I have found a female-run agency - by Kendra Lust, who is still active in the industry. She’s still an actress herself.”

“I definitely went through some bad times in the beginning,” Silvia continues, “but I feel that I have found my voice with this agency and having a good support system has drastically changed how I view the industry as a whole.”

“We’re like one big, dysfunctional family”

Silvia gives the impression of someone who is in control and clearly sees herself as a performer rather than someone who just gets paid to have sex on screen. “I’m an actress and I’m going to work and performing a job,” she asserts.

But the enjoyment of sex itself certainly plays a role. “I’m a very sexual person,” Silvia explains and Richelle Ryan, an adult star with 12 years of experience, concurs: “I just wanted to get paid to have sex with hot guys”. With 1.6 million followers on Instagram, Richelle has built up a formidable audience and I can’t help but think that emphasising this point is something of a crowd-pleaser. “That’s the whole reason I got into the business,” she adds.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Richelle Ryan]]

However, combined with issues relating to blurred lines and consent, the enjoyment of sex itself can cause a problem. “The sex part of the scene was already over,” Silvia explains, recounting a troubling story. “This person, while we were taking ‘sex pictures’ decided to kind of get his rocks off a second time. He even said to me ‘do you care if I come again?’ and at that moment I said ‘no’ but in my head I thought ‘I do f**king care’.”

“Because I was still at work and didn’t want to make the situation uncomfortable, I said ‘yes’. But what I have learned is I’m now having those conversations. I had the conversation with my roommate - and I’m going to bring it up on one of my upcoming shows - of why I was silent in that situation.”

"I don’t mind people’s proclivities for the most part"

In addition to a weekly show with the director of psychology at UCLA, Silvia does upwards of five interviews a week. She’s acutely aware of the issues women in porn face, so it’s interesting to note that her anecdote isn’t from years or even months ago. It was from the day before.

“There was a photographer,” recounts veteran performer Ryan Conner. “He kept pushing himself on me with his wiener and I’m just like ‘dude I’m here to do a scene, OK let’s f*ck, here we are f*cking, ain’t that brilliant, whatever gets your rocks off, now go the f*ck away’.”

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Ryan Conner]]

Away from the eyes of the others onset, to the photographer, it seemed this was just a bit of naughtiness. However, this was clearly unfair and unprofessional: “Yes, things happen where I wish I had said ‘f*uck no!’ but I’m a really easy-going kind of person. I’m very accepting and I don’t mind people’s proclivities for the most part.”

But there exists a certain clan mentality within porn. “We’re like one big, dysfunctional family,” states Richelle Ryan. “You always have that one crazy uncle in your family? I feel like that’s how porn is.” It’s this level of camaraderie, perhaps, which leads to what I perceive is a certain protectiveness over the reputation of the industry as a whole.

I know men that have served time. Having said that, I know women who are in jail for abusing their husbands"

Again, Richelle is keen to impress upon me that women entering pornography who are headstrong and determined will generally have a positive experience. The inference, of course, is that there are less assertive women in porn who suffer as a result.

“Whatever vibration you bring to it is what you’re going to get out of it,” explains Ryan Conner. “That’s with everything, not just the sex industry.” With 20 years of experience, Ryan sees herself as a “mamma bear” and doesn’t have an agent.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Ryan Conner]]

“I’ve met people who say they have,” she says, on the subject of whether her female peers have suffered abuse. “But that’s a slippery slope. I don’t believe I’ve ever been on a shoot where I was the only person there with somebody. There was always a make-up artist or a cameraman or something going on and I’ve never had an occasion where more than one person collaborated to rape me or victimise me.”

“I know of a lot of women who have cried wolf in life, and a lot of men who have been victimised because of that,” she explains. “I know men that have served time. Having said that, I know women who are in jail for abusing their husbands. It isn’t always just the feminine side that gets hurt.”

“I don’t believe that suddenly, we started being more empowered than we ever were”

Of course, with the rise of campaigns which aim to out men and empower women, there will always be critical voices. It’s interesting, however, that one of these voices is female: “There are far too many women who say ‘that happened to me, that happened to me!’ Well, where’s your proof? You don’t always have to have proof, but why didn’t you say something when it happened rather than five years later?”

Ryan’s mum was raped when she was just 11 years old and this seems to have instilled a strong - and almost defiant - character in Ryan. “Women have always been empowered,” she states, on the subject of the #MeToo campaign. “I don’t believe that suddenly, we started being more empowered than we ever were.”

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Ryan Conner]]

Having had a 10 year hiatus, Ryan has a unique perspective on this unusual industry. One thing which she’s noticed is the rise in the prevalence of anal scenes and especially those which go back and forth from anal to non-anal, which is so unhygienic it can lead to infertility.

Her overall observation, however, is that porn has become more aggressive. It’s part of the human condition to want to see something new or more extreme. “Bigger, badder, better,” in Ryan’s words. But it’s this need to build upon what’s gone before that has producers taking risks with their performers.

“A big part of what I was afraid of in life, in general, is the religion I grew up with”

Following her return to the industry in 2015, Ryan has taken part in scenes of (fictional) paedophilia and incest - so knows all too well about taking risks. With an adult daughter at the time, this is something she now regrets but she steadfastly asserts that “nobody has to do anything”.

Many people would assume that the majority of harassment or abuse female performers receive comes from men in porn. However, in Silvia’s experience, it comes from the fans themselves. “They’re hiding behind a computer screen and saying all these negative things,” she says. “[Abuse is] not necessarily from within the industry.”

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Silvia Saige]]

Furthermore, in many cases, the source of emotional damage is even closer to home. All three of the women featured had very religious upbringings - which has caused issues in some cases. “We struggle finding common ground because of her religious beliefs,” states Silvia, on the subject of her mother. “A big part of what I was afraid of in life, in general, is the religion I grew up with.”

In fact, there are a number of people close to Silvia whose religious beliefs clash with her choices. “But that’s the people that I’m trying to reach out to the most. To open everyone’s eyes and have the conversations that we really need to be having.” On the subject of her mother, she adds: “We still have a very loving relationship. It’s just that she would rather have her blinders on.”

“I’ve flicked cigarettes into a man’s mouth. I’ve put my cigarette out on his tongue”

With a Jehovah's Witness upbringing, one might think that Ryan’s decision to go into porn was some form of rebellion. However, as she assures me, providing for her daughter was far higher on her list of priorities. Ryan is now studying for a psychology accreditation to support her intimacy coaching work. Here, she helps people become more comfortable with being naked and touching each other and admits that this is very close to - if not the same as - sex coaching.

Meanwhile, her daughter is considering her own comeback, having worked as an adult performer herself. It was around the time of her daughter’s first foray into porn that Ryan decided she didn’t need to protect her from this anymore - so could safely return to the industry.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Ryan Conner]]

In terms of what positive decisions consumers can make, it would seem to come down to supply and demand. In this context, that’s not giving questionable content the oxygen of publicity (or, at least, denying it an extra figure on the view count). However, how to deem whether a scene is questionable is a whole dilemma in itself. An altogether different, but perhaps just as obvious, decision would be to actually pay for it. “We can’t keep making porn forever if we’re not making money off of it,” I’m told.

A key criticism of porn is its subjugation of women. One study even claimed that 40 per cent of porn depicts violence against women. However, Silvia agrees with the notion that it’s not necessarily women who get hurt.

“We’re all just people and we’re all just having sex”

“You’re looking at one side of the industry being male-dominantly aggressive,” she states. “There is another side which is female-dominantly aggressive. There’s dominatrixes who will put men on their hands and knees and have them lick their shoes. I’ve flicked cigarettes into a man’s mouth. I’ve put my cigarette out on his tongue. And I’ve done things in the industry which are very aggressive as a female towards men.”

How similar performers’ choices in real life are to their porn choices is perhaps indicative of their motivations. “In the industry right now we’re dealing with gay side versus straight side,” explains Silvia. “And that really bothers me.” Silvia is a straight woman who is into straight men however, as she agrees, she probably sees her work more as art or performance than other performers: “I’m a crossover performer. I work with gay men. I work with bi men. I work with transsexuals. It’s a little bit frowned upon in the straight community which to me is sad because we’re all just people and we’re all just having sex.”

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Silvia Saige]]

But this certainly isn’t the only form of discrimination she’s noticed. “It’s a huge double standard and it has been for as long as I’ve been alive,” she states. “The man is a stud if he’s sleeping with a lot of women whereas a woman sleeping with a lot of men is a slut and a disgrace. She’s almost unwanted.”

“I think I have a different outlook than most people in the industry,” she explains, “because I did come from ‘the real world’. I worked in corporate America. I worked in hospitals for eight years. I knew a different style of life and now I can compare it to the style of life I have now and my happiness radar has gone off the chain. I’m such a happier, more well-adjusted person now than I ever have been.”

“A lot of them know it’s a trap, but the money’s right there in their face”

However, there are others who have made it clear that their career in porn was anything but happy. “People in the porn industry are numb to real life and are like zombies walking around,” states former adult star Jessica Jewel. “Everybody is on drugs,” she continues. “I became horribly addicted to heroin and crack. I overdosed at least three times, had tricks pull knives on me, have been beaten half to death…”

From their very first shoot, some performers’ experiences are far from the perennial smiles seen in the videos. “It was a really, really, really rough scene,” states ex performer Belle Knox on the subject of her first video. “I wasn’t prepared for how rough it was.” Having been told “it’s not that bad,” she was then choked and “ass-kicked” for others’ entertainment.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Pornhub]]

In another instance, previously concrete terms turned to mush when what was supposed to be a twentysomething guy turned out to be a middle-aged man. However, out of a sense of professional obligation, Belle agreed to proceed.

“There’s an influx of girls who want to do porn,” states a male porn star in the Netflix documentary series Hot Girls Wanted. “A lot of them know it’s a trap, but the money’s right there in their face. They take it and just hope for the best.”

“If you come into the industry and you’re a strong woman and you hold your ground, nobody’s going to mess with you”

On the softcore side of things, the late Hugh Hefner’s former “number one” girlfriend claimed she was so emotionally damaged by her experiences that she developed a stutter. “Many people assume Playboy was my blessing,” writes Holly Madison in the New York Times bestseller Down the Rabbit Hole. “But most don’t know it was also my curse.”

She was subjected to surveillance and a curfew but was also taken advantage of when incoherently drunk. Playboy, who recently flip-flopped on the topic of publishing nude photography in their magazine, drew upon the idea of mixing work and pleasure with the Playboy Mansion. In Hugh Hefner’s real-life fantasy, he lived with an array of beautiful women who were both his employees and his girlfriends. In reality however, this led to a lot of people feeling - at best - unloved.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram / Holly Madison]]

“I didn’t have the push-me-around mentality which I feel like a lot of the younger girls have when they come in,” states Silvia Saige, on the subject of her career. “I’m a very ‘no bullshit’, ‘no sugar coating’ type of person.” In Ryan Conner’s words “you make your own destiny” and Richelle Ryan believes it’s this attitude that will make a career in porn possible: “If you come into the industry and you’re a strong woman and you hold your ground, nobody’s going to mess with you.”

There is clearly a broad spectrum of experiences to be had in the porn industry. As to whether porn is helping to normalise male aggression and female compliance is hard to say but certainly, more attention needs to be paid to performers’ wellbeing.

The less tolerant view on pornography is that it’s a male-dominated world where women are exploited. However, one positive takeaway, at least, is that there is a huge gender pay gap - as female performers get paid far more than men.

There has been a seismic change in attitudes towards sex and consent in recent years. Behaviour which would have been deemed acceptable is now widely condemned. Yet, in pornography, many of these antiquated ideas still flourish.

Porn informs our understanding of what constitutes normal sex and, by extension, consent. Often, it encourages people to associate pleasure with acts of violence and coercion.

However, there is a new movement of realistic pornography which depicts mutually pleasurable sex, regardless of gender, with the assurance that performers are treated with respect.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Erika Lust Films]]

With the guidance of feminist director Erika Lust, whose series XConfessions is based on fantasies from real people, performer Hunter S. Johnson has made his directing debut. Hunter, who has a background in film and photography, has worked in the industry for eight years. VT spoke to him to gain a deeper understanding of the movement, the influence which its feminist values have had on Hunger, and what Hunter hopes he will achieve with his work in the future.

VT: What made you decide to pursue a career in ethical pornography as opposed to mainstream adult entertainment?

"I feel that pornography is incredibly influential on our culture - that our sexual views are indicative of our social views. It's not news that so many people, including myself, only had porn as their primary sexual education, and that's not ok. The majority of porn is created from the male perspective, a twisted male perspective. From the kind of minds that think harassment and coercion are normal in sexual interaction."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

"I remember watching a genre of 'casting couch' style videos when I was 16, in which unwilling women are portrayed to be tricked and coerced into pleasuring the male talent, with his face blurred out so the men viewing can imagine themselves being the ones to exert power over these women. Showing the viewer that gratification comes from control, subjugation, and power. What kind of impact does that have on a developing mind?"

"The majority of porn is created from the male perspective, a twisted male perspective"

"So many of us have been brought up in the internet age with this education, our first experiences of sexuality being only from the perspective of male dominance and violence. I feel this leads to a perpetuating system of young people learning sexuality through the lens of toxic masculinity, which I hope to play a part in correcting."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

"Pornography has become a primary source of sexual education. It shouldn't be, it should be entertainment and art, but in the gap left by our inability to have a public discourse on sexuality, pornography takes the lead. We need to acknowledge the power pornography has on our society and use that power ethically and meaningfully, to depict mutually satisfying consensual sex."

"Pornography has become a primary source of sexual education. It shouldn't be, it should be entertainment and art"

"[This] is why I chose to work in ethical porn. I understand, from my own experiences, how powerful porn can be. I want to do whatever I can to help bring this industry to a fair and ethical standpoint. To help show a different viewpoint from the one provided by the mainstream, and to challenge the status quo."

VT: How has your experience in front of the camera influenced your directorial debut behind it?

"I think that if you're going to be directing performers, you should have experience being a performer first. It's hard to understand exactly how demanding and difficult performing sexually under pressure is, without having done it first."

"Being in front of the camera means you know exactly how difficult it can be to perform sexually while dividing focus. I was asking a lot of my performers by putting them in roles where they would be delivering lines and having sex simultaneously, which is an incredibly difficult feat."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

"Knowing what I would have expected to receive in terms of care and safety, and having had positive experiences with directors like Erika [pictured above], Theo Meow, and many others gave me the knowledge to do my best in providing a safe and caring workplace for Lucy and Parker [the performers in Hunger]."

VT: Was there something about Hunger which inspired you to take it on as your first directorial project, or was it simply the first opportunity you had to work behind the camera?

"I have been working on Hunger with the writer, Ben Bousada, for over three years now. It was developed and intended to be a statement on what I'd like to see in porn. Primarily, sex and cinema. A fully-developed and nuanced plot that hints at deeper values, while still being enjoyable and sexy to watch."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Erika Lust Films]]

"Porn in which the plot isn't just a brief setup for 'the main act,' but where dialogue and sexual content are interwoven, supporting each other."

"It was developed and intended to be a statement on what I'd like to see in porn. Primarily, sex and cinema"

"I also wanted to really delve into this power structure I had observed in mainstream porn, to make the viewer think about how interconnected power and sex are, and the influence that can have on other areas of life. Hunger was very much chosen to be my directorial debut and is an indicator of the sort of work I'd like to continue with in the future."

VT: The power dynamic in Hunger is the opposite of what's traditionally portrayed in mainstream pornography. As a man, did you give Lucy Huxley more creative control in deciding how she was going to portray her character and allow your perspective to influence Parker Marx more?

"Lucy was with me for every stage of the development process and was an integral part of creating the character. In the earlier stages, she was a producer as well and helped to bring shape to the film."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / @huntersjohnsonx]]

"In a sense, the character was written specifically for her. We wanted a powerful, yet ultimately flawed, character to toy with Parker's character, to poke at his fragile male ego and give him chances to correct his way of thinking. Lucy developed her character into all that and more."

"I didn't assert much influence over either of them, as I wanted to see complex characters with strengths and weaknesses. To allow the performers to build their own versions of the characters."

"We wanted a powerful, yet ultimately flawed, character to toy with Parker's character, to poke at his fragile male ego and give him chances to correct his way of thinking"

VT: Has your experience working with Erika Lust in what's traditionally a male-dominated industry influenced your perception of pornography? If you hadn't met her or came to directing earlier in your career, would you have done things differently?

"Erika Lust's work influenced my life far before I became a director, back when I was camming and making clips five to six years ago. I read her guide Let's Make A Porno which is just an incredibly wonderful guide on creating ethical pornography."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / @huntersjohnsonx]]

"I started following Erika and other ethical producers like Ashley Vex and Pandora Blake on Tumblr and other social media. This introduced me to feminist theory, and I began learning about what ethical porn stands for. This introduction helped me reflect on my own values and think about what I stand for, and the mark I want to make on the industry."

"One of my biggest goals has been to learn more about, expose, and reduce toxic masculinity in the industry. Pornography and toxic masculinity have been so tightly interwoven, they're almost synonymous. Seeing the work of these artists, both in activism and in their film work, gave me the chance to explore a perspective that I may not have been afforded without them."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

VT: What lasting message would you like Hunger to leave with viewers?

"That pornography is cinema, and as an art form, it can be a tool to upset the status quo."

VT: It's been over a year since the #MeToo movement took the world by storm. How has it influenced the adult entertainment industry and, in particular, ethical pornography?

"I don't feel that my voice should add anything to the conversation around #MeToo. There are many other more pertinent voices already having a discussion about this."

"Pornography is cinema, and as an art form, it can be a tool to upset the status quo"

VT: You wrote that not all mainstream porn is unethical on Twitter. Can you explain your belief?

"It's the performer's right to consciously choose to work on a 'non-ethical' set. For a variety of reasons, an 'ethical' performer may choose to take work on a mainstream shoot. Does that make the performer non-ethical?"

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

"No, a lot of people don't have the luxury to pick and choose where they get their paycheck. I feel that performers should have agency to consciously choose to work with whomever they want. That's what I meant by saying not all mainstream porn is unethical. I don't want to make a distinction that would seemingly rob performers of their agency."

VT: On that note, do you think that the well-publicised deaths of sex workers in late 2017/early 2018 could have been prevented if the entire industry operated ethically? Or do you think that, at least in August Ames' case, it could have been prevented if society as a whole recognised sex work as work and respected the agency performers have over their own bodies?

"I can't speak to all the deaths of sex workers during that period, as I don't know enough about them to have an educated opinion. I think that the world, in general, would be a better place if the entire industry operated by ethical values and society recognised sex work as work."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

"Ames' death was fueled by numerous factors that affect the industry negatively. For backstory: Ames killed herself after a Twitter-storm broke out from her post that she would not be working with a 'crossover' male performer, i.e. a performer who also does gay porn. She was publicly called out on social media and told to kill herself for being homophobic, as it was seen by many that she didn't want to work with a gay performer for fear that she'd be at a greater risk of STI infection."

"Firstly, the entire issue of not working with crossover performers is very problematic in that it stems from an understanding of gay sex as riskier, which is incredibly false. A taboo of this sort can only exist because porn is not seen to be real work. Misinformation exists in ignorance, and ignorance exists in the industry because it's not seen as 'real' work."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

"The entire issue of not working with crossover performers is very problematic in that it stems from an understanding of gay sex as riskier, which is incredibly false"

"The reality is that porn performers have an incredibly low risk of infection from work. At least in the ethical porn realm, performers are required to have STI checkups before each shoot and have their choice of protection material on set: condoms, gloves, dental dams, anything they request. If this was understood and adopted by the entire industry and explained properly to society, there would be no place for this fear of crossover performers being at a higher risk of infection."

"Secondly, and more importantly to Ames' case, it needs to be understood that performers have absolute agency over their bodies and choices. Regardless of the reason for Ames' decisions in who she wanted to shoot with, it was her body. It was her choice. The circumstances surrounding her suicide were varied, and I suggest listening to the podcast series The Last Days of August for a deeper understanding."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: XConfessions]]

VT: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to watch ethical pornography but doesn't have the means to pay for it?

"All fair work should be fairly paid for. I think everyone should strive to bring that ideal into their lives. There are many different ways to support ethical pornography. Follow your favourite ethical performer or director on social media, attend ethical porn film festivals in your area, even just starting a discussion with friends about the topic helps to bring it more into the public realm."

"If performers can't express agency over their bodies, for any reason, how can we express to the viewers that they have agency over their own?"

"The more we talk about it, the more we ask ourselves questions about our own consumption and behaviours, the more we can reduce exploitation through our purchasing choices."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter / @huntersjohnsonx]]

Hunter's words are a reflection of the fact that the positive societal change occurring elsewhere in society is making its way into an industry that the majority have come to associate with problematic, patriarchal norms.

The ethical pornography movement has demonstrated that adult films have the potential to be a lot more than what's depicted by mainstream "tube" sites. They can be an artistically valid form of cinema that promotes healthy attitudes towards sex and consent.

Hunger is available for purchase on XConfessions; where there is a plethora of additional information about the ethical pornography movement. You can also keep up-to-date with Hunter's work on Twitter and Erika's on her website.

Cara Delevingne has already shared some pretty bold opinions about intimacy in her BBC documentary, Planet Sex, but her most recent one might be the most controversial...

The six-part series sees the 30-year-old supermodel explore all things sex. From sexual fluidity to the art of orgasm-ing, Delevingne does not leave any stoned unturned.

While a lot of her content involves delving into people's personal experiences, some conclusions are backed up with scientific evidence as well as statistics.

During one particular episode that discusses the 'orgasm gap', which is a term used to refer to the disparity in sexual satisfaction between men and women, Delevingne says that men do not have the "right tools" to pleasure women sexually.

"I do feel that generally men are not equipped with the right tools to be able to handle women, especially sexually," she says. "For me, the earliest ideas I ever got taught about sex were man plus woman, d*** plus vagina equals orgasm."

"I don't want to go into the art of making a woman c**, but it's just a lot more complicated and a lot more fun," the former Victoria's Secret model adds.

This comes after reports concluded that 95 percent of heterosexual men orgasm during sex while just 65 percent of straight women do, emphasizing the substantial gap between the genders when it comes to sexual satisfaction.

However, this inequality was not just limited to heterosexual women and men.

It was also found that lesbian and bisexual women have significantly more orgasms than heterosexual women do.

According to Forbes, this could be down to a lack of understanding from men when it comes to female anatomy and the vulva.

Despite the statistics, it seems as though some people were left a little shaken by Delevingne's comments.

"Ah, hmm, If she needs tools I’m not sure a man’s what’s she’s looking for," wrote one user.

"IM AS GOOD AS ANY WOMAN HONEY," added another.

"When you’re being hyped up as an intellectual but you’re just a feminist in 2022 and promiscuity is the norm... imagine thinking men could be the only problem but ignoring that maybe is also a female issue, failure can go both ways," said a third.

Elsewhere in the docuseries, the Life in a Year actress reflected on her own sexuality, stating that she still struggles with being open about how much she "[loves] women."

"I'm on a very personal journey into my own sexuality. You may or may not know I have had relationships with both men and women," she explained in a voiceover. "But I still struggle with being open - really open - about just how much I love women."

Delevingne then goes onto add that there was a lot of shame surrounding the topic: "I grew up with a lot of shame is thinking, this isn't normal, this isn't human.

"Sexuality is a spectrum and mine wavers, but I'm probably, definitely more on the side of women. I like having sex with men, I just don't date them. I might though, you never know."

Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne is available to watch on the UK's BBC Three.

Featured Image Credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy

Lottie Moss has gotten candid about discovering pornography early on in her childhood, describing the situation as being "toxic" on Jamie Laing's podcast Private Parts.

The 24-year-old spoke to Laing over two separate episodes titled Lottie Moss: Sexual awakenings, exes, and how to be great in bed. The half-sister of international supermodel, Kate Moss, stated on the show that she'd first discovered porn at the age of 11.

"I was so young, and I had an iPod touch, and I used to watch porn on it. I used to type in 'girls kissing girls' that was my first ever one. I was probably like 11. I was young," she told Laing.

Moss then added that she felt pressured to view and copy overly sexualized behavior because that's what the boys in her grade were all watching, stating: "I discovered masturbating quite young, and I think finding pornography so young was quite toxic."

The Londoner - who creates NSFW content on OnlyFans - continued: "I felt so much pressure because all the guys at school watched porn. Men grow up watching porn, but it's not how sex is. I know pornstars now, and I do OnlyFans. Speaking to them, they say it's all fake, the entire thing is staged. Sorry to break everyone's hearts. I had sex very early on. I just had sex a lot when I was 15, 16. And now I'm just like, 'I can't be bothered.'"

"I felt so much pressure because all the guys at school watched porn. Men grow up watching porn, but it's not how sex is. I know pornstars now, and I do OnlyFans. Speaking to them, they say it's all fake, the entire thing is staged. Sorry to break everyone's hearts. I had sex very early on. I just had sex a lot when I was 15, 16. And now I'm just like, 'I can't be bothered,'" the model stated. Credit: Stills Press / Alamy

On a previous podcast called Call Her Daddy, Moss discussed her motive to create raunchy content on OnlyFans, telling host Alex Cooper: "I chose to do OnlyFans because I wanted to empower myself. I love taking nude pictures."

"Sometimes we used to do these things at the house that I was staying at with my friend. We used to bring the girls over. We'd get some drinks going, smoke a little bit and just have fun," Moss said of content shooting days, before adding: "We'd just take our clothes off and wear cute underwear. We once got a Bentley to come to the house, and we were all just lying on the Bentley taking pictures. It was so cool."

Though, unfortunately, earlier this year Moss fell victim to a content leak, after a former friend posted her paid-for images and videos on a group chat, as well as her personal phone number.

In fact, per Grazia, "Lottie Moss leaked pictures" became a viral search term after the incident. Moss ended up posting a now-deleted message onto her Instagram, where the tearful model stated that it was a fan who initially alerted her to the leak. She also called the perpetrator an "evil human being."

Sadly, Moss is not alone - thousands of other women across the globe have fallen victim to the same situation, including actress Jennifer Lawrence and British reality TV star Georgia Harrison.

Featured image credit: Stills Press / Alamy