Porn for women: can it really be feminist or ethical?

Irina Vega had always been very curious about porn. “Since the first time I saw a video when I was young, the people who work on it caught my attention,” recalls the director and producer of Altporn4U.com. At 24 years old she lived in Barcelona, ​​where she studied electronics and worked in the hospitality sector. At that time, she began an open relationship in which she met people from the porn industry. She was encouraged to try.

Since then, 17 years have passed. At this moment, there are those who think that the industry is evolving towards less sordid, more open, transparent and inclusive places, although there are also those who have doubts about this and those who consider that porn, by its very nature, is and will always be a source of exploitation.

“Now, it is easier to find feminist, ethical porn… Curious people with a certain sensitivity can look for porn that is now much more aligned with their tastes and values,” says Vega, 41, who has fought for porn to exist in Spain. alternative. “I don't rely on statistics to produce porn, but I try to do something authoritative, creative and with values,” she says. Vega describes her “feminist porn” as films where equality is taken into account both in front of and behind the camera: “In front of the camera it should be kept in mind that women also have a role as a subject and not an object.”

Its website hosts dozens of pay movies. In the manifesto section, they explain that their ethical values ​​are diversity and feminism, which includes the acceptance of all types of body shapes, gender identities, ages (as long as they are of legal age) and ethnicities. “The pleasure of all artists matters. Before filming, the actors choose who their sexual partners are, talk about their tastes and agree on practices. “Artists can choose whether they want to use a condom or not, providing up-to-date STD testing,” the text reads. In addition, it is clarified that the payments are fair and that “each director or studio that appears is licensed or paid a commission for the sale of their content.”

There are other companies, such as PinkLabel.tv, Hardwerk, Lust Cinema, Pink & White and Wild Galaxies, among others, that are dedicated to this type of productions. A subscription to PinkLabel costs 10 euros per month. Vega explains that "in recent years, platforms have emerged, such as those mentioned, that help independent producers and

performers

be able to self-manage and upload their own content."

However, this type of porn is still only a very small part of what is made within the industry. Simply type the word porn on the Internet and, in a matter of seconds, more than 5.7 billion results will be offered from which you can access portals that offer content for free. A few months ago, the president of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, warned about the situation in the country. “We are facing a real epidemic,” he said during the Council of Ministers while announcing the creation of a committee of experts to generate a safe digital environment for youth and children.

The porn director and producer known as Paulita Pappel has obtained subsidies from the German Government to produce pornography that focuses on this more diverse type of product. “They uploaded it for free on the Internet so that anyone could see it. I think it is wonderful to see that a government is open and creates such interesting proposals for the public,” says Vega, proudly.

For her part, Paulita explains that since she was little she has experienced the internal conflict of feeling a great fascination with porn while society has always instilled in her that it is bad because it exploits women and has a markedly misogynistic character. “Later, I met feminist women who made different porn and who sought to change it from within the industry.” This movement began to emerge in the United States in the 80s.

In this type of productions, consent and transparency always come first when recording. “We make porn for women because until now it has been defined that porn is for men,” she explains, and admits that her aspiration is to celebrate sexuality, desire and diversity through her films, not only for women but for all.

Although she defines what she does as feminist and ethical porn, she has stopped saying so because she doesn't want to continue reproducing the idea that conventional porn is wrong. “Nowadays, most porn is shot by people who sell it to platforms that distribute it,” she says. For her, the type of audiovisual content she makes is like any other genre that can be seen on Netflix.

“I have been making porn for the last 20 years and trying to change the way society sees it, making proposals beyond the basics.” The idea of ​​it, he explains, is not just reduced to creating sexual excitement, but is based on seeking to make it a more complete experience, to fulfill people's fantasies in front of the camera. Before each shoot, he sends a questionnaire to all the actors so that they can choose what positions they want to perform, their limits and their sexual preferences. “There is and there must be porn for all tastes, there is no need to make a distinction between genders,” she reflects.

Against the concept of ethical porn

Not everyone supports the progress of porn. More and more pornography is consumed and fewer sexual relations are had in Spain, explains sexologist Alejandro Villena Moya, who for almost a decade has been dedicated to treating patients with porn addiction as clinical director of the Darle Una Vuelta Association. For Villena, ethical porn cannot exist because the concept itself is impossible to separate from prostitution.

Villena is the author of the book

WHY NOT?: How to prevent and help with pornography addiction

(Alienta) and assures that porn consumption is a digital escape route where the desire to share is lost. “It has been proven that the greater the consumption of porn, the more cases of erectile dysfunction among men. The body develops a preference for porn because it is given a boost of excitement that is so great that when a sexual relationship is maintained afterwards it becomes boring and feels the need for something more."

“Although they are trying to go off script, it is not healthy,” says Villena about the directors of ethical porn. He is not the only academic to question the concept. The study

But What About Feminist Pornography?:

Examining the work of Tristán Taormino of the University of Dayton concluded that there are no healthy effects on the sexual and relational lives of its consumers. “The intention is good, but that does not justify that in the end they are profiting from an industry that is not regulated and where it is known that women are abused, there is exploitation of minors and there is a very high risk of addiction,” recalls Villena. , which states that the focus should not be on improving pornography for women, but on improving society's sexual education.

Vega agrees with this: “I hope that sexual education is promoted in schools so that, among other things, people know how to consume this type of content and enjoy it just like other people do without having to fall into an addiction.”

For sexologist Iván Rotella, member of the

State Society of Sexology Professionals

, porn does not exist for women because they do not have a different desire from men: “In any case it should be called ethical porn.”

Rotella warns that more and more men build their erotic imagination through porn, and that is where they receive sexual education that is not given to them at school or at home. “I see it at my institute when I ask them and they believe that sexual relations work like in porn, where women do not see themselves reflected. “Conventional porn is made so that everything revolves around the genitals, the pleasure of the man and the penis.” In Spain, one in four young people under 12 years of age and almost half of those under 15 years of age have had or have access to pornography and consume it, according to data from Safe The Children. While all these young people are being educated with it, the porn industry itself is reflecting on what it wants to be.