Yes, Ethical Porn Exists

Mainstream media still questions whether ethical porn exists. It does. Here’s why.

By now you may have seen articles discussing “ethical porn” or seen websites describing themselves with this term. But what does it mean?

In a way, the term is about describing what it’s isn’t. Most mainstream porn still relies on sexist, racist and offensive tropes that many women find off putting or offensive. The desire to find and create something better has led people using the phrase “ethical porn”. It’s a handy moniker that can be used to delineate independent, feminist, sex positive porn from the rest.

Beyond that, ethical porn is something of a movement. And if you dig down, you can see that this type of porn is embodying ideals about how porn should be made and what it should look like. It’s also part of a wider ideology that is feminist, pro sex work and anti-censorship.

Making Ethical Porn

The idea of ethical porn came partly from performer organizations. Primarily based in the US, porn performers began advocating for standardized methods of making porn that centred the wellbeing of those who were in it. Part of this was the need to protect against HIV and it grew into a wider discussion and advocacy. Ideally an ethical porn production looks after the physical health of its performers through STI testing and safety on set. This is the bare minimum and, beyond this, porn production needs to focus on communication, documentation, payment, consent and respect to be truly ethical.

On the legal side, payment and documentation are vital. This means that contracts are clearly worded, the ages of performers are checked to unsure they’re over 18 and payments are made on time. All performers should be paid equally, no matter their sex or gender.

Communication before, during and after the scene is also very important. It is ethical to include the performer in planning the scene so they know what to expect ahead of time. Even if the sex scene is unscripted or spontaneous, an overall idea of what should happen helps. A discussion of what sex acts are expected should be had beforehand so there are no “surprises” at the time of filming. Performers are given the opportunity to withdraw from the production beforehand.

Pre-scene discussions between performers are also very important to help establish boundaries and find out what works for everyone. This communication helps establish consent. And checking in should continue throughout the scene. Ethical porn sets encourage this communication between performers. They give people the opportunity to stop the scene if anyone feels uncomfortable.

All of these measures are about respecting performers. Good productions will ensure that the performers are treated well by other cast and by crew and that they are treated professionally at all times.

Most mainstream porn productions adhere to some of these ideals. There are legal requirements regarding documentation and the larger companies pay well. Most sets look after performer safety and the performers themselves work together with communication and consent. This is why some performers say that the term “ethical porn” makes no sense, since the majority of porn meets these minimum requirements. But doing the bare minimum isn’t what the ethical porn movement is about and it’s not what most people think of when they use the term. To really qualify, you need to go beyond how it’s made and look at what’s depicted and what the overall ideals are.

What Ethical Porn Is About

Mainstream porn is usually produced ethically but it also still relies on sexist, racist and sex-negative tropes. Ethical porn is sex positive: it shows sex, sexuality and its performers in a positive, inclusive and humanizing way.

When it comes to safe sex, ethical porn productions give performers choice in how they approach this. While regular testing is common, many productions are happy to feature condoms, dams and other barrier devices in their porn and will make using these part of the scene, to normalize safe sex.

Consent is part of the production process but it’s also important to show it as well. Consent is made part of the scene via dialogue or movement, or the general context and setting of the scene makes it apparent. Even in scenes where consent is not part of the action, like BDSM, ethical porn will find a way to ensure the viewer knows it is a fantasy, not reality, and that the performers DID consent to what is happening. This may be via a description, via behind-the-scenes footage or interviews, or through a visible discussion of safe words and rules.

Equal pleasure is important.. Mainstream straight porn has typically given priority to male pleasure, either not showing female orgasms or showing women simply as a means for men to get off. Ethical porn seeks to even the scales or even to prioritize female pleasure. In scenes where this isn’t part of the scenario like femdom or female submission, an ethical production will use context to show every performer is still enjoying themselves.

How a scene is described is also part of the ethical porn process. Descriptions should avoid slurs or derogatory ways to describe the performers or the sex they are having. It also helps to ensure viewers understand that the scene is fantasy where appropriate.

Ethical porn celebrates diversity. This means casting people of all body types. It means being inclusive of sexualities, ethnicities, genders and identities.

It also offers a variety of different perspectives. Everyone has their own turn-ons, their own ideas of what is sexy. Ethical porn seeks to create a heterogeneity of sexual depictions which shows there isn’t only one way to have sex.

Overall Principles

Ethical porn creators often make porn that reflects their wider beliefs about the world. Sometimes these views are the subjects of the porn itself and sometimes it’s just a background motivation.

Ethical porn is sometimes known as feminist porn. This is because creating this type of porn is a feminist undertaking. It emphasizes equality between the sexes and seeks to promote alternative views of sex and sexuality, especially that of female empowerment and pleasure. Intersectional feminism means that porn is happy to be diverse in its perspectives and acknowledges that the narrow focus of mainstream porn has impoverished our view of sex.

It’s also sex positive. This is an ideology that rejects the shame that has long surrounded sex and sexuality. Instead, it embraces sex as a good, positive thing. It knows that sex can be enjoyed purely for pleasure, that it can happen outside of established relationships and that it can be used to make money, if need be.

That’s because ethical porn is in favour of sex worker rights. Porn performance is a form of sex work and should be treated as work by governments around the world. This means it promotes decriminalization as the preferred model of sex work legislation, as advocated by sex workers themselves.

Ethical porn also supports LGBTIQ+ rights and its production is part of the ongoing visibility and freedom of queer people. In a world that has long silenced them and still seeks to attack them, queer porn exists as a beacon for homosexual rights. It shows LGBTIQ people in all their diversity, unapologetically having sex without shame or fear.

Sex education is another important ideal behind ethical porn. In a world where too many people don’t receive any sex ed at all, it advocates for better communication and consent. While most porn is created purely for entertainment, it still serves as a rudimentary sex education for many people. Ethical porn often includes sex education videos and it also models good ways to have sex in the content itself.

Ethical porn also advocates freedom of speech and is anti-censorship. While many advocate banning porn because it is supposedly harmful to women, ethical and feminist porn shows that media depicting sex is not inherently bad or sexist. As an answer to calls for censorship, creators of this kind of porn advocate for better sex education, parental responsibility and the right of adults to choose what they see, hear and read.

Porn is often produced for commercial reasons and ethical pornographers aren’t exempt, though some make it purely for ideological reasons. Making porn to make money doesn’t automatically make it wrong and many ethical porn producers have no problem balancing their ideology with the need to make a living in a capitalist world. Making porn is an expensive exercise so it helps to be able to recoup costs and to pay performers. This is why ethical pornographers ask you to:

Pay For Your Porn

Too many people think all porn should be free. This doesn’t take into account the cost to produce it or the need to pay performers fairly for their work. That’s why many people argue that paying for your porn is the most ethical way to consume it. It is entertainment, after all. And when you pay for your porn, you are able to help the producer make more good porn.

Where To Find Ethical Porn

Unfortunately a lot of producers have taken up using the term “ethical porn” simply as a way of marketing themselves, without really being part of the movement. Sometimes you need to dig a little harder to find good porn.

There’s a few ways to see if a porn site or producer wants to be identified as ethical. Many ethical porn sites include a statement of ethics which lists their beliefs and production guidelines. They are often a member of industry bodies and support performer groups. They often have behind-the-scenes videos and interviews on their sites. You may also want to check the social media profiles of those who are making the porn and see if they’ve been interviewed in the media. Many are vocal about their beliefs and ideals. You can also look at the social media profiles of performers who appear in ethical porn. They typically have good things to say about working with ethical porn sites.

To find good ethically produced porn, you may wish to check our list of recommended porn for women sites or watch the work of the female porn directors listed here.

See also: Ethical porn at FeministPorn.org