A Woman’s Touch: The Pornographic Revolution

Here's the thing: Women like to have sex. It's fun. It feels good. We fantasize about it, worry about it, long for it, hope for it, and now—we're asking for it. On camera. Surprised? 

People tend to think women don't like porn. Most don't start watching it as early on as men do, it's true. And as a community, women are significantly less likely to discuss it. A great deal of this stems from pornography of the past: Once upon a time, genres were limited, and productions did little to inspire a female following. In fact, porn was produced exclusively by men for men, and many women felt degraded and reduced. (We've all heard the "wet hole" descriptor, and needless to say, it's not a turn on.) Cameras focused solely on the body of the female, who didn't look like she was fucking so much as being fucked, almost how a doll would be handled. It was far from inclusive, and for some women, it was scary. 

The state of the porno

Fast forward to 2015, and there's nearly a cacophony of sex on the Internet. You'll find every fetish, every body type, every age group, ethnicity, fantasy, filming style, and sexual act on the planet. Thousands of porn producers span the planet, some small, some large, and all easily able to upload their videos to the web. There's a little something for everyone these days, including women. In fact, women are taking 25 percent of the porn-watching pie these days, though many women make up an even larger share on certain sites and platforms. Gone are the days of the gentleman's club—porn has itself a new audience, and it's hungry for more. The truth is that women love sex—and they love watching it, just like you.

I recently wrote about the misguided notion that only men like looking at porn, and today, The Telegraph chimed in on the global conversation as well. PornHub even collaborated with Buzzfeed on the matter, and that's when you know it's gone mainstream. Lucrative, prolific pornographers are listed in the article: Joanna Angel, Erika Lust, Jacky St. James. They're names we're quite familiar with here at Fleshbot—and they're all women trying to create something that both genders can get off to. (Check out Lust's Ted Talk on the subject. It's bomb.) 

So what is it, exactly, that women want, and how is porn adapting to satisfy it? The Telegraph reports it with alarming simplicity and clarity through the voice of a 27 year-old who'd previously been frustrated with the content available to her:

 “I’m looking for a woman enjoying herself.” 

That's not much to ask for, now is it?

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus—or are they? 

Luckily, that's an objective that can be fulfilled in nearly every genre, meaning it isn't limited to the romantic rose-laden pornos some think of when they contemplate porn made for women. Many people are surprised to find that women's interests can be as unique and subversive as men's, delving into BDSM, humiliation, and more. Some women like it rough, and some prefer sex that's more tender. Many like to be dominant, while many like to be submissive. My point? Women are just as diverse as men when it comes to their sexual interests. It's not necessarily the content that pushed away women in the past—it's the perspective. We have producers like Erika Lust and Joanna Angel, the latter of which produces predominately hardcore features, to thank for that, and we feature quite a bit of their stuff on here. 

There are small differences between what men and women watch, of course: Women typically like a little bit of backstory served with a heaping side of foreplay, while men are often just fine skipping straight to the action. Even here, the lines are blurring, though—illustrated by the women searching for "throat fucking" and the guys seeking out more elaborate recounts of cuckolding and cunnilingus. Enjoyment, expression, the ability to identify with the female performer—these are all things that can be found in any genre so long as the intention is there. And one of the most popular porn vessels for the fairer sex is Tumblr, home to three-second GIFs and photos. 

One industry, many platforms

Cosmopolitan recently covered women's porn-viewing habits on the microblogging platform. Perhaps the most interesting thing? Women are the primary subscribers when it comes to Tumblr—a far cry from the even promising 25 percent PornHub reports on regular site searches. You heard that right: Most of the people looking at Tumblr porn are women. GIFs may not provide the comprehensive story (and experience) that full-length videos do, but they're damn fun to look at and are great for exploring and expanding your interests. (It's easy to find something you might never have typed into a search bar for yourself when you're perusing a porn page.) Cosmo writes: 

But while you can find your super-specific niche (fetish?) on Tumblr, another reason the site is especially popular among early-twentysomethings is that it serves as a way to experiment without really committing. On traditional porn sites, you have to specifically choose "lesbian" or "straight," for example. On Tumblr, a GIF you find sexy might pop up and take you into a whole new world of lesbian porn or BDSM porn that you never would have known you liked if you had to label it. 

More and more women are joining the porn-watching community each day, but others still feel that residual guilt or fear from the stigma porn has traditionally carried. Tumblr offers a good introduction to the content in a noncommittal way, all while offering an awesome community of people who can share their sexuality and interact with each other in a safe environment. Cosmo articulated the benefits of Tumblr porn with this: 

But maybe the best rationale behind why women are so obsessed with Tumblr porn came from a twentysomething friend of mine who asked to remain anonymous. "Social media porn feels more ... social!" she said. "It feels like a friend making you a porn mix tape and you feel more connected."

Introducing: Fleshthoughts

And you know me—there are few things I love as much as sex and community. Ladies are certainly not the only ones who love bite-sized porn snippets either; many men frequently search for them, too. (Pro tip: They're really easy to send in text messages.) In honor of all our women and our GIF lovers alike, we've started up our very own Tumblr. It's called Fleshthoughts, and you can find it right here. Full disclosure: I also handle the advice column. So ask me your questions n' stuff. 

The ladies are speaking up, fellas: Women watch porn, too, and are just as committed to the right imagery as you are. Producers and performers are making the female perspective a priority in the adult entertainment industry, so let's join them and welcome the ladies with open arms. Erika Lust reflects our mission exactly at the very end of her TED Talk, actually—

"I'm not trying to get women out of porn—I'm trying to get them into it."

Because we're just as enthusiastic about it as you.