Here at afterglow, we’re huge champions of ethical, female-led porn. From videos to erotica and even behind-the-scenes snippets, we provide content for consumers who are looking to explore pleasure – alone or with a partner.
With this in mind, have you ever wondered how porn can positively impact your sex life? There’s so much to learn from good, sex-positive porn that can help you relax into your sexuality and learn more about sex and your body. Find out why below.
It can help you discover new kinks
One fantastic impact of porn is that there really is something for everyone. This is welcome news for people looking to explore their kinks and fetishes, or those just searching for some erotic inspiration.
One of the most important things porn can do is help consumers come to terms with their identity. Unfortunately, sex education still doesn’t go into great detail when it come to kinks and fetishes, which means that there often aren’t any resources for adolescents to turn to when learning about their sexual proclivities. This can lead to shame or confusion in many people, particularly if their tastes are somewhat out of the box.
So when kinks are displayed in porn, unabashedly and with enthusiasm, it goes some way towards shattering the stigma surrounding kink. There is an incredible power and affirmation that comes from seeing your particular kink represented in porn, both in the knowledge that you are not alone in your desire, and in the enjoyment that comes from being able to consume it without heading to dodgy corners of the internet.
It teaches that sex isn’t perfect each time
And perhaps you’re not into kink. Do you only like to scissor? Are you happy with mutual oral? Or are you missionary-as-standard? Great! Just as there’s something for every flavor of kink, there’s also so much porn focused on comfortable, day-to-day sex. No matter what you count as conventional, you’ll be able to find some videos, images or erotica that cater to your desires.
Moreover, the little slip-ups that happen so much during sex are often shown on screen as insignificant parts of a fulfilling sex life. The weird fart sound that happens when your chests suction together, or when an overly enthusiastic thrust produces a queef, or when he falls out, or she starts laughing: it all happens in porn. Hell, there are videos entirely dedicated to porn bloopers, if that’s your thing. A happy sex life is a healthy sex life, and watching porn that encourages mistakes and laughter will help to solidify the dual notions of comfort and sex in your mind.
Consuming pornography is an important part of exploring your sexuality – so much so that a number of international organizations are trying to use it in tandem with sex education. As such, these bloopers are incredibly important to porn viewers, showing us that nobody should let their fear of being vulnerable inhibit them from enjoying great sex.
It can be beautiful
As more and more female-led ethical porn sites appear online, the quality and aesthetics of the genre have vastly improved. And, despite being a relatively burgeoning genre, feminist porn now makes up 10% of the multi-billion-dollar universe, drawing in more and more consumers each year. This is due to a perfect storm of convenience: the rise of smartphones (view or watch porn wherever you want!); 50 Shades of Gray’s popularity (an 80% female readership), and – for a recent example – the changes in sex lives that have come from a global pandemic.
It’s clear that viewers want more than porn made solely from the male gaze. Research shows they value everything from romantic vignettes to hardcore fucking, filmed with consent, compassion and creativity in mind. The AVN awards (aka the Oscars of porn) have even added a ‘romance’ category, such is the demand. And why not? There is nothing to stop porn being shot with beautiful cinematography, with performers (particularly women) having real orgasms on screen, and with innovative ideas being brought to the forefront. Take Clayton Cubitt’s Hysterical Literature series, in which mind/body, distraction, culture and pornography are all examined to steaming hot results.
There’s also us at afterglow. We work with studios focused on ethical sexuality and feminism like Joy Bear and HardWerk to conceptualize gorgeous films that showcase authentic pleasure. And because we want to celebrate all facets of porn, we feature a pleasure universe comprising an exercise, article, gif and BTS with every video we make. Education, erotica and hot videos – is there anything more beautiful?
Are you ready to start exploring the positive ways porn can impact your sex life? Consider this an open invitation to investigate. Take your time, dip in and out, and see what works for you: there’s no hurry and certainly no pressure. You can thank us later!
Want to know more? Read The Ultimate Guide to Porn for Couples.
60% of women are dissatisfied with their sex lives. We’re on a mission to change that.
What if you didn’t have to search to find a body that looks like yours, a sex act that turns you on, or a guided exercise that helps you tell your partner exactly what you’ve been craving?
What if YOUR pleasure came first?