Let’s get the facts straight: women love porn. 

No, we don’t mean those low quality movies that show a man’s body (why do you never see his head?) receiving the longest blow job in history. All whilst sat on a plastic sofa that could do with a clean. 

We’re talking about hot, erotic porn made by women, for women.

Is it normal for women to watch porn?

Hell yes. Let’s say this louder for those at the back…

It’s 👏  perfectly 👏  normal 👏  for 👏  women 👏  to 👏  watch 👏  porn. 

In fact, it’s normal for people of all genders to watch porn. 

Unfortunately we’ve been spoon-fed one type of porn that caters to white, cis gendered heterosexual men for so long that we’ve come to think of porn as their thing. Well, news flash: it’s not theirs. 

Women and gender minorities are reclaiming porn. They’re watching it, starring in it, directing it, and producing it. And we’re here to tell you where to find it. Because no matter your preferences, there’s something made by women for you.

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ethical porn, made by women

But wait, what is porn for women?

So, we’ve cleared up the fact that it’s perfectly fine for women to watch porn. But what exactly is “porn for women”?

First thing’s first: women make up roughly half of the world’s population. We sure as hell don’t have one shared sexual appetite.

For a while, there was no porn for women. Then, people presumed that it was only romantic, soft-core, heterosexual sex under soft lighting. But porn for women is not just that. It’s a whole range of different things to satisfy our individual tastes. It can be hardcore, kinky, lesbian, gay, gangbangs, and more. Basically there’s “porn for women” for every mood you have. 

The majority of pornography has been made under the male gaze. That means it’s been made by cis-gendered, heterosexual men for cis-gendered, heterosexual men. Porn for women, on the other hand, is based on what’s hot for women. It is written, produced, and directed by women, and women performers are empowered in the storylines.

What is feminist porn?

Feminist porn puts women and gender minorities in charge of the narrative. 

In doing so, it tends to center the pleasure of women and gender minorities on-screen. And, by showing sexual diversity and featuring a different body types, it challenges traditional beauty standards and gender roles. 

But don’t be mistaken. Just because it’s feminist doesn’t mean it cannot show rough sex, BDSM, or feature female performers in submissive positions.

What is ethical porn?

Ethical porn, also known as fair-trade porn, often refers to the work environment the content was created in. It can be soft, hard, or anything in between, but the viewer can watch it knowing that it was made with good labor practices, fair pay, and consent. You can get off and feel good about it. 

Whilst there’s no one definition of ethical porn (or feminist porn, for that matter), these are some things to look out for:

  • Performers, filmmakers and crew are paid fairly for their work. Ethical porn producers recognize sex work as real work, and understand that performers must be paid appropriately. This is why ethical porn typically isn’t free.

 

  • Performers are treated with dignity & respect. Performers are treated with respect, and everything that is expected of them on-set is agreed upon beforehand. There are no last minute changes to their work and they are treated with care.

 

  • Consent is prioritized and practiced. Everything that happens on set happens with explicit consent from everyone involved (even if you don’t see it on-screen). Performers are given agency by choosing who they work with and the type of sex they have. The sex scene is agreed upon before the shoot and there are no last minute changes.

 

  • Safe sex environment. The safety of performers is the main focus of ethical porn. It’s fundamental that performers work in a safe sex environment with sexual health screenings and safer sex options such as condoms, gloves and lube. They are given the time to prepare physically and emotionally before filming a sex scene, and the location of the sex scene is clean and safe.

 

  • Worker standards. Just because it’s a porn set doesn’t mean it should run any differently to a mainstream film set. Performers and crew are given adequate breaks, facilities, food, and water.

 

The bottom line – ethical porn cannot be made for free, so the best way to consume ethically is to pay for your porn. Read our ethical porn guide if you want to learn more.

Porn by women

So, you’re up to speed on porn for women, feminist porn, and ethical porn (which often overlap), but what about ‘porn by women’? Well, this one is pretty simple. It’s any pornography that is made by women. It can be feminist, ethical, and made for women all at the same time, or it can be none of those at all.

Porn for women by women

And, you guessed it, porn for women by women, is exactly that. Women filmmakers making porn for women viewers.

A short history of porn made by women for women

Porn for women is a relatively recent invention. Due to the false assumption that women aren’t interested in watching erotica and aren’t aroused by visuals, we were widely ignored as a reputable consumer of porn for a long time.

That all changed in the 1980s. Buckle up, we’re taking you on a whistle stop tour through the history of porn made by women.

80s: The trailblazers 

Everything changed when Candida Royalle took the pornography sene by storm in the 1980s. After starring in movies as a performer for a number of years, she created her adult film company Femme Productions and directed ‘Femme,’ the first ever porn movie made specifically for women. There had been a few female porn directors before Royalle, but they had never shot anything with the female gaze specifically for women.

By starring strong female characters, refusing to show a visible cumshot (aka the “money shot”), and showcasing genuine female pleasure, Royalle’s films opened up the world of pornography to women. For the first time in history, women felt comfortable watching porn.

90s: Porn by women goes mainstream

The success of Royalle made an impact on the mainstream adult industry. In the 1990s, some of the leading studios started making their own versions of porn for women. Predictably, this was mostly soft, romantic porn with storylines. 

In 1997, a Danish company became the first mainstream film production company to make hardcore movies for women under a new brand, Puzzy Power.  

Purve, the first paid porn site for women, launched in 1998. In 1999, sex educator Tristan Taormino released her first explicit movie, ‘The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women’. 

Meanwhile, in the UK, Anna Span became known as the first female porn director of Britain. She created movies that she would enjoy watching herself, and shot from the female gaze.

2000s: The movement is here

Adult filmmaker Erika Lust joined the fun in 2004 with the release of her first movie, ‘The Good Girl’, a comedic take on the classic pizza boy porn trope. She has since gone on to become one of the most famous faces in the industry with her artistic, short, indie movies.

In the same year, Petra Joy started directing porn for women. She hoped to show a more accurate reflection of female sexuality. She works with amateur performers, so her movies capture real chemistry and authentic pleasure. 

In 2006, the Feminist Porn Awards launched and brought more attention to porn for women. The awards were meant to be a one-off event, but after huge success, they ran for 10 years. The event eventually rebranded as the Toronto International Porn Festival. 

Since 2010, the genre has expanded to include new voices and fresh perspectives. Directors such as Shine Louise Houston, Courtney Trouble, and Paulita Pappel have brought more intersectional feminism, gender fluidity, and queer politics into the industry.

How to find porn for women

afterglow (this website!), is an erotic sexual wellness platform that combines ethical porn with educational content to inspire your sex sessions.

a film still from Lip Service, an afterglow original porn for women by women

Lip Service: Watch a woman tell her man exactly how she likes it.

an eduporn on afterglow, a site for porn by women for women

How to Hook Up: An afterglow eduporn — sexy sex ed produced by women — learn the ins and outs of hook up culture and how to navigate it.

A film by Lightsouthern on afterglow, a site for porn by women for women

Lightsouthern: An Australian porn studio dedicated to creating realistic porn by and for the feminine gaze.

Other sites we recommend:

PinkLabel TV is an indie adult cinema created by queer porn filmmaker Shine Louise Houston. Designed especially for emerging and independent adult filmmakers, with a sustainable revenue model to support filmmakers. 

Royal Fetish Films was created by real life couple, Jet-Setting Jasmine and King Noire, demonstrates what a more inclusive, ethical and safe space for BIPOC performers actually looks like.

Lustery shows real life partners, filming their sex lives behind closed doors. This is amateur porn that shows real intimacy and emotion.

Hardwerk is a new studio in Berlin specializing in gangbangs. If you have group sex fantasies, this one’s for you.

Sit back, relax, and watch some porn for women

From erotica to hardcore, there is plenty of porn that is made by women, for women. Plus, it can be ethical, feminist, and hot all at the same time. 

What a great, pleasurable time to be alive. Get out there and enjoy it.


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?

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