When you think about porn, morals are rarely the first thing that comes to mind. However, if you’re someone who’s struggled with feeling satisfied by the mainstream style of money shots and gratuitous plots—you’re definitely not alone.
Valued at anywhere from $6- to $97-billion per year, the porn industry has an interestingly hefty role within our entertainment economy. This means it evolves to meet consumer demand, as is the case with ethical porn.
What is ethical porn?
Also called ‘fair trade’ or ‘feminist’, “ethical porn” can be best described as the production of erotic content with performer rights and well-being in mind. The talent isn’t forced to do anything on screen they don’t feel comfortable doing.
The action you see in ethical porn feels a lot more natural than what you find in more conventional stuff. Building upon things like kissing, true intimacy, and a lack of painstakingly dramatized orgasms, the foundation of “ethical porn” rests upon pleasure in the purest sense.
The Value of Cost
This leads us to our next crossroad: the internet. Whether it’s your weekly grocery run or a new impulse gadget at 2 AM, the online sphere has opened our world to everything—porn included. While those free tube sites are handy, they sadly don’t necessarily promote ethical porn ideals.
Higher quality often means a higher price tag, so ethical porn almost always will come with a cost. However, when paying for the material makes it feasible for production companies to then pay their performers decently, it’s clearly worth doing. Especially since it also can make the viewer feel more invested in what (and who) they’re watching.
Compassionate Production
Speaking of who, the philosophy of who you see onscreen defines ethical porn in the first place. Ethical porn aims to feature a wide variety of genders, body types, races, and sexualities. This is important to illustrate how sex really is among all lovers out there. Representation matters.
Ethical production companies go to great lengths to ensure they have explicit consent from their performers for any and everything that goes down on camera. They operate in the mindset that when talent is treated fairly, they inherently perform better. The best news is it results in a much more pleasurable viewing experience for everyone else. It’s such a turn-on to know the actors are having just as much fun performing, as you are watching them.
Using Porn Ethically
So if you want to kickstart your path to being an ethical porn consumer, we are here to help.
Researching production companies behind the content is always a great place to start. Ensure they’re taking ethical approaches to create content, and have solid consent policies to back it all up. Beginning to pay for material supports these companies’ philosophies, and enables them to keep producing their saucy content. Taking time to watch bonus behind-the-scenes/making-of footage helps showcase performers’ enthusiasm for the art they’re making.
Where can you watch ethical porn?
Needless to say, there’s a slew of sexy creators out there trailblazing the incredible standards being set through ethical porn. Therefore it’s best to do a deep dive of your own, and figure out what you personally find the most enjoyable.
Bellesa Plus is a great place to start—it’s basically the Netflix of ethical porn. In 4k streaming, it’s not only ethical—it’s premium content. It features videos from 50+ premium porn channels, including Bellesa Originals TV Series and Movies, such as Bellesa House (reality porn!). For the bookworms out there, you get access to a hand-curated collection of 600+ erotic stories, including New York Times bestsellers, and audio erotica. Bellesa Plus members also receive access to video sex-ed classes, webinars, and guides, along with an exclusive sex-positive Facebook community. Make friends, watch porn… It’s a win-win.
This new wave of sensual programming is built on much more than just over-the-top sex appeal. Ethical porn is a fascinating world that goes far beyond what meets the eye and ear. Sexy, fun, inspirational, and consent are all wrapped up in one saucy package. We can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone looking to bring real-deal inspiration for pleasure into their own sex life.
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Alex Anderson is an LA-based lifestyle designer proactively raging against the cultural grain. By day she works in television production, and by night enjoys writing, sewing and seeking guidance from the stars. She also finally has an all-black kitty named “Cher.” You can follow her website and on Instagram!
