The Feminine Erotique: A History of Feminist Porn

Anka Radakovich's Sexplorations column runs in AVN magazine. To see a digital copy of the September issue, click here. Pictured above, from left, Tristan Taormino, Candida Royalle and Erika Lust Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s personal attorney and BFF, recently stated, “If you’re a feminist and you support the porn industry, you should turn in your credentials.” Apparently, he never heard of feminist porn. First, feminism is about not letting men define what feminism is. Second, you will soon be seeing more porn made from the female point of view. Lady directors will be featuring even more hot lady business. In the Beginning The genre got its start in 1984 when Candida Royalle established Femme Productions to produce films from a woman’s perspective. She is considered to be one of the initiators of feminist porn, as well as the genre of “couples porn.” Royalle started off by writing and producing her first two movies, Femme and Urban Heat. After that she began directing for other studios as well, including Stud Hunters (2002, Adam & Eve Pictures), starring Ava Vincent, Alexandra Silk and a group of New York “studs” whom Royalle discovered. “I created Femme in order to put a woman’s voice to adult movies and give men something they could share with the women in their lives,” the late director said in 2013. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, author and sex-positive feminist Susie Bright published the first issue of On Our Backs, a porn magazine by and for lesbians (1984-1996) with the tagline “Entertainment for the Adventurous Lesbian.” Annie Sprinkle started in the mid 1970s as a porn performer, shifting to directing her own films, such as Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle. By the 1990s she was a feminist performance artist and porn director. Her playful work included queer and transgender sexuality. In 2004 she produced Annie Sprinkle’s Amazing World of Orgasm, which was all about women’s big O’s. She has since become a PhD and sexologist—and this year she released a book, The Explorer’s Guide to Planet Orgasm: For Every Body (Greenery Press). Other feminist porn directors include Courtney Trouble, Madison Young, Shine Louise Houston, Ovidie and Jincey Lumpkin. Limpkin, an attorney turned director from New York City, founded the lesbian site JuicyPinkBox, which is the way we should all refer to “it.” Calling her films “Lesbian sex with cinematic luster,” she goes for more of a glamorous fashion aesthetic, with influences including photographer Helmut Newton. “I’m trying to achieve sensuality, glamour and real sex,” she says, but ironically reports that although she produces and directs the movies for other women, “men are my main clientele.” The genre saw a rise in popularity in the 2000s when the Feminist Porn Awards were given out by the woman-owned Good For Her sex toy shop in Toronto. The store says they’ve been “celebrating feminist smut for years.” At Good For Her, they say, “We are feminists and we sell and rent porn. In 2006 we decided that it’s not enough to criticize. We believe the world is inundated with cheesy, cliched, degrading, and patronizing porn. But we also believe that erotic fantasy is powerful, and that women and marginalized communities deserve to put their dreams and desires on film, too. As feminists and sex-positive people, we want to showcase and honour those who are creating erotic media with a feminist sensibility.” The awards have since opened up and have been renamed the Toronto International Porn Festival, rebranded to “broaden the conversation about positive porn and reflect the diverse audience it attracts. These films are for people of all genders, sexualities, bodies and pleasures.” The Sexy Sex Ed of Tristan Taormino “As a feminist pornographer, I create erotic imagery that challenges, contradicts, and re-imagines dominant porn iconography,” says Tristan Taormino. “I let actors choose with whom they work, what they do, and what piece of their sexuality they’d like to share with the camera. This gives them an opportunity to participate in their own representation. My works as a feminist in the adult industry is part of a growing movement of filmmakers and activists.” She shot her first film in 1997, Tristan Taormino's The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women (Evil Angel, 1997) and did triple penetration as a director/producer/performer. She has produced a number of educational movies since then, including titles for Vivid Entertainment, such as Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Oral Sex 1: Cunnilingus, followed by the “sequel” on fellatio. As a sex educator, Taormino says, “I want us to challenge mainstream media representations of sex and relationships, how they distort what we think about ourselves and others. Everyone—and especially those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender variant, kinky, non-monogamous, polyamorous and other sexual minorities—must confront the shame, guilt, and judgment that can shape of silence us.” Create relationships based in reality, not fairy tales, she teaches her audiences. “Explore your authentic desires, fantasies, and boundaries, and nurture them.” For more, visit TristanTaormino.com. The ‘It Girl’ of Feminist Porn Erika Lust is a “woman with a mission.” In her own words she is a “Swedish indie adult filmmaker.” As a college student, she studied “political science, feminism, and gender studies,” she says. Then one day her boyfriend asked if she wanted to watch some porn. Her reactions were mixed. At first she felt “cheated” that the movie was all about the man’s pleasure. But she also felt aroused. “I was confused,” she said. So I blamed my boyfriend,” she jokes. Next, she read Linda Williams’ books ( Hard Core and Porn Studies), which analyzed the effect of pornography, and realized that “porn is actually a discourse,” she recalled. “It is about sexuality, masculinity, femininity, and the roles we play. And this, she says, was her “eureka moment.” (“Holy shit,Batman, I gotta make porn for girls.”) “I realized I wanted to created adult cinema that I wanted to watch,” she says. “I’m interested in showing the beauty of sex from a different perspective, from a female perspective. So I said, “Let’s make a porn. But let’s make it different. So she made Good Girl, and uploaded to the internet so people could watch it for free. She was shocked after it was downloaded millions of times. “Porn,” she says, “has the potential to educate. To enrich. Young boys get their sex ed from porn,” she says. It’s not always about men receiving the pleasure. “I remember feeling dirty and guilty for watching porn to creating adult cinema I wanted to watch.” Living in Barcelona, Spain, she writes, directs and produces beautifully shot sex movies where it’s all about the women enjoying some pleasure. In addition to her features, featuring hot guys and women having real orgasms, her series for the site XConfessions.com invites her fans to suggest the sexual fantasy they would like to watch someone else do before they do it. And she is now bankrolling 24 women directors with a budget of $300,000 to make some porn. “We have equality now at work, at home, in the bedroom, everywhere except the porn industry,” she says. She continues the sexual conversation, even addressing the seeming contradiction of women wanting equality and empowerment, yet getting turned on my male sexual domination and being sexually submissive. “I don’t want women to get out of porn,” she says. “I want women to get into porn.” She wants to see more women behind the camera; directing, writing, and making porn. “We need more women.” For information, visit ErikaLust.com. Moving Beyond Labels Mainstream director Jacky St. James says she is a feminist, "so I suppose my work would be considered feminist." However, she says, "Labels aren't a prevailing part of my identity. I am a director whose stories and work is a manifestation of a lifetime of experiences. Because I was raised by parents who always stressed the importance of female equality, my work usually centers around a strong female protagonist. For me, powerful female characters are always a part of my story line." Regarding Erika Lust's work she says, “I love Erika's work and I think the value she brings to erotic filmmaking is incredible. However, there are a lot of women creating pornography that is erotic and thought-provoking who I'm a fan of, who often don't get the same publicity or credit. As a collective force, female filmmakers have and continue to change the business." "Collectively," she says, "we are a force and contribute so much diversity within the business. We have Joanna Angel producing some insanely good stuff, with her characteristic wit. Dana Vespoli and Bree Mills with their often edgy, thought-provoking work. Angie Rowntree focusing on couples and "female-friendly" content. Mason doing higher-end, all-sex releases. These are five major players in the business who all have left indelible marks on the industry. It's not just a man's business and all of these women have proven that. And these are not the only women changing the industry today—there are so many more." Anka Radakovich is a legendary sex columnist who wrote a groundbreaking column for Details magazine. Currently she writes for British GQ and Sexpert.com. She is the author of three books, including her newest, The Wild Girls Club, Part 2. She has appeared multiple times on TV talk shows, including eight appearances with Conan O’Brien. She is also a certified sexologist. We are thrilled to have her as a contributor. Follow Anka Radakovich on Twitter: @ankarad.