Meet Erika Lust: The Feminist Porn Director Who Gives TEDx Talks
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The first time I tried to watch porn I was in college (obviously). I was sexually inexperienced, trying to figure out what was expected of me in bed. How do I do sex? From the mainstream films I learned that I should have Cirque du Soleil-level flexibility, that every orifice is up for penetration at the discretion of the guy (if there’s a hole, there’s a way!), and I’m going to like it—all of it.
Almost none of the positions or techniques I studied translated to pleasure in real life. Porn is a total sham, I thought. No wonder so many men are clueless about the female body. Then I found feminist porn, and I discovered award-winning Swedish indie pornography director Erika Lust, who aims to produce new waves in adult cinema by making the feminine viewpoint vital. “[Mainstream porn] only gives a one-sided, male view of sex, which just churns out the same repetitive, male fantasies where women are objects of sexual pleasure instead of a sexual beings themselves,” she says.
Though Swedish, Erika Lust films out of Barcelona, and her actors look less like porn actors and more like people I’d meet at a dive bar in the Lower East Side. She is responsible for Cabaret Desire, The Good Girl, and the crowd-sourced erotic film project XConfessions. Her new campaign, #ChangePorn, aims to bring the porn revolution to the mainstream. What does that mean? I asked her everything.
Yahoo Style: What is #ChangePorn?
Erika Lust: It’s about getting more women into porn in leadership roles, as directors, producers, and scriptwriters. Then we can create porn that embodies the female perceptive in every aspect of production. Porn plays a huge role in today’s sex and gender education, so it’s so important that we are being informed with realistic representations.
YS: If I don’t watch porn, why should I care about #ChangePorn?
EL: Porn [has] a massive impact on our children as their education of sex and gender. If the porn is bad, their education is warped to the values of mainstream chauvinistic porn. If the porn is good, they will learn about the importance of equality in sexual pleasure as well as acceptance of different desires and people.
YS: In your recent TEDx Talk, you mention the trend of women portraying “fake pleasure” in mainstream porn. What effect has this had on female sexuality in real life?
EL: I think it has made many women feel inadequate in their own sexuality. They see these porn stars enjoy every touch, f*** and kiss on the verge of ecstasy… It’s all for the camera and the men filming her who give her the paycheck at the end of the day.
YS: Thirty years ago, pornography was considered inherently anti-feminist and fuel for rape culture because it diluted the role of a woman to “man-pleasing sexual object.” Today, we have feminist porn. What is feminist porn and how is it different from the mainstream?
EL: Feminism and porn have always had a love-hate relationship. But as a feminist, I believe that feminism should tackle all aspects of cultural and artistic expression, which includes pornography. So there is a need for feminist pornography to make people aware that there is a better type of porn available, where the woman´s point of view is taken into account, and not just the chauvinistic male-oriented mainstream films.
YS: Why would a man want to watch feminist porn?
EL: A man would want to watch feminist porn for the same reasons women want to watch it: He wants to know exactly what women want, their real desires, fantasies, pleasures and kinks.
YS: We know that one out of every three porn watchers is a woman. We also know that the top category for women using Pornhub is “lesbian.” Why do women love lesbian porn?
EL: It’s down to the fact that it is all about female pleasure, more cunnilingus too! It’s not straight to penetration and violent thrusting. Lesbian porn portrays women enjoying their sexuality and there is no overpowering male – [a] huge c*** in the air waiting to be pleased for the money shot.
YS: Let’s pretend I’ve never seen any feminist porn. What should I watch first?
EL: First, forget the tag “feminist porn”. You can think about that later. Now, I’m suggesting that you follow your own instincts. Then, enter a site with good porn. I’d recommend xconfessions.com, of course! Where you can find a lot of films on completely different sex related situations, different fetishes, kinks…
YS: What should I watch with my girl friends?
EL: From the XConfessions catalogue, I’d definitely recommend “I Wish I Was a Lesbian” and upcoming “Eat With… Me”. Other successful films among the female audiences are “Before the Guests Arrive”, “Take Me Drunk, I’m Home” and “Frauleïn O.:Das Au-Pair”…
YS: What should I watch if I want to learn how to master the blowjob?
EL: I must say I’ve shot a lot of blowjobs during my career in very different contexts! Besides watching porn I’d recommend practice! Remember, pleasure is the purpose, so don’t get stressed. Also, in my online store I have an extensive collection of sex-ed videos, and we have a bunch devoted specifically to oral sex.
Watch Erika’s Tedx Talk on #ChangePorn below:
