Indie Producers Want to Reinvent Porn

www.ozy.com [OZY]( OZY A Modern Media Company Share This Sh*t January 07, 2023 Share This Sh*t [The drop]( INDIE PRODUCERS WANT TO REINVENT PORN Independent producers are betting on a new kind of pornography. Sponsored by [Cariuma]( Varied Pleasures Lorena Ríos in Monterrey in Mexico [@riostlorena]( Mexicans are avid consumers of porn. In 2021, Mexico was [sixth]( on PornHub’s list of countries with the highest daily traffic. Along with a couple other free porn sites, PornHub is among the most visited websites in the world. It attracts millions of monthly viewers in the U.S. alone. And when viewers in Mexico, the U.S. or elsewhere log on to PornHub or another site in search of something hot, “ethical” is not a common search term. Whether in English or Spanish, [terms]( like “milf,” “step-mom” or “big ass” are more popular. Yet some producers think ethical porn is precisely what viewers have been missing. A lot of porn is based around the idea of the performers looking perfect, everyone is wet and horny all the time and loves everything. - QueerCrush founder Electra Rayne So-called ethical pornography is generally regarded as adult film that is legal, pays performers fairly, offers good working conditions, and doesn’t discriminate based on body type, sexual preference or gender identity. Depending on who you ask, ethical might also mean independent, feminist or queer. Despite the many definitions, a common theme in this rising subgenre is the producers’ enthusiasm for more variation in the desires, types of sex and bodies shown on screen, in a move that defies the mainstream pornography industry’s control over how sex is represented. Blanca Reygal is the founder and director of Pornorama, an alternative porn production company. “Mainstream porn has affected how Mexicans view porn and sexuality in the bedroom,” Reygal told OZY. “It has narrowed their notions of what is sexy and what isn’t.” Reygal set off to create a different option to counteract the massive flow of free explicit adult content online. The company seeks to appeal to customers who want high-quality content that more accurately reflects real bodies and real sexual experiences, while still offering a fantasy. Launched in 2019, [Pornorama]( is a pioneer of ethical porn in Mexico. The company’s adult films often show desire from a female perspective rather than focusing exclusively on male pleasure. “We involve women in more aspects of the production,” said Reygal, noting that women are both on screen and behind the camera. Pornorama’s self-branding as “ethical” isn’t necessarily obvious from a glance at its content, which includes kink and hardcore material. But Pornorama attracts only a niche segment of consumers, and mostly outside of Mexico. “The word ‘feminist’ in porn still scares away many men,” said Reygal. She speculated that men think the films will be too vanilla, or that they’ll see penises being chopped off. Her goal is for Pornorama ultimately to appeal to men as well as women and to infiltrate mainstream pornography, in an effort to show that there are many ways to be sexy and to represent sex on film. ADVERTISEMENT [New Year, New Sneakers]( Hello, 2023! 🥳 Now that the holiday season is behind us, and we’re looking ahead to the new year, it’s time to talk about all the resolutions on our list. From new gym routines to picking up new hobbies, to shopping sustainably, there’s sure to be a case for a new pair of sneakers. What better way than to rock the celeb-loved OCA Lows from the cool, sustainable sneaker brand, [Cariuma](? Made with, organic cotton, natural rubber, and recycled plastics, these beauties are sure to provide you with a cool, classic look that you’ll want to rock long after you’ve checked off your new year’s to-dos. And we can’t forget to mention that they’ve made all-star appearances in Vogue, Rolling Stone, GQ, and more. Snag a pair with your personalized code, [OZYJAN for 15% off]( any pair to get your new year started! [SHOP NOW]( ‘Very Liberating’ [Donají Bustos]( is a costume designer from Monterrey, one of the largest cities in northern Mexico. When costume work dried up in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, she began selling explicit content and performing sex work online. She sold her porn on platforms like Patreon and OnlyFans. Pornorama seeks to appeal to customers who want high quality content that more accurately reflects real bodies and real sexual experiences, while still offering a fantasy. “At the beginning — creating porn that I liked and how I wanted, from my own point of view — was very liberating,” said Bustos. The experience was also a journey into herself, her pleasure, and the exploration of her body. “As a curvy woman, I wanted to demonstrate that I am sexy on my own terms, and break my own taboos and insecurities.” Bustos also wanted to counter the widespread judgment that sex work constitutes undignified labor. She created her own guidelines for customers on how to be “good clients,” which she made public and posted on her social media accounts. Among other things, she asked clients not to haggle over her prices and to respect her time by observing her work schedule — noting that she would not reply to messages sent at dawn. Soon, other creators began asking her if they could post her guidelines too. Bustos believes that consumer habits have been shaped by the mainstream porn industry, in ways that do not align with her own values. When setting up a webcam session, male clients demanded to see her spreading out her legs or doing things she wasn’t initially comfortable with. Some potential clients just wanted to see her penetrated or giving blowjobs. “Men are not used to performers taking the lead and expressing themselves how they want to, erotically and sexually,” said Bustos. She noted that male customers often asked for a free sample. She would tell them, “I am not food for you to have a free taste.” ADVERTISEMENT [RIDE THE WAVE OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS]( Looking fresh in the new year atop your list of new years resolutions? Then look no further, because [Cariuma]( has got you covered, with a California style that will bring warm vibes to your feet while winter carries on. 🏖️  Meet OCA Low – a tried and true classic bringing the heat with a timeless design providing skaters and surfers everywhere a crazy-comfy, go-to look. They’re sustainable and durable, with a premium look and feel. Crafted with high-end, raw materials (shout out to the premium soft suede from LWG-certified tanneries). An added bonus…slip-resistant rubber on the bottom makes them perfect for those frosty days! Hurry and grab a pair before they’re gone! Enter code [OZYJAN]( at checkout for an additional 15% off. [HANG LOOSE!]( NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO Real People, Real Sex Greater variation of the types of sex represented in pornography can benefit viewers, said [David Moncada](, a sex therapist based in Mexico City. When porn does not reflect viewers’ own sexual reality, they start to see themselves through standards of endurance or beauty that are not their own. By contrast, watching different types of sex on screen — including experiences and body types that may be similar to their own — helps people to lower their guard sexually, which can open the door to greater pleasure, explained Moncada. He said that he encourages his clients to watch porn. [Electra Rayne]( is an adult performer and founder of the lesbian porn site[QueerCrush](. She began her career in 2015 and has worked with a range of companies, from small creators to big outfits like Mofos and Naughty America. She is not a fan of the term “ethical porn,” which she thinks is too rigid to describe the complicated realities of the industry. According to sex therapist David Moncada, porn has a 'great power.' It can help people to 'rethink our desire: where it comes from and where we want it to go.' According to Rayne, the emergence of sites like OnlyFans has given performers more control over their images and content, while the mainstream porn industry hasn’t necessarily followed suit. She said that some pornography companies have responded by tightening control on their own sets. That was one of the reasons she decided to create QueerCrush, which launched last year. “I want the performers to do only things that they feel good about and have authentic enjoyable experiences,” she told OZY. Performers choose their partners, wardrobe, toys, whether they want to use condoms, and what level of fluid exchange they are comfortable with. While this level of autonomy is not unheard of in the industry, it is less common in mainstream porn, where performers often don’t get much information ahead of a shoot, such as the kind of positions that will be expected, Rayne said. What aligns QueerCrush with ethical porn is that it is meant to reflect real sex. “A lot of porn is based around the idea of the performers looking perfect, everyone is wet and horny all the time and loves everything,” said Rayne. In some cases, mainstream porn won’t allow even minor blemishes, she said. By contrast, QueerCrush leaves bloopers in its films, to acknowledge that the performers are human. Mainstream pornography was never meant to reflect people’s real sex lives. Yet, according to Moncada, porn has a “great power.” It can help people, he said, to “rethink our desire: where it comes from and where we want it to go.” What, if anything, is appealing about “ethical” porn? 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