Porn Made For Women: The Winning Formula of Female-Friendly Porn (And Its Pioneers)

Men are four times more likely than women to watch porn, according to The Porn Gap, a 2021 study by The Wheatley Institution. But is that simply because there isn’t enough porn made for women?

If it is, those numbers will shift dramatically over the next few years.

Why?

Because the porn industry is rapidly evolving to cater more inclusively to women.

We’re seeing a shift from content that was all (and only) about the guy’s orgasm to movies that focus on the authenticity and emotional depth of the couple involved, particularly the woman.

Female-friendly porn is notable for bucking several porn tropes by focusing on the following:

• Women-centred productions. Porn movies made for women by women.
• An emphasis on character and emotional connections.
• Movies where women are in a position of power.
• Body diversity. Women (and men) of all shapes and sizes.

Our response to this? Better late than never!

Below, we blow the lid off the boys’ club and show you how female-friendly porn came about.

What Makes Porn Female Friendly?

“Female-friendly” porn may sound contradictory or even patronizing to some. Still, it’s a common industry-coined term used to define a genre of adult movies offering women an alternative to conventional porn.

If we compare a standard porn movie to a female-friendly production, there are some glaring differences in how these movies are made.

What are those glaring differences?

Narrative Depth 

Most female viewers want more than a wham, bam, thank you, ma’am experience.

This isn’t to say every female-centric porn movie is Romeo and Juliet. But we often see that a decent movie for a female audience tends to have a storyline and character development. Narrative depth creates a more immersive and emotionally engaging experience, and those traits appeal more to women than to men.

An Emphasis on Connection

Taking the idea that porn can be emotionally engaging one step further, female-centered porn highlights the emotional and sensual connections between performers. Female-friendly porn movies are typically about more than just the physical act of sex.

Mutual Pleasure

Sick of the woman being treated as a mere object? A vessel for the man’s pleasure?

Yep, we hear you.

It’s not all about what men want. Female-friendly porn emphasizes mutual satisfaction, so the woman of the story gets as much out of the action as her male counterpart. 

Makers of female-friendly porn understand that it’s important to the female viewer that female pleasure is represented and emphasized as much as male pleasure.

Real Orgasms and Authenticity

One way of showing female pleasure is to include a female cum shot, but it has to be a real orgasm. A female viewer will spot a fake, so the chemistry between models on set must be natural and must transfer to the viewer. The more real the chemistry, the more appealing the film is to the discerning female viewer.

To achieve this, the movie must be made with and contain genuine passion. Get this right, show the woman as genuinely satisfied, and everyone comes away happy.

It’s no coincidence that some of the largest female-friendly porn studios put ‘real orgasms’ front and center in their marketing messages.

“I want them to really come. I don’t want them to fake it. I want them to go as hard as they need to go until they have an orgasm. For me, that’s what I want to see in the final product, and I want my performers to have fun! If they’re not having orgasms, then half the fun of their job is gone.”

Kayla-Jane Danger, a popular director of girl-on-girl movies (speaking to Elle)

Not every female-friendly porn movie reaches these lofty standards, but we’re grateful that the female orgasm is finally in the conversation.

Ethical Production

Here, we’re talking about what goes on behind the camera. To get the best performance from a model, the studio must treat them fairly. The production needs to be ethical, and producers need to ensure:

• Fair and equal pay
• Clear consent between all parties
• Good working conditions
• The models are treated with respect

If these components are present behind the camera, their benefits will transfer through the lens to the performers, and from them to the viewer.

Similarly, if they are not present… Well, you can imagine the lackluster results.

Diverse Representation

Female viewers (any viewer, actually) will feel more represented if the porn they are watching offers a realistic experience that showcases more than the traditional porn star aesthetic. In other words, the movie should represent the viewer’s real world and expectations.

Female-friendly porn is committed to busting the glass ceiling of the porn industry, and that involves recruiting performers who appeal to all corners of the market:

• Body types
  • There is a place for the ‘perfect’ figure, but also for the plus-sized.
  • The BBW niche (though not always female-friendly) is an example.
• Ages
  • It might surprise some men, but women are sexually active after age 30.
  • Female-orientated porn employs models aged from 18 to 80. Youth is not the only aesthetic.
• Races
  • Similarly, a diversity of races is essential to keep a studio’s productions fully inclusive.
• Sexualities
  • Female-centered porn is not simply lesbian porn made by men.
  • Female viewers want to see sexuality explored between men and women, and between women and women, but with female-friendly filming techniques.

Natural Beauty

Following on from diversity, performers in female-friendly porn are often portrayed in a more natural state, with minimal makeup and without overly stylized appearances.

It’s unfair to hate on the classic ‘porn star look,’ but the industry is thankfully stepping away from the message that you can only film a sex scene with hours of makeup.

Female Inclusion

To ensure the production is genuinely female-viewer friendly, the movie must show the actresses as active participants with influence over their desires and actions.

Actresses in female-centered porn are more than passive objects.

Sex isn’t just something that happens to the performers.

Respectful Camera Work

One of the weird facts of porn: there’s a niche in gay male porn about straight guys having sex with women, but it’s shot for gay eyes. How does that work?

It’s a matter of focus.

In the gay porn example, the camera will focus on the straight guy almost to the point of making his female counterpart redundant. In the case of female-friendly porn, though, it’s the other way around.

The camera must concentrate on the whole scene and not just a close-up of pussy or ass. The complete intimacy of the scene and the emotional connection need to make it through the lens as much as the physical act.

One of the first things you’ll notice when watching porn made for women is what the director chooses to focus on. The goal is to showcase heightened arousal, eroticism and sensualism. Sure, there’s penetration. But it’s not the main course.

Sex Positive Mindset

As Lacey Johnson wrote, “It’s not about having or wanting more or less sex, but about respecting your own expression.”

Or, put another way, being sex-positive in porn means looking at sex through ‘the lens of natural playfulness.’ Allowing the woman to be herself during the shoot, not simply adhering to the wishes of the male character, director and producer.

Female directors particularly understand this trait, and we will meet some of them shortly. 

Focus on Foreplay

A female-friendly porn movie tends to emphasize build-up, teasing, and foreplay. These aspects highlight the importance of the entire sexual experience for both partners and the viewer. It’s the opposite of the Gonzo filming style, which has slowly taken over most mainstream porn.

Educational Elements

This is not as dull or preachy as it might sound. Some female-friendly adult content not only offers a stunning sex scene but also shows viewers how women can enjoy sex more. They offer educational elements that show how a woman can communicate, consent, give and receive pleasure.

This is usually done in a subtle way. Nobody wants a lecture in the heat of the moment.

However, educational elements are also used in female-led fetish movies, often giving the male of the scene masochistic pleasure and the female a sense of dominance and power.

Less Aggressive Themes

The mention of fetish might suggest that all female-centered porn is about femdom and women dominating men. Yes, some are, but most porn for women avoids overly aggressive themes of domination.

However, female-centered fetish porn is likelier to explore the kinky side more respectfully.

High Production Values

Makers of any porn should look for the best production values. Makers of female-focused porn understand that good lighting, sound, and high production values lead to a more engaging viewing experience. The more cinematic the movie — the more in-depth it is — the more appealing and suitable it will be for the female audience.

The focus on such elements (ambient music, pleasant settings, extended scenes) all lead to a heightening of holistic sensuality; an awareness and embodiment of sensation.

…And It’s Rarely Hard and Fast

Female-friendly porn steers away from the classic, male-goal-orientated porn, the ‘hard and fast’ sex scenes of tradition. It is a combination of all or some of the above, and there is no hard and fast rule, except, perhaps, the depicted sex should not be ‘hard and fast’ in that traditional sense.

The term ‘Female Friendly’ is also a generalization, and we should remember that not all aspects of this genre appeal to all women.

However, the evidence remains that female focused porn is on the rise — which begs the question, where did it come from? And who can we thank that it got here?

Let’s look at the roots of Female Friendly porn…

Key Stages In The Rise of Feminist Porn

Feminist porn evolved as a response to a male-orientated adult entertainment business, and it grew from the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.

This post-war shift in attitudes is sometimes described as a counterculture because (mainly) young people of the time rejected traditional norms of society and began to break down barriers. Long hair for men, free love for all, acceptance of gay love and single mothers are examples of the counterculture shift. It was all part of the Golden Era of porn: a sexual revolution.

The sexual revolution also gave us what we now know as feminist porn, but this didn’t come about overnight or without a struggle.

Feminist Critiques of Pornography

There was, and still is, a debate among feminists about the role of pornography, and not every commentator comes down on the side of porn. 

In ‘Pornography, Men Possessing Women’, radical feminist, Andrea Dworkin (1946 to 2005) famously said: “Pornography is the orchestrated destruction of women’s bodies and souls.”

While we strongly disagree, Dworkin was not alone in decrying porn.

Feminist scholar, activist and author, Catharine MacKinnon, has challenged legal approaches to pornography by claiming it to be a form of sex discrimination and a violation of human rights. MacKinnon says: “Pornography, racial and sexual harassment, and hate speech are acts of intimidation, subordination, terrorism, and discrimination, and should be legally treated as such.”

However, while some anti-porn feminists like Dworkin and MacKinnon saw porn as inherently misogynistic and advocated for its ban, others believed that porn could be an erotic representation of sex that could empower women.

Thankfully, in 2023, the empowerment argument is winning out.

The Early Days of Porn Made For Women 

Porn in the 1970s and ’80s was a man’s world, with porn being made by men for men, and with women portrayed as sex objects. Rather than calling for porn to be banned, some feminists believed that the misogynistic world of adult movies could, instead, be changed. 

There was a place for a female-empowering, erotic representation of porn; it simply needed to be brought about.

For that to happen, someone needed to take the lead. The first and most famous of the feminist porn pioneers was undoubtedly Candida Royalle.

The Success of Candida Royalle

Born Candice Vadala in 1950, Candida Royalle started in porn in 1975 as an actress and appeared in over 25 adult movies. Her last, Blue Magic, was shot in 1980, just before she gave up acting and became a writer for adult magazines. 

During her five years as a porn model, Candida saw first-hand how porn was male-centric, and decided there was an opening for porn produced for women. 

She founded her production company, Femme Productions, in 1984, and the following year, directed her first porn movie, Femme. She and her company produced 18 feminist porn movies, the last being Under the Covers in 2007, and these movies set the trend and standard for future female-friendly porn.

Royalle’s movies challenged the male-centric view of porn and focused on the woman’s pleasure, using diverse models and offering a more realistic depiction of sex.

Feminist Porn Finds Its Definition

Rarely is something new readily accepted, let alone defined.

In movie making, it takes time for a new genre to be understood but also to understand itself, and such was the case with feminist porn.

Over the years, feminist porn came to be defined as containing the specific characteristics outlined at the top of this article, among them:

• An emphasis on mutual pleasure
• Diversity
• Consent
• Realistic portrayals of bodies and desires

Led by Candida Royalle, the feminist porn movement was/is also a supporter of marginalized communities and has developed to support the gay and trans communities, among others.

The Movement Grows

It was the birth of Internet porn that saw the steepest rise in the demand for (and accessibility) of feminist porn.

The 1990s and early 2000s saw a massive increase in the amount of readily available online porn and the opportunities for feminist porn were no different.

Thanks to websites and streaming services, directors of female-friendly porn (as it was starting to be known) were able to get their work to a broader audience without having to rely on the traditional avenues of DVD sales, stores and distribution. 

Recognition and Acceptance

By 2006, it was time the porn world recognized the existence of the feminist porn movement and its female-friendly adult movies. 

That year, the Good For Her store founded the Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto, Canada. This event, now known as The Toronto International Film Festival, brought attention to the genre and recognition to its creators. It is still organized and run by its original founders. 

Just so you know, winners of the Feminist Porn Awards are awarded a trophy in the shape of a butt plug!

Despite this, it wasn’t until 2012 that adult giant PornHub added a Female Friendly category to its massive library. And even, it only contained 300 videos of mostly ‘vanilla’ porn cuts.

Thankfully, we’ve reached a point where you no longer have to search high and low to find porn for women. There are countless high quality female-friendly porn options, but it hasn’t been without a struggle!

Other Famous Directors of Feminist Porn

Thanks to the foresight and work of Candida Royalle, female-friendly porn is now a vital part of the adult industry, but where she lit the flame, so others have kept it burning. 

Since the early 1980s, more female directors have taken up the cameras, producing fine porn with a female focus. Many of these female creators don’t restrict themselves to porn, and their work expands the ideas of feminism beyond mainstream adult moviemaking.

Among them are some names that we feel deserve a very special mention:

Erika Lust

Erika is based in Barcelona, and is one of the most recognized names in feminist porn today. Her films combine high-quality production values with a focus on female pleasure and authentic storytelling. We love the cinematic value that goes in to seemingly every one of her movies.

We also love her motto: “The sex can stay dirty, but the values have to be clean.“

Erika has spoken tirelessly about the need for porn to change, and her website ErikaLust.com is one of the leading examples of how adult cinema can combine class and sophistication without losing the sex appeal.

Tristan Taormino

An award-winning writer, sex educator, and director, Taormino has been a vocal advocate for ethical porn production for many years. Her works particularly emphasises informed consent, fair pay and the importance of genuine representation.

She has seven Feminist Porn Awards and is known for the educational appeal of her work. Releases like Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Female Orgasms and Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Advanced Anal Sex are fun, sexy and authentic.

Jiz Lee

Lee describes herself as a genderqueer porn performer, producer, and advocate for the ethical production of adult content. She has been involved in many projects that challenge traditional porn norms, including contributing to “Coming Out Like a Porn Star,” a collection of essays about working in the adult industry.

Shine Louise Houston

If you have heard of the cult porn classic, “The Crash Pad Series,” then you’ve heard of some of the work of Shine Louise Houston. Her work focuses on queer and gender-diverse performers and is celebrated for its authenticity. She is also the founder of Pink and White Productions, which is home to PinkLabel.tv.

Madison Young

Madison Young is an artist, activist, and director, and her work often involves themes of BDSM, queer identity and female empowerment.

Recognizing the mainstream porn industry’s often narrow portrayal of female sexuality, Young’s work seeks to showcase a more holistic, diverse, and genuine depiction of women’s desires and experiences. She was awarded the title of Indie Porn Pioneer at the Feminist Porn Awards in 2009.

Tobi Hill-Meyer

Hill-Meyer is a trans woman and director whose work represents transgender and queer sexualities. Tobi was also co-executive of the civil and human rights organisation, Gender Justice League.

We admire Hill-Meyer’s films not just for their erotic appeal but also for their radical inclusivity and their commitment to showcasing diverse bodies, identities, and desires.

Petra Joy

Joy is a UK-based, German, feminist adult film director known for emphasizing female pleasure, with her movies often being shot from a female perspective. She describes her pornography not as softcore or hardcore, but as art-core.

She is also an author, producer, and distributor of adult entertainment. Her work includes a popular documentary — The Joy of Porn: My Life as Feminist Pornographer — which makes for a fascinating step behind-the-scenes of modern day female friendly porn.

Annie Sprinkle

As well as being a director of feminist porn, Sprinkle is an American sexologist, performer, sex worker and advocate for sex work. She was the first porn star to gain a doctorate degree in human sexuality (1996) and is particularly known for her 1981 porn movie, Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle.

Maria Beatty

Venezuelan film director Maria Beatty has made over 35 movies since 1989. She makes her films in black and white, often focuses on BDSM and fetishism, and also stars in her own movies, some of which collaborate with Annie Sprinkle. Together, and alongside Candida Royalle, they are considered leading figures in the boom period of porn made for women.

Ongoing Challenges of Female-Friendly Porn

Despite its evolution, and the pioneering works of these creators, feminist porn still faces many challenges from within and outside the adult industry.

The porn industry still grapples with societal stigmas. Women who consume or produce erotic content can face judgment, leading many to hide their interests.

The question of what exactly constitutes feminist porn is still being asked. What began with the work of Candida Royalle as ‘porn made for women’ has diluted into a message less focused. Female-friendly porn stands for many things in 2023, but is there a chance that the core message might get lost along the way?

We hope not, but it’s a possibility.

Criticism has been leveled about the commodification of models (are they being used as commodities and not people?), and there are questions about the ethical practices of porn studios and creators. 

It can take several steps forward, but the business of porn still attracts criticism like few others.

Despite the ongoing challenges, female-friendly porn continues to grow in popularity. It is gradually becoming more accepted as a viable alternative to male-centric adult entertainment — both economically and in the public imagination.

Pornhub’s latest Annual Review shows the percentage of female visitors has climbed to an all-time high of 36%. We’re certainly not suggesting you source your feminist porn from Pornhub, but the numbers don’t lie: more women are watching porn than ever before.

With that growth comes the opportunity to change the direction of porn for good.