Featured Image Credit: Reddit
Topics: News
Emma Guinness
It's no secret that the adult entertainment industry hasn't always been the most ethical business, but things are changing for the better.
Case in point, these porn stars who have decided to be the change they want to see in the world by setting up their own porn studio.
The people behind the studio, ERIKALUST, which opened its doors 20 years decided to open up about their mission on a Reddit Ask Me Anything.
There, people's questions were answered by established ethical porn director Erika Lust and her team, which included porn star and director Casey Calvert.
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One of the most upvoted questions the new studio faced was from a curious Redditor who asked: "What are some unethical practices that go on in bigger porn studios? Did that lead to the start of this company?"
This prompted Lust and her team to explain that there is often a lack of representation of women and other marginalised groups in bigger porn studios.
They explained that it's important to change this because they want to 'reclaim a genre [of film] that shouldn't be seen exclusively as the purview of white cishet men'.
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"However, it's crucial to mention that sex performers have always been the ones who have always encouraged porn productions to do better, improving working conditions by implementing consent talks before or on set, for example. In fact, I've been learning from sex performers every day for 20 years," the ERIKALUST team wrote.
Explaining why more traditional porn can be problematic, the team wrote: "On free online porn sites, lesbian porn is made very much for a male audience. Therefore, it's not relatable for lesbian people, but much more intended to fetishize them.
"Giving leading roles to queer directors, producers, and performers so that they can create sex scenarios that feel relatable for the queer community."
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The new studio then explicitly explained what they meant by being 'ethical' in their porn production.
"'Ethical' to me includes how performers are treated, how the movies are made, how they are edited and distributed," director Lust wrote.
"There are different layers that aren't always visible on your screen when you watch porn. It's vast, and there's so much that goes into it."
She then explained that ethical porn is not typically seen on mainstream websites because it takes more money to produce - and that's so that the people working in front of and behind the camera are treated as well as any other film star or crew.
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"We want to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable throughout the process. There are talks throughout the day and before filming," she explained.
"With the help of our Intimacy Coordinator, we explore consent and boundaries from the very beginning of the whole production process. We discuss what they would be comfortable doing and not OK doing while leaving room for nuances as and when they arise."
You can find out more about the new studio on the Erika Lust Films Instagram here.