Ethical Porn with Justin

In recent years, the term ethical or fair trade porn has become more and more widespread, with many viewers taking an interest in how content is produced and choosing what to view based on this.

Ethical porn is somewhat of a difficult term as what one person deems ethical, another does not. Coupled with the fact that some people feel that porn by it's very nature can never be ethical, you can see why there is some confusion around the term.

I asked Justin Santos, founder of JoyBear, why is it important to you for JoyBear to be as ethical as possible?
'Perhaps we should start by stating our definition of ethically produced porn. From JoyBear’s point of view ‘ethical porn’ is everything you don’t see on screen. It’s the communication in the lead up the shoot; the understanding and consent; the trust between performers and crew; the fees that have been paid (and timing thereof), the wellbeing of everyone on set; the choice for all performers to use condoms (or any other protection from STDs); officially obtained STD tests that have been shared with all relevant parties prior to filming; the opportunity to ask any questions relating to the script and/or any aspect of filming, not just the sex acts required for a scene; the opportunity for all performers to clarify things they find both pleasurable and unpleasurable; quality catering and above all a positive working atmosphere. These are the elements that typically comprise ‘ethical porn’ for us. They are also nothing more than common sense. When you break down ethical porn into these points, why would a studio want to work in any other way?'

Here at JoyBear we believe that being as ethical as possible is of utmost importance, and that beautifully produced, ethical porn is completely possible, and should be the standard. And a greater number of people are now choosing to watch only ethical content and to support studios and creators that are changing the traditional porn stereotypes and producing a wider range of erotica.

According to recent surveys by popular porn websites such as PornHub and xHamster, nearly one-third of the porn-viewing audience is made up of women, and that share is increasing. One recent study carried out by psychologist Sean McNabney and his colleagues from Valparaiso University in the US state of Indiana looked into the connection between women's sexuality and pornography. Involving more than 2,400 women in the United States and Hungary the study looked at the question of how porn consumption is affecting women's overall sexual satisfaction and their relationships.The study found, among other things, that more frequent use of pornography was related to less difficulty in becoming aroused, fewer problems in coming to orgasm and greater orgasmic pleasure, both alone and during partnered intercourse. 

The fact that the female porn audience tend to be younger was confirmed by xHamster's survey as well, 33.8% of the female porn consumers surveyed said they were between 18 and 24 years old. And 60% of the women in this survey stated that watching porn had improved their sex life.

Much of mainstream porn is male dominated with storylines and sex acts just for the gratification of the man, a display of male power with pleasure 'done' to the women and very little content showing realistic pleasure. However in recent years, speaking about sexual pleasure, especially for women, has become much less of a taboo. Women are taking charge of their own pleasure, you need only to look at the vast array of sex toys now readily available to see that where once masturbation was something that only men did and talked about freely, that women feel more comfortable talking about it too. The perceived shame around masturbation is becoming something of the past, and I feel that with this, women want to watch content that turns them on.

Madita Oeming, a cultural scholar at Germany's University of Paderborn who specialises in the study of the phenomenon of pornography, says that there is an overall trend of more women watching porn. She said that 15 or 20 years ago, it would not even have been imaginable to find an article in a mainstream women's magazine with a title like "The 10 Best Porn Sites for Women." However, today, such topics are gaining in visibility. "Public discourse is normalising the idea of female porn consumers bit by bit."

A search for Ethical Porn Sites also brings up many results, showing that more people, and not just women, want to watch ethical content, and JoyBear is proud to be a part of this movement. We are committed to transparency, this is one of the reasons that we produce our full length BTS after movies, so that you can see exactly what happens on set. If you'd like to find out more of the ways that we are committed to being as ethical as possible you can read previous blogs here and also feel free to message us with any questions on Twitter or Instagram or leave a comment below.

Stay safe. Have fun. Issy x