5 Women-Friendly Pornography Sites That Are NOT PornHub
Graphic by Lauryn Alejo
Pornhub, the world’s largest free pornography site, is a company we are all familiar with. You’ve probably watched it, wanked to it, and/or shared it with others at some point in your life. But it is also one of the most, if not the most, unethical pornography sites to ever exist on the internet. Numerous cases of sex trafficking and child rape films have been hosted on the site, and the company has continuously failed to implement ethical codes of conduct that prevent its viewership and dissemination.
In 2019, the Internet Watch Foundation confirmed at least 118 cases of child rape and sexual abuse on the site—half of them classified as Category A-level abuse, which includes penetration and sadism. One of the most searched terms on Pornhub is “teen” pornography, generating an excessive list of videos that feature minors, some as young as 13 years old, with older men. Titles like: “Young Girl Tricked,” “Innocent Brace Faced Tiny Teen F--ked,” and “Teen Little Girl First Time,” tend to go viral on the site, raking in tens or even hundreds of thousands of views. It is morally repulsive.
And while some of these videos have been taken down from the site, Pornhub has no reliable system in place to verify the age or consent of those in the videos from which they profit from. In fact, Pornhub only requires an email address to upload pornographic content for users. No government-issued ID. No background checks. No firewalls. The only blue check mark verification process it has involves sending a photo of yourself with your username written on a piece of paper. That’s it.
So, if you would like to boycott Pornhub with me, I suggest the following apps and sites:
*Note, these are all ethically-produced, female-friendly resources that prioritize female pleasure, NOT the male gaze.
Bellesa
Bellesa has to be one of my favorite pornography sites of all time. Psst, Bellesa, if you’re reading this, I will gladly accept your offer to become a full-time ambassador.
At Bellesa, you can access hundreds of porn videos, separated by categories such as sensual (soft play), passionate (intense play), or wild (rough play). All performers are equally paid and must go through extensive background checks to ensure safety and consent. Performers must arrive on set with recent STD tests and are encouraged to list their “dos” and “don’ts'' before the shoot. On set, a PA is readily available to tend to the performers with food, hydration, hygienic items, and so forth to ensure that all participants are well taken care of at the beginning, middle, and end of the film process.
According to the Bellesa Films mission statement, “Bellesa Films is not ‘porn for women,’ it is porn by women. It’s porn for everyone who wants something real.” In fact, there is only one golden rule for performers on set: no fake orgasms. They only seek to capture raw pleasure, with women at their focus. The mission statement continues: “Porn by women also means that it is women calling the shots every step of the way. Bellesa was created and founded by a woman. Bellesa Films scenes are both written by women and directed by women. Having a female boss in charge of Bellesa Films sets allows for a level of comfort and a feeling of safety/support for performers that unfortunately isn’t always granted in the porn industry.”
For a viewer like me, this is all that matters: ethically-produced, female-empowering content that centers the performers wants and needs, and not necessarily the audiences. So Bellesa, keep doing what you’re doing because you get a thumbs up from me.
The Crash Pad
The Crash Pad is an award-winning platform that puts queer pleasure on center stage. According to the site’s mission statement, The Crash Pad “has long been recognized by lesbians as a dyke porn site, though much like a reflection of queer women’s community, we feature people of many genders and sexualities, as well as diverse ethnicities, body types and abilities, and experiences (such as amateur or professional).” It is sponsored by Good Vibrations, a San Francisco-based adult toy retailer, so hygienic supplies and toys are in ample supply for performers to use. Performers are paid, representation is secured, and sexual health is prioritized. What more could you want from a pornography site?
Dipsea
Sure, videos are great, but have you ever given audio a chance? It’s a great time to start. Dipsea is a female-founded, user-friendly app that creates “elevated feminist audio” for people to tap into their divine, sexually-empowered selves. You could either listen to Dipsea’s solo session series, a compilation of audios that help you explore new erogenous zones and “how to turn yourself on,” or listen to voice actors narrate stories about various fantasies, that include but are not limited to BDSM, toy play, and late-night romantic adventures. It is everything a modern womxn wants in her late teens and early twenties… trust me.
Literotica
Ah, the art of language. English majors, this one's for you. Literotica is not your typical destination for telenovelas (but it can be if you want it to!) Rather, it’s a central hub for stories from all perspectives, sexualities, and writing styles. The site does not only provide erotic literature, but also offers a bulletin board (to meet and post with fellow authors and readers), erotic chat rooms (which are live 24/7), and tantalizing photographic stills for those who prefer the Playboy days. You can even submit your own story for a contest prize, earning up to $150! Talk about paid opportunity. So if you’ve outgrown One Direction fanfictions on WattPad, Literotica is the place for you.
r/chickflixxx
Have your male friends raved about reddit? Mine sure have. And for once, JUST THIS ONCE, they may have an apt reason to. While reddit is very much male-dominated, the platform has subreddit spaces for womxn to share threads on life advice, personal stories, and in this case, links to their favorite porn videos online. The community welcomes all non-binary and/or femme-identifying folx and makes the posting, sharing, and commenting experience as safe and comfortable as possible. You can even make requests to other users about videos you would like to see represented on the platform. So instead of scrolling for hours on end to find a video that satisfies your sexual wants and needs, you can ask your fellow sexperts about their recommendations in two minutes or less. It's made for womxn, by womxn, gifted to those who seek to come together, share together, and lift each other up in one feminist, revolutionary space.
Sources (in order of appearance):
“The 2019 Year in Review.” Pornhub Insights, 11 Dec. 2019, www.pornhub.com/insights/2019-year-in-review.
Mickelwait, Laila. Twitter, Twitter, twitter.com/lailamickelwait (various posts)
“Free Porn Videos for Her: Bellesa - Porn for Women.” Bellesa, www.bellesa.co/.
Interview with Bellesa films, https://www.bellesa.co/assets/files/bellesa-films.pdf
The Crash Pad Series - Queer Porn Video Episodes by Shine Louise Houston of Pink & White Productions, Shine Louise Houston's Pink & White Productions, crashpadseries.com/.
“Dipsea: Short and Sexy Audio Stories.” Dipsea Stories, www.dipseastories.com/.
“100% Free Sex Stories, Erotic Audio, Adult Fiction with Wifeslut, Bdsm, Etc!” Literotica, literotica.com/.
“r/Chickflixxx.” Reddit, www.reddit.com/r/chickflixxx/.