What is “feminist porn”? Why do we need it? And is it just for women? Writer Camille Darroux sat down with young fem pornographer, Lucie Blush, on one of her porn sets in Berlin to find out.
When I first met young feminist porn director Lucie Blush on the set of her latest movie, the first thing that struck me was how normal and easy going everything was. (Don’t worry mom, I didn’t take my clothes off.) Blush was hanging out with her performers and some extras before filming a party scene in her boyfriend’s apartment. I joined a dozen cool twenty-somethings, sat on the floor, was handed a beer, and we all chatted for a couple of hours while she was filming the last bits of footage she needed.
Lucie Blush is a 28-year-old French girl living and porn-ing in Berlin. A couple days after being a voyeur on her set, I met up with Lucie again to find out more about the origin of her site Lucie Makes Porn, what “feminist porn” is, and where she finds inspiration. Spoiler alert: Blush is a clever, balanced and curious human being who’s all about making porn (and sex) even better!
Lucie!
Camille: You say you do “fem porn”—how would you define that?
Lucie Blush: Feminist porn is defined, first of all, by the way you make the movie. You have to give very good working conditions to the performers, make sure they understand that they can say no at any time and don’t have to do anything they don’t like. This is especially important for women, because in the past the porn industry has used women as tools instead of human beings. In fem porn it’s important to show strong, independent women who are proud of their sexuality, who are happy to explore it—they’re not sluts, they’re not whores, there’s no shame. Feminist porn is not “for women”—it’s for everyone, because it steers away from stereotypes linked to gender. Men don’t have to be fuck machines, it’s not all about their dick, and women don’t have to be treated like a piece of meat. They can be active, they can make their own choices and decisions.
What made you think the feminist porn genre was necessary”?
Personally, it’s the kind of content that I would have liked to see when I was 13 and watching porn. I was really self-conscious, and every time I watched porn I was like “hmmm, I don’t feel so good right now.” I was ashamed. I think fem porn could have helped me get over my body issues and take control of my sexuality. A lot of us are trapped in stereotypes, and in the “slut versus virgin” dichotomy, and I think it can help with that, too. Fem porn is not just about saying “now we finally have porn for women”. It’s not about that. It’s just about women having a voice, sharing their opinion and expressing themselves through porn.
Still from Lucie Makes Porn
How did you get into making feminist porn?
I studied translation at university in Lyon, France, which led me to live in Barcelona. I was working in online marketing and needed a job on the side, and I found this ad online for a part-time job at [feminist pornographer] Erika Lust’s production company. I applied on a Friday and on Monday I started. I did communication, a bit of web design, a bit of graphic design. This is how I discovered the world of fem porn and how it is made. I stayed there for a year and a half. Then I started to write my blog We Love Good Sex, which helped me find my voice, and six months later I made my first movie.
What about Erika Lust—did she have a strong influence on what you do now? Has she been a mentor?
Not really, actually. I really like what she does, but when I left I thought: if I were to do it myself, I would do it differently. So she was a big influence in that she motivated me to do my own thing.
What are the things you thought you’d do differently?
I wanted to give it a more personal approach. I like to base my movies on my actual fantasies and on my experiences. I thought I would give myself 100% in this, which is why I started to perform as well in front of the camera. This is different from her. She does all kinds of films, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable making a film about, for example, bondage if I don’t like bondage or if I’ve never had any experience with it. I also wanted to make something a bit closer to me, a bit more at my image: younger, a bit more “quick and dirty,” a bit more Berlin, you know?
Still from Lucie Makes Porn
What are the working conditions like on your sets?
First of all, I pay people equally. Porn might be one of the only industries where men are paid less than women, which I find unacceptable. I pay everyone according to experience, not gender. I also want to create an intimate atmosphere during the shoots, so I organise them like a friendly gathering. There’s food, I work on pre-production a lot, talk to the actors about what they like and don’t like. I tell them what to expect so they can feel really comfortable on set.
If feminist porn isn’t “for women”, can you tell me about who your audience is?
Regarding age, I think it’s pretty varied. It goes from 20 to 45, I would say. Regarding gender it’s probably 55% men, 45% women. So it’s kind of half-half, which is really good. I think my work is interesting for both men who are tired of the usual porn that they see, and women who can identify better.
Still from Lucie Makes Porn
You did a movie where you performed with a girl—your first sexual experience ever with a woman. How was it?
It was good! The idea actually came from a previous shoot and it was a couple performing and I thought, “It’s cool how the performers can take control of the story, and sometimes it’s not the chemistry that you expect.” It felt completely honest and sincere. That’s when I decided to have my first time with a woman on camera. Even I didn’t know how I was going to react!
On the set my friends were filming and I was really nervous about getting naked, but then I took my clothes off and everybody was still setting up the camera and lights, and I realized that no one gave a shit about me being naked. I started the scene and it was very empowering. I didn’t even know the girl before as she was from the UK, and it was good. Like two friends having sex and having a nice day in Barcelona. What was difficult was the editing, at first. I wasn’t used to seeing my pussy on the screen and it made me a bit self-conscious. But then you get over it and you realize it’s just taboos that you have about your own body.
Is there something that you haven’t done yet but that you really want to do?
I want to do a threesome with two guys and a girl, but with both guys being bisexual and interacting with each other. Which is hard to find! I hope I can find actors for that. Otherwise threesomes are so boring, I don’t want to show two guys fucking one girl, like a roast chicken. It doesn’t interest me at all. I want to have three people having sex together!
Camille Darroux is a Berlin based writer, weighing in on topics like sex, feminism and nightlife. Read her previous post for Slutever, “The Ultimate Guide to Sexy Berlin,” HERE :)