An Adult’s Guide to Exploring Erotic Content

adminx November 23, 2023

Erotic content, often known as porn or X-rated material, becomes more familiar as you grow older. But do you know the advantages of watching it?

Understanding Erotic Content

Erotica includes videos, photos, illustrations, or words created to arouse.

It’s essential to differentiate: Erotica is for arousal, not education.

If you seek content to ignite desire, enhance self-pleasure, or set the mood, adult entertainment is what you need. For sex education, there are dedicated resources.

Why Watch Erotic Videos? It’s Beneficial!

According to Jenn Doan of Afterglow:

Erotic content can arouse and turn you on.
It can help you get in the mood, even when you weren’t initially.
It’s affirming for various sexual orientations.
For example, it can validate the sexuality of individuals attracted to similar genders.

Enhancing Self-Esteem

Viewing erotica featuring performers resembling yourself serves as a powerful reminder of your deservingness of pleasure.

Strengthening Relationships

Before involving a partner, it’s essential to become comfortable with solo erotic content consumption. However, when you’re ready to share it, watching together can:

Enhance communication

For these benefits to be enjoyed ethically, paying for your content is crucial. As Jiz Lee, the marketing director of Pink and White Productions, emphasizes, creating porn entails both time and money, similar to your subscriptions to services like Xfinity and Hulu. Paying for porn ensures fair compensation for everyone involved, including video crews, photographers, and editors. Moreover, supporting ethical consumption allows companies to continue producing quality content, as highlighted by Shine Louise Houston, director of Pink and White Productions, creator of CrashPadSeries.com, and curator of PinkLabel.TV.

Absolutely, you’re determined to invest in your content, but how can you discover erotica that truly resonates with you? These suggestions can steer you in the right direction:

Create a Yes/No/Maybe List

A Yes/No/Maybe list provides a structured way to articulate your interests and boundaries.

Sometimes, these lists include fill-in-the-blanks, such as the one available on Scarleteen. In other cases, they consist of columns, typically with a range of sexual activities to choose from, as seen in Bex Talks’ version.

Additional Yes/No/Maybe lists worth exploring can be found here, here, and here.

Traditionally, these lists are filled out by sexual partners, playmates, or participants in BDSM scenes to establish mutual boundaries. However, you can certainly complete one on your own to better understand the types of content that pique your interest.

For each activity, toy, or category listed, take a moment to reflect: “Would I like to see this in an erotic film?” and mark your response as Yes, No, or Maybe accordingly.

Explore Various Subscription Platforms

A diverse range of subscription services for erotic content awaits your exploration.

Rest assured, regardless of the preferences listed on your viewing checklist, you’ll find a platform tailored to your tastes.

Consider investigating these paid platforms:

Begin by enrolling in a platform for a single month.

The majority of the platforms mentioned above provide subscription options for 1, 3, or 12 months.

Explore the “About Us” sections of the aforementioned platforms and determine if they specialize in the content that most interests you. If they do, don’t hesitate to subscribe!

Considering that subscription fees generally range from $15 to $25 per month, you might even consider subscribing to multiple platforms simultaneously.

While you’re engaged in watching, take the time to enjoy and reflect.

You might have a strong affinity for the initial video you view on the platform or need help finding it appealing.

Anarella Martínez-Madrid, founder, CEO, and producer of Sex School, suggests approaching porn as you would any other genre of cinema, be it drama, romance, or thriller.

Ask yourself questions such as: Who created this content? What is the purpose of this film? What details have been omitted? Who is the intended audience? How did the content impact my emotions? What am I witnessing?

Additionally, consider these questions:

What aspects of this content arouse me?
What aspects of this content intrigue me?
What aspects of this content make me feel uncomfortable?
Have I come across anything that has had the opposite effect of what I desired?

Customize the content you’re viewing on that platform accordingly. For instance, if you subscribed to CrashPadSeries and appreciated the queer performers but wished the scene didn’t include a realistic-looking strap-on dildo, you can explore videos featuring nonrealistic dildos or different sexual acts during your next viewing.

When the month ends, you have two options: either renew your subscription or explore a new platform. If you enjoyed what you saw, feel free to continue subscribing!

If, on the other hand, you discover that you’re seeking content with a more artistic, queer, or kinky flavor, you might consider subscribing to Four Chambers, CrashPadSeries, or Kink.com, respectively.

Another option to explore is subscribing directly to your favorite performers. According to Lee, if you’re fond of a particular performer, you might have the opportunity to support their projects directly. Many content creators nowadays maintain accounts on platforms like OnlyFans, ManyVids, Frisk, Clips4Sale, or Patreon, enabling you to purchase their content directly.

Enhance your erotic viewing experience in various ways now that you have a practice that brings you pleasure.

Exploring Self-Pleasure

Masturbate

If you haven’t already, utilize the time you spend watching erotica to engage in self-pleasure.

According to Doan, self-pleasuring can enhance your confidence in meeting your own needs and help you connect with your sexual energy.

Discovering Your Desires

Masturbation can offer valuable insights into your preferences for touch. Sharing these insights with your sexual partner(s) can significantly enhance your shared sexual experiences, Doan suggests.

Explore with Toys

Sex toys are explicitly designed to enhance your solo play experiences by providing sensations beyond what your hand alone can achieve. After all, your hand can’t vibrate.

Opt for Lubrication

Increase overall pleasure during solo sexual experiences by reducing friction and enhancing glide. Lubrication facilitates this by minimizing resistance between your hand (or toy) and your erogenous zones.

Dealing with Shame While Consuming Erotic Content

In a world that often fosters sex-negativity, feelings of shame may emerge. Recognize these emotions, which might manifest as regret after watching porn, feelings of ‘dirtiness,’ or even physical discomfort.

Cultivate Sex Positivity

To combat these potentially damaging feelings, consider the following steps:

Unfollow puritanical social media accounts and replace them with sex education accounts.
Advocate against violence directed at sex workers, trans women, and femmes.
Join or initiate a sex education book club.
Seek support from a sex-positive therapist.
Engage in open conversations about sex with your partners and friends.
Fostering Self-Acceptance
Gradual Self-Acceptance

Believe that there’s nothing inherently wrong with fulfilling your desires and discuss them openly in a safe environment. Over time, this can contribute to feeling more comfortable with consuming erotic content.

In Conclusion

Erotic content can be a source of pleasure, affirmation, and arousal, but it’s crucial to find content that resonates with you and, importantly, to support creators by paying for their work. If you are still looking for content that appeals to you, keep searching; there’s a wide variety of options available. Trust that you’ll discover content that suits your preferences.