Erika Lust on the Future of Porn

Ethical porn pioneer, Erika Lust, sits down with Hypebae to discuss the future of porn.

It's no secret that porn has long been for men and the male gaze. From clearly faked orgasms to its disregard for women, Lust decided she was going to show the world just how sweet the future of porn could be -- not just for men, but for people of all expressions. 20 years later, Lust is not only synonymous with ethical, feminist porn but has elevated porn as we know it. As the industry forays into new technology, we had to ask the mind fueling our orgasms: Where's the porn industry headed?

If you're unfamiliar with Lust, let's get you familiarized with her impact. After spotting the dark underbelly of porn, the Swedish filmmaker decided it was time to create change from within. "I noticed the lack of female-centered pleasure you could see on screen when watching those movies, it was all made from the male gaze," she said. "There was no playfulness, diversity of bodies and identities," not even a plotline. "I wanted to prove that we can represent sex in which everybody is treated as equal sexual collaborators, with credible stories and characters that don’t follow tired stereotypes and gender-based power imbalance."

Her impact is widely recognized in the porn industry, but her activism truly knows no bounds. In 2021, she made headlines after coining "Masturbation Breaks." A 30-minute break where employees could rub one out for stress relief. In 2023, she pushed for intimacy coordinators to be recognized by major film academies like the BAFTAs.

"I identified major issues within the adult cinema industry very early on, in fact, that’s what led me to get into it and make things different."

The point? Erika Lust is a sex industry icon for a reason. Her work perfectly merges authentic and orgasmic sex with activism for all. So of course, as her brand approached 20 years, we had to ask what's next for the world of porn.

Is AI really going to take over? Can mainstream porn truly ever be ethical? Keep reading to find out.

The Resurgence of Erotic Magazines

As most sex and wellness brands have discovered recently, censorship is on the rise. Lust's social media appears to be in an endless cycle of being censored, whether it be shadow banning their Instagram or deplatforming their Youtube channel. However, the suppression of the brand has led to the resurgence of a porn industry favorite: erotic magazines and archives.

When thinking of erotic magazines, your mind might immediately think of brands Playboy, Hustler and King magazines. Given the success and nostalgia of these mags, Lust's integration of her archive into a magazine is a definite sign of the times -- and a signal of the trend's resurgence.

Is AI Worth the Hype?

Where some are excited about the integration of AI, Lust immediately delivered the most bombastic side-eye. "That's what people are not understanding about sex work. It's not only about the sex, because that's what they think, you know, they think sex is all about the 'nasty' part of it. It's the connection. It's being seen and touched... feeling seen and heard."

Will Mainstream Porn Ever Be Ethical?

Not all porn is ethical -- which we've seen with MindGeek's Pornhub. For Lust, porn should be inclusive, yet as she continues to create porn's next era, she's noticing an increasing disregard for ethics. "What I wish is for the porn space to become more like other industries and spaces that have evolved towards careful consumption or being mindful about how we consume what we do, being a responsible consumer, etc."

"I think that the big players don't care, to be honest. They care about money, they care about concentrating power and that's the reality. More specifically, "It's a power thing," she says. Porn simply drives traffic "So they can sell advertisements... but they don't care about the consumers. They don't care about sex, they don't care about representation. They don't care about the quality. If people would like to see birds fly, they would show those videos."

Let's be real, if you're watching porn, your most immediate thought is probably just an orgasm. But Lust reminds us that sex workers' rights plays directly into the pleasure you see onscreen. On the bright side, however, "there's a little clique of people who do care and who are changing their habits," by consuming ethical porn and supporting sex workers. Lust believes the future of ethical porn relies on minds such as these.

So What’s Next for the Queen of Ethical Porn?

"To celebrate 20 years in business is simply unbelievable," Lust shared. "The years go by so quickly and it’s nice to take a step back and just review what we have managed to do in the last two decades. This was never about simply making movies, it was about creating change and I’m very proud of what we have achieved as a team.

I have no plans to slow down, but as part of our 20-year celebration, we will be looking to the past to recall what we have been through, in order to inform our future in the industry. We went through peaks and troughs on the way. We were the first to do many things but the industry is changing, the landscape and attitudes towards ethically produced porn are changing and I intend to stay at the cusp of this."

While you're here, check out the best ethical porn platforms.

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