If you're not into mainstream porn, we've got just the person for you. Erika Lust is feminist porn writer and director who has revolutionized the porn industry. Erica Grigg got a chance to ask Ms. Lust some questions about her films, and her views on love and sex.
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Since Erika Lust is one of the top, feminist pornographers, I thought she'd be way too busy to check-in with GetLusty for Couples. Not true.
This awesome, down-to-earth gal did, and she shared her thoughts on sex--very candidly. Check out more about Erika & Lust Films below!About Erika
Erika Lust is co-founder of Lust Films, an audiovisual production company, an expert in sex culture and a journalist. She is also the author of The Erotic Bible to Europe (2010) and Love Me Like You Hate Me (2010).
In 2004 she produced and directed The Good Girl, a short explicit story for women that was well received internationally and later went on to form part of her first feature length work Five Hot Stories For Her, released in April of 2007. Five Hot Stories won Best Script at the Erotic Film Festival in Barcelona (2007), Best Film for Women at VENUS in Berlin (2007), Audience’s Honourable Mention at CineKink in New York (2008) and Best Film of the Year at the Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto (2008).
Erika is also the director of the erotic experimental documentary Barcelona Sex Project. Her last film is called Life Love Lust (2010).
Erika Lust was born in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1977 and she holds a bachelors degree in political science from Lund University (Sweden), with a specialization in gender studies and human rights. She currently resides in Barcelona.
#1 How did you get into porn? Do you consider yourself a feminist pornographer?
Making my way in the adult industry wasn’t a direct route: it started out when I moved to Barcelona and found work with audiovisual companies, which in turn inspired me to take film classes.
The idea of merging feminism and pornography had fascinated me since I’d read about it in college, so I leapt at the chance to make The Good Girl (a twist on the classic pizza-delivery theme), which turned out to be a hit. Since that experiment went so well, I kept writing and filming and ended up creating my own little niche in the industry. Both my films and I are certainly feminist, though I’m beginning to move away from the label ‘porn’, since I’m starting to think it’s so much more than that!
#2 Do you think you (and other feminist/ women-centric pornographers) are changing the pornography industry?
Yes, we’re definitely impacting the industry as we expand and evolve, though the mainstream porn scene is definitely the Goliath to our David.
The key has been reaching out to potential audiences who like porn (or the idea of it), but want something different from the usual athletic, formulaic, unrealistic and joyless sex featured in mainstream productions over the past three decades.
There’s been such an overwhelmingly positive response to what we’re doing and creating that there’s obviously a great demand! With this in mind, I hope that it’s just a matter of time before the majority of porn out there is more representative of what people want and how they have sex, thereby becoming ‘good porn’.
#3 What are areas you see couples most interested in, in terms of improving their sex life?
Experimentation! Sexual preferences and relationships are constantly evolving, so people will naturally want to try new things. I can’t stress enough that openness is the key here – really be honest with yourself and your partner about what interests you, and be open to their feedback in return.
What I hear from couples most are their desires to try a new toy, to watch a film together, to bring another person into the equation, to enact a role play fantasy, or try a little BDSM. People tell me that they get all kinds of ideas from my films and my stores. And those who expressed this to their partner seem to have benefitted greatly from it; new doors and experiences opened for them, and their excitement was inspiring. Experimentation can really enrich one’s sex life and bring two people closer, even if they try something that they might not ever repeat – it just shows how eager people are to please and be pleased.
#4 What keeps YOUR sex life great? Maybe you could provide 2-3 tips -- not strictly sexual -- maybe emotional, as well.Well, as anyone with kids can tell you, having a sex life in general is difficult, and having a GREAT sex life is near impossible. There are always so many things to do and not enough time (or energy) to do them … so ‘doing it’ usually falls down the ladder of priorities.
So my first tip would be to MAKE the time – if that means putting it on your blackberry organizer or shutting off the TV early, so be it. Sex really is the glue in the relationship, and, without it, the two people drift apart. Another tip, whether single or in a relationship, would be the aforementioned experimentation: you give yourself a great gift by exploring what you like and what you don’t, and getting to know and love your body.
#5 What would you recommend for couples experiencing a lack of intimacy?
There are a few different remedies, depending on the couple and the problems they’re experiencing. If a couple is too busy and hardly ever gets ‘alone time’ – then make the time. Get a babysitter, get dressed up, have a few drinks at a snazzy place and try to recreate that feeling when you were dating and totally unencumbered (before the lazy pants, pizza nights and kids).
If you’re getting irritated with each other, spend some time alone – there’s nothing like a little separation to let you recharge, be nice to yourself, and make you realize when you miss someone and why. Finally, if there is a sex life, but it’s lackluster, be honest with each other about your needs, desires, fantasies – and try to find a way to initiate or incorporate them into the bedroom and shake things up.
#6 What's next for Lust Films?
Right now, I’ve been writing a lot, both on my blog and for various publications.
In addition, I’m concentrating on revamping my new website www.erikalust.com, store, and erotic online cinema www.lustcinema.com. As to the future, there may be another short film in the works and maybe a book – you’ll have to stay tuned and see!
Learn more about Lust Films from Erika Lust on Twitter and Facebook.
This is post by Erica Grigg, our Founder and Chief Lust Officer. She's a writer, marketer, social entrepreneur and sex geek. She wants to end boring sex. If you don't see Erica riding around downtown, Chicago in her beach cruiser or at a diner with her adoring husband, you see her chatting up the tech community about the importance of sex and love in marriage. Follow Erica on Twitter @ericagrigg or subscribe via Facebook and Google+. Want to connect about business partnership with a woman-run business that cares? E-mail me directly at erica@getlusty.com.
