Okay, well, not all porn is beautiful, but there is an increasing movement towards making porn with more emphasis on aesthetics beyond what we’ve come to expect from the adult industry. Then again, beauty isn’t just about what’s on the outside… It’s what’s on the inside that counts, after all. Though there are a lot of things that are generally “inside” in porn, I’m talking about heart. In my mind, beauty is a perfect blend of external and internal forces united to make something that resonates on every level.

Does this sound like I’m asking too much of something which most people see ultimately as just a means to an end, albeit a happy one? I don’t think so, and neither do the growing number of people who look for more than just hot, writhing bodies in their erotic entertainment. We want to see something that’s sexy, but also well-produced and thoughtfully-made. We want to feel good about the porn we watch and maybe even enthusiastic to share what we’ve found with others. Porn doesn’t have to be a dirty little secret.

When I explain the kind of porn I love, people often assume I’m talking about erotica, which is more soft-core in nature. While erotica is certainly awesome in its own right, I’m definitely talking about porn. There’s nothing wrong with the designation and I think that it’s a very good thing if porn can mean lots of things, not just a very specific kind of sex had by a specific kind of people. People have trouble believing that something artfully executed can still be graphic enough to get the job done, but it absolutely can. People who are passionate about making great porn are still very aware that people are watching it for sexual gratification, so they’re doing their best to get the perfect lighting, angles and shots to tease you to the brink of an amazing orgasm… Probably the most intense one you’ve had in a long while.

We get caught up in these ideas that there needs to be a cheesy storyline or that beauty means being all gentle and delicate, but that’s not generally the case, especially with beautiful porn that focuses on niches and sex acts that don’t call for such softness. Often, it’s just real sex, exactly as it would naturally unfold. So much of the beauty comes from the freedom to be themselves and have the kind of sex they want to have. There’s so much more nuance and potential for interesting, different moments when people are left to their own devices. Intimacy can be many things and all of those things are really hot.

One very interesting thing about beautiful porn is the tendency to use real couples. This isn’t necessarily because of the love between them, although that’s a nice aspect, but more because an established connection between two people means that there’s going to be a whole lot more passion and real pleasure. Watching someone who knows their way around another person is so unique in porn… It’s pretty hard not to be instantly aroused when you see the skills so perfectly laid out. You know that they’re feeling amazing, and sensing real pleasure gives you that pleasure too. You can tell when they lock eyes that there’s fire. What’s better than that?

Probably the greatest aspect of beautiful porn to me is the fact that, when people put themselves into what they do and take time to create artistry in porn, they’re doing so out of respect. When you’re watching porn, you’re not usually thinking of respect at the forefront, but it’s important. There’s respect for each other while they make the porn, there’s respect for the kind of sex they have… It’s out of respect for the audience to show that porn can be a fantasy, but it can also be much more real, inspiring and applicable to your life. That’s beautiful.

ABOUT THE WRITER…

Sophie Delancey is the PR and Marketing coordinator for TheArtofBlowjob.com, Slowmotionblowjob.com and PornographicLove.com. She also writes reviews for WhackMagazine.com and Fleshbot.com, among other sexuality and porn blogs and hosts a monthly beautiful porn segment on Pornhub Radio. She is passionate about the potential for beautiful porn.