What better way of honouring Grapeshot’s “Fantasy” issue than by reviewing a podcast that explores the many fantasies people are experiencing in 2022? Girls on Porn is a podcast first released on streaming platforms four years ago. Its hosts, Laura and Rachel, dissect and discuss popular search terms found on porn sites and discuss where these terms originated and how they are received. At Grapeshot, we listened to several episodes, ranging from the show’s commencement in 2019 to current episodes, and we’re here to give an uncensored review of how Girls on Porn discusses these fantasies, and whether it’s worth a listen.
Tattoos – April 2019
One of the first episodes released was on the search term ‘Tattoos’. The premise of each episode is that the hosts discuss a popular term found on porn websites and why it has become a fantasy that many people around the world wish to explore. This episode comes after ‘tattoo’ was found to be the seventh most searched porn category in 2018, much to the surprise of the hosts who initially didn’t think this topic was worth discussing. The subject of the episode is supported by relevant statistics to justify the popularity of the topics, such as how the term ‘tattooed women’ grew in popularity by eighty-eight per cent, and how studies suggest tattooed women were almost fourteen per cent more likely to be solicited by men. Other useful data included a study that found women believed men looked healthier with tattoos, but not necessarily more attractive. The podcast continues as the hosts discuss their own tattoos, before going into a segment titled ‘homepage hoedown’ in which they dissect porn titles featuring tattoos in the tags to show how different terms are used to get clicks in this industry.
My biggest criticism of this episode is how a large portion of the episode is dedicated to the hosts dissecting various videos at great length. Whilst this may be engaging to some audiences and I found their analysis humorous, it was not particularly helpful or engaging as they often strayed from the topic of the episode and got lost deconstructing the videos in unnecessary depth. The episode was engaging but at times lacked substance, leaving this listener confused and waiting for the end.
Movie Sex Scenes - June 2019
When looking for episodes to review, I made sure to find ones that could resonate with readers with a variety of experiences and not any kinks or genres. For this reason, the movie- and TV-sex scenes episodes would be the episodes I recommend for listeners looking to get started with this podcast. They were easier to follow than an episode that focusses only on one search term and includes relevant discussions as to why sex scenes on the big screen have an impact on so many viewers.
The movie sex scenes episode took a different direction to previous ones as the hosts were not discussing porn at length. Instead, they looked at how movies depict sex, contrasting it to the possible reality of that situation. They begin by discussing how movies are often the first time people are exposed to sexual content, leading to many people’s sexual awakening. They include relevant data such as how the movie The Kiss (1896) was considered to have the first sex scene on camera, despite it not depicting sex in an upfront way. They contrast this to works such as the Czech film Ecstasy (1933), which was one of the first movies to show nudity and examine female pleasure. They also include some recommendations of films that they enjoyed and were meaningful to them. The range was extensive and included suggestions from both hosts and their listeners, including films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) The Shape of Water (2017), Deadpool (2016), and Titanic (1997). In addition to this, they also discuss the heteronormativity of movie sex scenes and how different components of sex are rarely explored in movies. I found this episode more engaging and appreciated how they incorporated their audience’s perspectives as well.
TV Sex Scenes - March 2022
In 2022 the hosts visit TV sex scenes and evaluate how TV has influenced sexuality in both dramas and mainstream viewing. Whilst the conversation is largely based on American television, the insights discussed are still valuable and applicable in an Australian context.
They begin this episode with a segment titled ’69 seconds of sex news’ in which they discuss news events that have a sexual component. I really enjoyed this feature, especially learning of how many accidents occur because people experience overbearing sexual urges whilst driving. They begin their discussion in 1955, considering how I Love Lucy contained one of the first instances of pregnancy being depicted on TV. They discuss how networks brushed over the idea of conception through scenes such as Lucy pushing her bed together with her partner. It wasn’t until 1964 where audiences saw Samantha in Bewitched share a bed with her partner.
The notion of censorship is considered when they discuss how The Muppet Show was banned in Saudi Arabia in 1979, specifically for Miss Piggy’s “piggyness”. Similar events continue to take place in 2022 with the ban of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) in Saudi Arabia due to the fact that the character, America Chavez, explains that she has two mothers. The podcast discusses how censorship policies dictate what makes it on to TV, highlighting how content that may be understood as indecent or public nuisance is more likely to be rejected. Some notable TV shows exploring sex included Pose (2018-2021), Bridgerton (2020- ) Outlander (2014- ), and a personal favourite, Sex Education (2019- ). I enjoyed this episode for the hosts humorous takes on TV sex scenes and the discussion on LGBTQ+ representation in shows such as Queer as Folk (2000-2002) and Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019). This episode is well worth a listen.
Erotic fiction with Almaz Ohene – July 2020
This episode, Laura and Rachel are joined by guest host Almaz Ohene who is a professional sex educator focused on giving young people the facts about pleasure. She states how “literature is full of raunchy bits” and that erotic material usually comes from a place of desire. The most interesting theme raised in this episode is that erotic material is often written poorly because “good sex scenes are hard to write”. This idea emerges when the podcast gives audiences a taste of poorly written sex scenes in the segment ‘Bad Sex Awards’. They argue that because society is generally sex-negative, many authors rely on biological terms to describe any sexual experiences. This results in many writers incorporating poorly used metaphors to describe pleasure. Some interesting facts included in this episode were that the romance-erotica genre of literature makes over $1.4 billion every year, and that one of the oldest love poems was dated back to 2037 BC. While I really enjoyed this episode, I found the lack of discourse on fanfiction - a very prominent form of erotica that inspired the likes of Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and After we Collided (2014) - to ignore a significant part of erotica’s target audience. I also felt that the hosts didn’t utilise guest speaker Ohene enough despite her being very engaging and experienced and providing insightful commentary. Instead, much of the podcast was based on a superficial love for a written sex scene where it would have benefitted from more of Ohene’s commentary and insight.
To Finish…
Girls on Porn gives an authentic and funny insight into the world of sexual fantasies and creates a space for porn and various kinks to be discussed freely and retrospectively. Most episodes include factual components to justify why the subject is important, with Laura and Rachel providing additional commentary on how popular some search terms are. The episodes have a tendency to get side-tracked, but, overall, the podcast is interesting for anyone wanting to learn more about the porn industry or their own sexuality, making it a perfect recommendation for Grapeshot’s fantasy issue.
Girls on Porn is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with new episodes weekly.