The Encyclopedia Of Smut: O Is For Orgasm

These days, it's seen as cool and progressive to de-emphasize the orgasm and reduce its power so that it's not the goal of sexual activity but merely another facet of it. We're totally down with that aim, and we've definitely done our fair share of praising the journey over the destination, but let's be real for a moment: orgasms are the shit.

Orgasms could certainly use a little less hype in real life because you can indeed have satisfying sex without ever experiencing a climax. In porn, however, everybody is coming all the damn time; we can't think of a single mainstream scene that doesn't include an orgasm. Maybe some of those scenes include fake orgasms, but so what? What's the big deal about real orgasms?

The Big Deal About Real Orgasms

Let's say you're looking for something to watch while masturbating and you're choosing between two porn scenes of equal quality, but only one of them features people who actually have orgasms. Which one would you pick? The one with real orgasms. Why?

Nobody is going to advertise a DVD by telling you all about the crazy fauxgasms inside, but that doesn't mean real orgasms make better porn. If we can accept the idea that porn is performance--geared more for the viewer's arousal than for the actor's sexual pleasure--then does it truly matter if a pornstar stops performing for ten seconds of ecstasy? It's not like people enjoy action movies any less because the big stars use stuntmen.

In our experiences, the main reason that people want to see and hear about real orgasms (and we're mainly talking about female orgasms, which are concealed in ways that male orgasms are not) is because we have empathy and concern for the performers. We want fair trade coffee, we want clothing from workers who get paid well, and we want to see sexy things from people who actually get pleasure from sex. The main problem here is the assumption that orgasms represent sexual pleasure, and that's 100% false.

We also think voyeurism plays a part in The Hunt for Real Orgas-tober. Yes, the V-word is a part of every porn watching experience, and perhaps it's redundant to mention since it's linked with empathy, but we maintain that it's important bring up in this exploration. You've probably been turned off by a piece of porn when a performer did something that struck you as fake, right? It's like that with orgasms: the mere suggestion of fake pleasure reminds you that the camera is there, everyone knows you're watching, and even if you can enjoy the pornstars' exhibition, you can't help but cast doubt on the expressions of pleasure. Orgasms are solitary experiences, selfish even, and since we voyeurs desperately want to see the secret and solitary, we place our faith in the performer's ability to show us something worth spying on.

[Above: Tori Black makes some cute noises, but is she truly coming? Via "Real Female Orgasms 9"]

Male Vs. Female Orgasms

They're different and porn treats them differently! Surprise.

For men, there is no orgasm without ejaculation, so even though male orgasms can be (and sometimes are) faked, they're generally assumed to be real. When there's a porn scene that involves at least one boy, his cumshot is the final event, and every other act performed on his penis--no matter how much it excites his nerves and curls his toes--only exists to make that one moment seem huge. Snowballing and other such jizz-play also ostensibly give the male performer pleasure, but in a way that adds to the afterglow of the orgasm. Think about it: snowballing may be arousing, but you never see it as part of foreplay.

Lady climaxes are mysterious: just look at the picture that Wikipedia chose for their entry on Orgasms. They can happen at any time in a porn scene, for many different reasons, in many different fashions, and every possible physical demonstration of a female orgasm can be faked. Still, we enjoy porn more when the gals appear to come, and while male orgasms usually only come with a view of the quivering cock, female orgasms are full-body affairs. Sure, it used to be common to see a male performer's face right before he comes, but that's no longer the case. Now we're all about seeing girls lose control when they climax--especially when ejaculation occurs--and it's not unusual for them to flail, scream, kick, or roll their eyes inside their heads. It's kind of funny that we expect female orgasms to be big and exciting to watch, yet we dislike the idea that it's all performance.

[Above: much ado about squirting in "Big League Squirters 5." All videos courtesy of AEBN Porn Pay Per View Network and Adult Video On Demand (theater.aebn.net)]

[At top: a young woman lost in the moment (or so we think), via Orgasm Freaks (freakgals.com)]