an interview with
the founder and CEO of afterglow
Interview by: Jennie Bull
the founder and CEO of afterglow
Interview by: Jennie Bull
JB: What is ethical porn and how can people know if the porn they are consuming is ethical?
LS: Ethical porn has different definitions for different people. What I like to say to simplify it is that it’s porn where the people who are making it care about the impact they're having on the world. A lot of porn out there is not inherently unethical, but it's made in our capitalist society where people are trying to make as much money, pay people the minimum they can pay them in order to get the thing done.
Whereas ethical [porn] is really about people putting in the extra effort to do something positive. For some people it might be about the stories they tell and whether those are feminist or queer or showing representation in a way that isn't traditionally seen in mainstream porn. For other people, it's a lot about labor conditions and workers rights and making sure the workers are really being respected and treated well on set.
JB: How did you fall into this industry and ultimately decide that you wanted to start aterglow?
LS: I was in a relationship with my high school sweetheart from when I was 15 to 30, and I didn't orgasm until I was 24. Porn is really the only place we have where we can see what it looks like to have sex. And most people, myself included, are just having really bad sex because we don't know what good looks like, and we don't know what good is. I really wanted to make something for my younger self of what would have helped me. And it would have really helped me to see porn that really encouraged female pleasure, communication, and how to decenter penetration, performiveness, and the stereotypes we see in mainstream porn.
JB: How does the content on afterglow go against the grain of mainstream porn?
LS: We like to tell stories that you don’t typically see in mainstream porn. That can mean seeing a pregnant woman - not in a festishy way, seeing performers with diferent body types, having a lot of dialgue. I think a lot of people struggle with how to speak up for what they want, and how to make it hot.
We've always tried to be porn that can help you have great sex. We now have pleasure recaps for most of our films. So these are spark notes by sex educators. You watch a film, it's hot, but then you can read about it - almost like a study guide of the key themes. There's links to more resources and guided information on how to do it with your partner.
A lot of people love watching our porn with their partners. I think It's a really good way to open up conversations with your partner about sex like, "Hey, I think this is really hot. I want to watch this together and talk about it.” That helps destigmatize porn in general, to not be embarrassed about your pleasure. We’re doing a lot to make the whole experience something that feels positive that’s why it’s called afterglow.
JB: What are some of the current hurdles you face in the industry?
LS: We literally can't advertise. Before I started afterglow, I ran a natural foods brand and it's like you throw up some Instagram ads, you start a TikTok, you talk about your product; but our Instagram, we cannot say the word porn, we can't talk about our product, we can't send people to our website. It makes it difficult to make money, but we try to get the word out. People are looking for us, we just need to help them find us.
JB: Afterglow produces in-person events, one recently at Soho House in NYC, how does the create a sense of community for your audience?
LS: The in-person events are some of my favorite. It's cool because when do you watch porn in a group of people? Most people have never had that experience. It's a great event to push people's boundaries a little bit, make you a little bit uncomfortable, a little bit nervous, and then you’re able to talk it out after. That's how we came up with the pleasure recaps, I wanted to take the screening experience of having that discussion and bring it to the website experience.
JB: What advice would you give to our readers looking to have better sex?
LS: Masturbate and be willing to explore yourself. Be willing to try things, be open to it. It's okay if you don't like it, a yes can become a no and that's totally okay. How can you expect a partner to please you if you don't know how to please yourself? It's an exchange of give and take and we can't have all of these expectations of somebody else if we're not showing up fully ourselves.
JB: Which film on afterglow is your personal favorite?
LS: My personal favorite is Lip Service, which is our most popular. it was actually one of the first ones we made and it's just so hot and beautiful. It's about this woman kind of telling her partner what she wants for cunnilingus. it's just cunnilingus basically but there's a voyeur aspect to it too.
JB: How would you describe your afterglow community in three words?
LS: Hot, smart, flirtatious.
LS: What gets me in the mood is having time to myself. Just like being in my own space, being in my own vibe, taking a shower, putting on the right tunes, music. Having that moment to get into my body, turn myself on before I go out there.
THANK YOU LILLY!
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