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Tired of mainstream pornography, its stereotypes and its abuses that reduce women to objects? Fortunately, alternatives exist, such as feminist porn, which puts the emphasis on desire, personal fulfilment and consent. Awareness is growing, gradually sweeping away the clichés and restoring dignity and respect, in large part thanks to figures like Paulita Pappel, Erika Lust or Olympe de G. Find out how this essential voice of adult film is overturning the industry’s codes and giving women back the power over their own sexuality.
Key takeaway
Paulita Pappel is a Spanish director, producer, actress and intimacy coordinator, born in Madrid in 1987 and based in Berlin. A leading figure in feminist and queer porn, she founded the couples platform Lustery in 2016 and the studio Hardwerk in 2020, while also programming the Pornfilmfestival Berlin.
Who is Paulita Pappel?
Paulita Pappel was born in Madrid in 1987. A producer, feminist porn director, adult film actress and intimacy coordinator, she is one of the most influential figures in ethical porn and feminist pornography.
A liberated young woman
Paulita grew up in a progressive environment, where she developed an early interest in pornography. But the weight of the Catholic and conservative values of the Spain of that time limited her explorations. In 2005, still a teenager and fresh out of high school, she left Madrid for Berlin, a city of openness and emancipation. There, in 2013, she earned a degree in comparative literature from the Free University of Berlin. In this environment marked by a great tolerance towards sexual minorities, she discovered sex-positive queer feminism, which would go on to shape her thinking and her activism for good.
Films in the service of a cause
Driven by the desire to break down the taboos surrounding sexuality, Paulita committed to an activist approach and put herself in front of the camera to show that porn can respect bodies. So it was as an actress, in queer and feminist adult films, that she started out in the industry, almost as a political act.
From 2015 onwards, she moved behind the camera and devoted herself to directing and producing ethical adult films, building erotic narratives that take care to respect the performers. She also became co-programmer of the Pornfilmfestival Berlin (PFF), the flagship festival of alternative and independent cinema focused on sexuality, politics, feminism and gender issues.
Her bold projects
Before striking out on her own, Paulita learned her craft at Ersties, the all-female Berlin platform, where she directed films in the mid-2010s and still co-hosts the in-house podcast today.
In 2016, she launched Lustery.com, a streaming site where real couples film their own intimacy. Once again, she breaks the codes, with realistic, authentic short films that revisit sexuality through true stories and sincere human connections.
In 2020, she founded HARDWERK, a production studio whose platform hardwerk.com reinvents the concept of the gangbang through a female lens. Her signature: a positive representation of group sexuality, where consent and respect for everyone’s boundaries come first.
Beyond her productions, Paulita Pappel is an active campaigner at conferences, on podcasts and in workshops. With a frank, relaxed way of speaking, she raises awareness of consent, sexual health and the importance of representation. Her expertise also leads her to work as an intimacy coordinator, a still-recent profession that looks after the comfort and safety of performers on the shoots of intimate scenes.
Paulita Pappel’s alternative vision of porn
The term “ethical porn” may seem like a paradox to many, so strongly is the adult industry still associated with degrading stereotypes. Yet Paulita Pappel works to make it a reality in every one of her productions.
Listening to and respecting the protagonists
“Before every shoot, there’s always a conversation with the actors about what we’re going to do. How does everyone feel? Sometimes they like certain practices, like spanking, but not necessarily that day. We take the time to clarify what people want, and we keep listening to them throughout the shoot”, she explains.
For Paulita, what the participants want is an absolute priority. She wants to create a space that allows for a sincere exploration of sexuality, free from any outside pressure.
The artistic dimension of ethical porn
The filmmaker has managed to infuse porn with an artistic and narrative dimension. Her films go beyond the simple sex scene to become genuine works in which storytelling and aesthetics take centre stage. Dialogue, lighting and carefully crafted atmospheres come together to offer an experience that is both sensory and emotional. Through her work, Paulita Pappel shows that sex can be a tool for liberation and fulfilment, with the utmost respect for consent and the equality of bodies.
Paulita Pappel’s filmography
If you’re looking for respectful, authentic pornography, Paulita Pappel is without question a figure to follow. Here is a selection of her appearances and her own films to discover.
XConfessions
XConfessions is the adult film series created by Erika Lust, in which Paulita Pappel appears notably in volumes 3, 6 and 12. Each episode starts from anonymous fantasies sent in by viewers, which the team turns into erotic stories. Yours could well end up in there one day!
Lustery
With her platform Lustery, Paulita invites us into the intimacy of couples from all over the world who film themselves without filters or artifice. The concept is simple but devastatingly effective: a mirror effect that multiplies the viewer’s desire. A tender, authentic voyeurism that has made the site a success.
Paulita Pappel’s main productions
Paulita Pappel has directed and produced many films over the course of her career. Here is a selection of her most notable work:
- 2016: Female Ejaculation
- 2016: Birthday Surprise
- 2016: The Tinder Sex Experiment
- 2017: Refugees Welcome
- 2017: Meanwhile in a Parallel Universe
- 2017: The Toilet Line
- 2018: It Is Not The Pornographer Who Is Perverse
- 2019: Bride Gang
- 2019: Gang Car Gang
- 2019: Ask Me Bang
- 2020: Labyrinth Gang
- 2020: Kill Gang
- 2020: Hey Siro
- 2020: Hirsute
- 2021: Even Closer / Hautnah
- 2021: Ask Me Bang Delfine
- 2021: Hologang
- 2021: Triptychon
- 2021: Bang Click Bang
- 2022: FFMM Royale
Paulita Pappel’s body of work is a tribute to diversity and to respect for individual desires. Alongside pioneers such as Erika Lust, she has established herself as an essential voice in the new wave of feminist porn.
FAQ
Which websites did Paulita Pappel create?
She founded Lustery in 2016 (a platform of real couples filming themselves) and Hardwerk in 2020 (a studio and platform that rethinks the gangbang through the lens of female pleasure). She also programmes the Pornfilmfestival Berlin.
Did Paulita Pappel found Ersties?
No. Ersties was founded by a team of women in the early 2010s. Paulita Pappel directed films there in the mid-2010s and co-hosts the in-house podcast, but she is not its founder. Her own platforms are Lustery and Hardwerk.
Where can you watch Paulita Pappel’s films?
You can find her as an actress in Erika Lust’s XConfessions series (volumes 3, 6 and 12), and as a director on Hardwerk and Lustery, the two platforms she founded.
