Last weekend saw the return of the ETO Show – an event run by the UK sex industry’s ETO Magazine, where sex toy inventors, lube wizards and other adult industry folks gathered to show off their wares.
There were plenty of fascinating things to see and do, and the Hot Octopuss team spent a happy time there oohing and aahing over everything on offer and posting pics on Twitter. One item in particular caught the attention of our Twitter followers: the Cock Cam, aimed at helping you make unique DIY porn.
The Cock Cam is a silicone cock ring designed to be worn at the base of the penis, with a camera embedded in it so you can record sexy video from your dick’s point of view. Naturally, as we sell a number of awesome penis-focused sex toys (check out the ATOM PLUS, PULSE SOLO ESSENTIAL or JETT!) we were especially intrigued by the idea of a cock ring that had a camera embedded inside the silicone. Does this feel a little too intimate for people to get on board with, or is it the natural extension of the sexy selfie?
Sexy selfies: on the rise
Back in 2014, McAfee reported that roughly half of adults with smartphones had sent saucy pics to one another. Five years on, that number is certainly a lot higher. In fact, towards the end of last year, GQ’s reader survey showed that 40 per cent of people between the ages of 16-24 thought that sending nudes was ‘the new normal’. Eek! While we wouldn’t want to tell any adult not to send nudes if that’s what turns them on, the idea that something is seen as standard or compulsory – especially if that thing involves private photos which could be shared or hacked – feels a little alarming.
But advances in technology mean that this new avenue – taking and sharing sexy photos or videos – is open to many more people now. Back in the day, you used to have to invest in a Polaroid camera if you wanted to document your shagging, but nowadays most people carry a portable camera with them all the time, with no need to take the pics down to Boots and have an awkward conversation with the processing staff.
The pros of DIY porn
DIY porn opens up a whole range of options – many of which can be incredibly empowering. For example, Pandora Blake – a porn performer and activist – often runs workshops for people on how to make their own porn, explaining that DIY porn offers a great creative outlet for self-expression, and can improve communication within a sexual relationship.
Then there are the other benefits: for those in a long-distance relationship, sharing sexy selfies or having live webcam sessions can help you embrace intimacy with each other even if it’s not possible to be in the same room. And for those with voyeur or exhibitionist kinks, these new technologies open up avenues for exploring those kinks in ways that are safer than indulging them in the offline world.
Perhaps because of this, reactions to the Cock Cam on our Twitter were predominantly positive, with lots of people replying to say they’d definitely give technology like this a try.
DIY porn: the cons
Of course that’s not to say that everyone should rush out and start making their own porn scenes – there are lots of things to consider before you take the plunge into DIY porn yourself.
The first, and most important issue to consider is consent. Not only do you need to establish the consent of the person you’re taking pictures/video with, but you also need to make really sure that both of you understand the long-term implications of what you’re doing. While the UK now has laws against revenge porn – i.e. leaking nudes in order to get revenge on an ex – there is still always the possibility that the video or images you take could be hacked by a third party. Have a proper discussion with your fellow DIY porn star and make sure that you have considered the risks as well as the rewards.
As a general rule of thumb, the more risky the activity you’re going to do, the more aware you need to be of potential consent issues that can arise. Last year the Independent reported that 4 in 10 young women had been pressured into sending nudes, and combined with the stats that many people see it as the ‘new normal’, it’s worth checking in with your partner to make sure that they are genuinely comfortable with whatever you both have planned.
The other key thing to remember is storage. How long are you planning on keeping these pictures/videos for? Some people just want to record themselves for a night, then watch the tape back later that evening: in that case you may want to turn off all internet connectivity on your phone, so you can record and then delete the footage later – never risking it being uploaded to the Cloud where it could potentially get hacked. If you want to store it for longer, you need to consider encryption and other ways to make your files more secure. Mel Magazine has a helpful guide to securely storing your nudes here, as well as the vital reminder that no files are ever truly secure, so if the risk is too great you might want to consider a different option in the first place: sexy line-drawings, anyone?
DIY Porn: have you tried it?
We suspect that readers of this blog would be even more likely than the average person to have had a go at making their own DIY porn: you’re sexually interested, after all, and we’re sure all of you own at least one sex toy that you can show off in your videos! Do you have any tips for people who are thinking of doing it? Would you try a cock ring with a camera on it, or other sex toys with inbuilt video capability? We’d love to know your thoughts, share your confessions in our confessions booth!