Getting any lately?
Female traffic is a potentially vast market for the adult Internet - yet few e-sex sites get many, or any, of the millions of women online. This article takes a look at why, and how adult Webmasters can attract female traffic.
I) That Other Digital Divide
Sexually Separate and Unequal
According to Nielsen Net Ratings, 300 million people worldwide - almost half American - have surfed the World Wide Web. This has caused the "digital divide" of high-tech haves online, and non- or low-tech have-nots without Internet access, the industrialized world's poor, and most Third Worlders - including two billion who've never used phones, let alone computers.
When it comes to the adult Internet in developed nations, the digital divide has a strong gender gap. The overwhelming majority of X-rated Websites target men, who - not coincidentally - also own most of the means of e-porn production.
From an economic perspective, it's understandable that adult Webmasters aim their products and services at North America, Europe, and other wired regions, as opposed to developing nations. Unlike the rich vs. poor divide, digital separation by sex has a curious twist when it comes to online erotica, where the majority of computer and Net users are underserved by most adult Webmasters.
As competition heats up on an adult Internet nearing saturation, most Webmasters fail to tap into a demographic so vast it's probably inaccurate to refer to it as a "niche" market. Females comprise over half the population, and more of America's computer and Web users, yet little online adult entertainment is tailored to them. Fifty percent of America's sexual beings - a potentially vast market of 72 million-plus surfers - are woefully neglected by cybersex.
Yet, despite impressive stats regarding women, computers, and the Internet (see below), women don't account for anywhere near 50 percent of cybersex surfers. Flying Crocodile (www.sextracker.com) Brand Manager Jane Duvall says as of 1999, only about three percent of adult Net users were female. SexTracker CEO Andrew Edmond says they're now up to 14 percent of e-porn traffic. Whether women comprise three percent or 14 percent of adult surfers, cyberporn still fails to translate the huge online gender demographic into female traffic.
Key questions for adult Webmasters are: Why are the majority of Internet surfers yielding a small minority of adult users? Why has the number of female visitors to e-porn sites not substantially risen? What are salacious sites doing that fails to attract, and even distresses, damsels? What in the masculine-feminine equation decreases female surfing to free - and especially pay - sites? What can online erotica do to overcome these obstacles and appeal to women?
Masculine Misconceptions and Webmaster Myopia
Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, pondered what women wanted, and macho star Mel Gibson asked the same question in the title of his recent comedy. By realizing what women really do and don't want from the adult Internet, adult Webmasters can learn how not to turn off a huge traffic pool and how to turn it on. Start with scuttling sexist stereotypes.
"Somebody running toy stores has hardcore and softcore sites," relates Duvall. "For hardcore, he listed sex toys, and for softcore, lingerie. I told him, 'women use sex toys, too. We like them.' There's a perception women only want softcore, or fine art nudes. That's just not the case. At the BDSM pay sites I heard stats from, half the customers are women," she reveals.
Many sites target the much-ballyhooed 18-24-year-old single male demographic. Yet this group is a minority of those who log on to e-porn. According to adult industry analyzer SexTracker, the highly coveted 18-24 year old demographic is only a fifth of traffic, while 30-40 year olds make up more than 26 percent of users and 40-and-over surfers make up more than 40 percent of e-sex visitors.
II) A Vast Yet Neglected "Niche" Market
Female Traffic
The January 1994 issue of American Demographics reported more women use computers than men. According to Janelle Brown's Aug. 25, 2000 Salon.com story: "Now women make up 50.4 percent of the Web's population, according to a joint report released earlier this month by Jupiter Communications and Media Metrix. Great news for women - no, Barbie, math isn't hard and computers aren't just for boys."
Duvall believes as much as 53 percent of cyberspace's population is female. According to ACLU Pres. Nadine Strossen, 80 percent of college co-eds have used adult material, and women spend $8 billion yearly on porn (25 percent of the annual total).
Duvall is Webmistress of Jane's 'Net Sex Guide (www.janesguide.com), a free site reviewing adult sites and providing consumer tips and information since 1997. Citing Nielsen Net Ratings used by Flying Crocodile-owned SexTracker, Duvall discloses a higher percentage of women surf e-porn at work than at home. "That's skewed, because in our overall market, 60 percent surf from home, 40 percent from work," she points out. "But the female demographic within that accounts for more of those surfing from work. Seventeen percent of the traffic from home is women, 34 percent of the traffic from work is women. They're also surfing twice as many page views from work, as from home," reveals Duvall. She also notes women are more likely to give feedback at sites.
In terms of age and other demographics, 30-year-old Webmistress Heather Corinna, who conducts surveys at her leading female-oriented sites, says most women cruising the female-oriented www.scarletletters.com and www.femmerotic.com are approximately 25-45 years of age. "Most are university educated, or in college. Lots are urban, who've seen some porn before," says Corinna.
E-Shop Till She Drops
Women are half the customers at L.A.'s upscale Hustler Hollywood boutique, which sells computer-friendly and other sex products, asserts Theresa Flynt-Gaerke, Hustler Entertainment Inc.'s Vice Pres. of Retail Operations.
"That figure blew me away," exclaims Larry Flynt. "When I started Hustler Magazine 26 years ago, only three percent of our readership was women. We had extensive demographic studies done. Then in the early 1990s, it was right over 25 percent," says the publisher.
Porn star Brittany Andrews (www.brittanyandrews.com) claims, "The average man spends $50 per online purchase, whereas the average female on the Internet spends $200 per purchase. And off- and online, women are 40 percent of adult buyers. Bitches like to shop!" the Webmistress laughs. Andrews puts a button to her e-shopping center on each page of the "Super Slut" section of her site.
"Fifty percent of buyers at my sex toy sites are women," states Convergence Inc. Pres. David Levine (www.sextoy.com). "Thirty-five percent of my products are exclusively for women, though gay men also use vibrators and dongs. It's about three percent more if you factor in lingerie and latex-wear. Twelve percent of my products are exclusively for men. Remaining products, such as lotions and videos, are for either gender," Levine says.
Grrrl e-purchasers are prominent vis-�-vis Sextoy.com's bestsellers. "'Pussy Pleasers' - $16 clit pumps, which vibrate and suck and can only be used by women - is our number one seller, volume-wise," Levine reveals. "Strap-on Harnesses for Women Only is number two, and is big dollar volume-wise. The Ultra-Harness 2000 costs $89," states Levine.
The New Economy acolyte stresses, "Going out in public to the old bricks and mortars sex stores - they and the products sold there were tailored to men. The old economy discouraged women from purchasing sex products, although demand has always been there. The new school, selling online, enhances privacy and anonymity," asserts the e-porn pioneer.
Levine notes that female entrepreneurs play a significant role in adult Internet entertainment, which empowers some women with financial and creative control. Feminist Susan Faludi writes in Stiffed that, regarding talent, porn is the only industry where women get paid more than men for equal work.
"Swedish Erotica, one of the largest and arguably best manufacturers of sex products, is owned by a woman, as is the distributor Honey's Place," says Levine. "And since recently starting my wholesale club, SextoyClub.com, I can't tell you how many women run these small businesses from home. About 30 percent of my affiliates are women. I think there's more women trying to make money in adult than any other business," Levine contends.
"Women are brand surfers in real life, and also online," states Oceania, who e-tails erotica CDs and more. At her www.peacockblue.com free site, Oceania sells "Sensual Words," custom-written and/or spoken erotica based on fantasies surfers - 30 percent female - ask Oceania to fashion stories out of.
III) What Women Don't Want Online
What Turns Women Off?
Some Webmistresses rail against what they perceive as a virtual online adult apartheid favoring men. "I feel very insulted that women just don't exist," grouses Andrews. "You go to an adult store, and there's a whole wall of magazines for straight men, and a whole wall of magazines for gay men, and then women have got like two mags. You go online, there's thousands of Websites for straight and gay men, and three for women. It's really hard to find product of naked men on the Web presented for women to be sexually turned on," Andrews complains.
"Less than one percent of adult sites are for women," laments Webmistress Oceania (www.venetiandreams.com). "The typical porn scenario is built on 18-to-25 year-old males with raging hormones and credit cards. They just want as much visual stimulation as fast as they can possibly get it," Oceania says.
Levine adds, "Even industry conventions and parties are tailored all to straight men. It bores straight women."
"If you have something with very sensationalistic icky language, that's a turn-off," Duvall complains. "But it doesn't mean we don't want the product or service - it's how it's packaged. We link all kinds of stuff - hardcore, SM, etcetera. Our reviews are very matter-of-fact, we don't use words like: 'watch this slut getting raped,'" Duvall says.
"Objectification" is among the biggest problems. "Lots of mainstream male porn sites, the language is really misogynistic, such as: 'you want to fuck this pussy,'" Corinna kvetches. "Not a person - genitals. There isn't correlative language for men. Aside from being insulting, it's a real turn off. Lots of mainstream porn sites just look like they're pimping their women as objects, meat to be sold, not as people actually actively participating in what's going on. It's very exclusionary, clearly created with a sole audience member in mind - a male. It says: 'this if for you, not for her,'" decries Corinna.
The 30-year-old Webmistress adds, "If I were to log on to a site, and first thing I see is a penis, I'm closing that page really fast. Because women my age have seen lots of penises before, and it's boring. And I don't want to see the penis of somebody I don't know. I'm not talking about personally; I mean: what's the context? What's that person doing? What's their name? What's their face look like? Like language, the order something is presented in is also a really big deal. It depends on how it's presented," insists Corinna.
She does not find most mainstream porn appealing. "The people in those movies are not attractive - their dialogue, behavior, the lip gloss and silicone, it's not real. The more homogenized people look, the less real it is."
"If there's a picture of a woman with spread legs, women don't want that vacant look in her eyes," Oceania states. "They want her to look more real than a Barbie doll. Women want justification for masturbating in front of her. Women want purpose, storyline, character development, production values. They don't just want to see fucking - they want to know why that woman's there, and for it to be believable. And when she's moaning, they don't want it to be fake, and for a reason. They want her to be attached to the act she's doing, and for it to be real. For the most part, women are offended by gratuitous sex."
E-Male
"Ninety-five percent of naked men online are for gay males," Andrews claims. "And it gets really annoying. I don't like to mix the gay male niche with the female niche, because they're two different kinds of animals. We don't want what they want. The majority of the way men are presented to homosexuals is not the way women want to see men presented," Andrews complains.
While the Web bursts with sites featuring female porn stars and models, girls performing live chats, as well as wired dorm-like settings streaming video of co-eds, there's few correlative sites where women can log on to straight male performers, chatters, or dormsters. Uber-lister Duvall knew of only one site featuring a straight male centerfold - Playgirl's Eddie Leone - who's solo in the video clips.
Corinna, who says she's bisexual, believes most girl-on-girl sex is aimed at straight males. However, same sex situations with men are not necessarily popular with women. "Most sites with live streaming men are marketed as gay," Duvall notes. "It's very hard to find live streaming men or even explicit Webcams that are actually men marketed as heterosexual or being for women. It's just not a market that's there. Women write me at Janesguide.com and tell me they'll log on to the gay male sites. It's still not their ideal, because you're trying to have a fantasy about some great looking guy on the screen, and all the text around him is screaming he's gay. It's hard to continue the fantasy that way. Most women end up looking for sites that aren't that specific or don't blare it on every page, but they definitely still look," she says.
Duvall also hypothesizes, "The mainstream porn market sites trying to be for women mostly gets the same market Playgirl gets - gay men."
IV) What Women Want Online
What Turns Women On?
Webmasters are unlikely to be able to generate female traffic if they don't understand feminine perceptions of pornography, and how it differs from masculine preoccupations. Corinna maintains men are old hands at pornography, a socially ingrained aspect of male sexuality for centuries, while women are porn newcomers.
"Generally, men view porn like they're looking at it from the other side of a keyhole, outside looking in," Corinna explains. "Whereas women look at it as if it were a mirror, or like they're in the scene. If a heterosexual woman looks at a female who's very sexually excited and attractive, that could turn her on, because she's putting herself into the picture. Rather than seeing her as somebody you want to have, this is somebody you want to be, a feeling she wants to feel. Identification," says Corinna.
"Janesguide.com avoids using objectifying language," says Duvall. "Text links that use the most shocking words don't appeal to women. They're more interactive; women look for something to relate to on a personal level. You see that in what they like: women want more than pictures. They like text, articles, community; discussion boards are a big thing," says the Webmistress.
"Women like to put themselves into the fantasy," Duvall stresses. "Which is why you see an SM or amateur site doing better demographically with women than a big porn star site. Because they're hard to relate to; you can't put yourself into that picture, as being the model with 40 triple Ds. You can put yourself into the fantasy of being the relatively average, normal woman."
In the movie Quills, Kate Winslet's virginal character revels in Marquis De Sade's tales of debauchery because she imagines herself to be in his fiction. "BDSM is a really big category for lots of women," Duvall asserts. "If it's a fantasy that's not readily available in real life, then you'll pay for the materials to fantasize about being a submissive."
Oceania believes some women fantasize about SM to feel a sense of power.
"More women look for something in their fantasies that's a core direct reflection of their reality, while many men seek the unattainable," Corinna claims. "Lots of men are comfortable just jumping into the sex act, whereas lots of women first want some kissing, hugging, and conversation, and see what's up with their partner. What's archetypically feminine has lots to do with inclusiveness, embracing everything. That's more the approach that's definitely worked for Scarletletters.com; we've got a really large female audience at all our sites, larger than any other site that does this. About 75 percent of our traffic is female."
According to porn star Alexandra Silk (www.alexandrasilk.com), "Playfulness is definitely the key thing women look for. Interaction with people."
Corinna asks, "Are there photos or stories with people I find attractive? Or things I want to see? It has less to do with what the content is, than how the content is presented."
Flynt understands presentation's importance. "When I decided to open Hustler Hollywood, I wanted to create an atmosphere where both men and women feel comfortable," he explains. "That's the thing to getting people in - you make them feel they're in a Neiman-Marcus or Barnes and Noble. All of a sudden, it's not dirty any more."
Porn Vs. Erotica
What's the difference between pornography and erotica? Often, the two words are used interchangeably. Perhaps, to paraphrase U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter's definition of obscenity, you know it when you see it.
"It's all a matter of taste," Duvall postulates. "One person's porn is another's erotica. I define it for myself as: all erotica is porn, but not all porn is erotica. If erotica is not porn, they're not doing it right: it's gotta get you off. I don't use the word 'porn' as a pejorative; I think porn's gotten a bad rap. I think Nerve. com tries very hard to distinguish itself from, and to stay away from, anyone calling them 'porn,' and I think they over-intellectualize and lose something. People can be so afraid of that word that it sometimes stifles expression. A lot of the distinction between pornography and erotica has to do with emotion, and feeling, and storytelling within the image or story, as opposed to leave nothing to the imagination money shots," asserts Duvall.
Oceania's sites, such as www.radioactivesex.com, feature spoken and written erotica - poems, plays, stories, cartoons, soap operas. Half their authors are female, like 40 percent of her audience. "Not all adult sites have to be porn, not all sex has to be gratuitous and senseless," Oceania claims. "Women are people, too."
Not all interviewees agree about explicitness and the like. "Most heterosexual women who haven't seen porn before and are inexperienced want to view a little more beefcake, because they haven't seen it yet," Corinna notes.
"Of course, the number one thing BrittanyAndrews.com does for women is give them pictures of men!" declares Andrews. "What do women want? Just like guys, fuck all the other bullshit, women want to see some hot dudes. We have pictures of hard cock, and the main thing is, they won't be pix from the point of view of gay males. No pix here of a man with his ass up in the air and a dick in his butt! It doesn't do anything for us. So this is where women can go and see pictures presented to them in a way made for their sexuality and to turn them on, " Andrews boasts.
For Femme Eyes Mainly
All adult sites don't ignore the "Second Sex." "Since I'm female, I have this deep passion inside me to help my sisters out!" yuks Andrews. "If women were more sexual, I'd like them better. I have a section on BrittanyAndrews.com called 'The Super Slut Girls.' The name came from the fact there's really no positive English word for female sexuality. So I did what gays did, embracing a denigrated word like 'queer.' I love the word 'slut,' so I picked out different Slut Girls. The concept is to do monthly features on different erotic toys and clothing; the 'Bachelor of the Month;' and 'Girls, Girls, Girls,' with different articles about female sexuality. Recommendations for the best videos for women to rent. What's wrong with their sex drive. Statistics regarding women and sex on the Internet," utters the Webmistress.
The "Who? What? Huh?" section of BrittanyAndrews.com includes serious sex studies. "I'm working with sexologists and colleges, putting questionnaires and surveys online, to study sexuality, and get better statistics and polls," Andrews says.
Oceania has Webmasters content at her www.venetiandreams.com site featuring artsy photos and a storyline, called "Glorifying the Woman." Her www.soulgasm.com site lists and reviews sites she recommends, such as bisexual-friendly www.mindcaviar.com, the www.eyecandy.com photo site, and www.basiltoons.com erotic comics.
"Janesguide.com has a category for male pictures not specifically marketed as gay," says Duvall. "It's not a very long page, listing sites for couples, swingers, and more. Amateur sites are more likely to be hardcore. Much is masturbation shots. JanesGuide has often been called 'women-friendly,' but I haven't really tried to specifically gear it towards women, as much as just gearing it towards people. It is a friendly site, and comes across as female-friendly because it's not misogynistic. I get lots of demographic of me - women my own age, 31. About 30 percent of our readers are women," Duvall relates.
The Webmistress goes on to say that despite the relatively low number of women cruising cyberporn, certain sites yield significant female demographics. "Scarletletters.com has 65 percent-plus women. Nerve.com - a literate free smut site with intelligent erotica, featuring high profile photographers and writers, such as Norman Mailer and Susie Bright - finds that in its younger demographic, they have a higher percentage of females," says Duvall.
"I started Scarlet Letters in early 1997, because then, stuff on the Net was pretty new, and there wasn't anything for women on there," says Corinna. "Every week we have fiction, poetry, columnists, features, reviews of non-adult indie films and videos and sex toys, and a gallery for a different artist. Femmerotic.com is a portal of sites we feel, as a group, are approachable if you're female. They're not necessarily geared for women, but are friendly to them," Corinna says.
Dudedorm.com is a sibling to Entertainment Network's Voyeurdorm.com, featuring Floridian co-eds inhabiting a 24/7 wired residence. "Dudedorm began January 2000, and has three gay, bi, and straight guys living fulltime in a town house," says EN President & CEO David Marshlack. "They're living normal lives, are required to chat, and people can watch them 24 hours a day. We've lots of female clientele for this site, women can see good looking guys, chat with and get to know them," Marshlack says.
The Web also has sites women can cruise that are educational, as opposed to licentious, in tone and content. "Sexuality.org is a big how-to free site and repository of sex information," Duvall says. Corinna studied human sexuality in college, and turned to the Web as an outlet for her freelance writing. Scarleteen.com is a free site with anatomical, safer sex, relationship, and other information geared for youth. "Up to 80 percent of visitors are female. It's not titillating, there's no nudity, but it's not clinical - the educational text is conversational," Corinna states.
Sappho Sites
According to Corinna, her sites have diversity, including BDSM, bisexuality, and transgenderism. But she says, "If I look at a photo of two 'lesbians,' and they're very clearly looking at the camera, it doesn't do anything for me, because I know I'm not there. It breaks the fantasy - I can't go there," gripes the bi Webmistress.
"Let's be honest about it," Duvall proclaims. "Most sites with girl-on-girl pictures are really taken for men. Most of what's out features two women in some highly uncomfortable position you'd never see in real life. There's exceptions to that - some of which are listed at Janesguide.com - but they're few and far between, such as www.onourbacksmag.com." A recent issue of OnOurBacksMag.com featured a Nina Hartley-authored advice column; fiction; confession; and a how-to page highlighting strap-ons. Another site aimed at actual lesbian and bisexual women is www.lesbianation.com.
Couples
Webmasters should know the intent of porn use may be different for the sexes. "Whereas lots of men use pornography for masturbatory materials, lots of women tend to use it as a springboard for something they're gonna do with their partner," says Corinna. "They'll use it to get ideas - for toys, positions, garb - something they'll try later. Couple viewing's becoming more common than it was online, especially as women increasingly look at porn unabashedly, as men historically have," Corinna states.
Alexandra Silk plays Bailiff Silk on Playboy TV's Sex Court, and claims to have 800,000 unique visitors weekly at her site. "Lots of couples use the Net," Silk says. "Husbands or boyfriends see me and say to their women, 'hey, look at her.' The work I do seems to be couples-friendly. It has a sex educational benefit, teaching how to share an experience they're maybe afraid to try. Because I seem like a very average or normal lady, it might encourage them to do so," speculates Silk.
Porn Free
Taboos against sex and porn keep many women from surfing cybersmut. But a bigger issue is: will women pay for e-sex? "It's often far easier for women to get actual sex, than it is for lots of men," Corinna avers. "Our surveys reveal most women wouldn't pay for e-porn sites. It's an issue of pragmatism - they don't have to pay for sex. And there's still lots of women globally without disposable incomes. Many are still on their spouse's bank accounts, and feel uncomfortable explaining they've just subscribed to an e-porn site," Corinna elucidates.
"Women as a niche is a tough market to make money from in the business models they're used to," explains Duvall. "You see very few women actually signing up for pay sites. I don't think women are as likely to pay for the material, and that's just a cultural thing. Because, frankly, women are brought up with the attitude they should get it for free. Every man wants to - it's the power thing. It sounds terrible and very sexist, but it's a deeply ingrained cultural message," Duvall says.
But propositioning strangers, casual sex, etc., is risky business with possible consequences - abuse, STDs, etc. It's not just coincidental that cybersex emerged in the AIDs era: e-porn is the ultimate safe sex. It avoids emotional entanglements, violence, diseases, jealous boyfriends. Oceania notes, "Women want to be stimulated, and they want to be safe."
V) E-Quality
Tomorrowland
Ecclesiastes declares there's nothing new under the sun. Sharon Mitchell, founder of the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, is a veteran in the adult community. Mitchell says she's seen the same adult entertainment issues regarding women as different forms of mass media evolved - movies, videos, CD-ROMs, cybersmut, etc.
Duvall observes, "Women are into viewing and reading anything under the sun, just like men are."
Duvall prognosticates, "If you look at each demographic group of adult Web users by themselves, in the early 20-somethings, women are a much greater percentage of the overall porn surfers. Then if you look at 50-somethings, they're almost none. That's entirely a generational thing. Whereas my generation and younger has grown up with it being okay to say you're a sexually active, interested in sex, interested in erotica person. It's a lot more acceptable, and becoming more all the time. As the stigma wears off, as more young people go online, you'll see that percentage rise," Duvall points out.
Duvall suggests solutions for Webmasters seeking female traffic. "Webmasters who want the female market have to look at an entirely different business model than the standard one. I think anyone is going to have a hard time making it as a pay site. They need to look at if the sites are going to be advertising driven, and offer them free sites? Because that's a valid business model for this. Women are 50 percent of the market for sex toys. They buy products, more than men do," advises Duvall.
But she warns, "It's gonna be a hard road to hoe, regardless. It's gonna take a lot longer to build, and be a lot more content driven than the standard is. It's about a lot more than licensing some pictures and throwing them up there. It's about how-to, fiction, discussion, some sense of community, and things women can relate to and put themselves into the picture to fantasize about. That's more difficult," Duvall explains.
When it comes to female traffic, Webmasters need to realize that to attract a potentially far larger and more lucrative market than traditional niche sites, they need to think outside of the box, act entrepreneurially, and take the initiative. Build it, and they will come. To paraphrase the Kinks, "Give the women what they want."
