S3 Episode 2: Make Love, Make a Difference

Many of us learn at an early age that sex is a dirty word – a subject that belongs in the space behind closed doors – and some would say it’s precisely this attitude that has created our warped relationship with pornography and sex in general. With its distinct absence of consent, candid conversations and good sexual values, it’s little wonder that the divide between porn makes such a minefield of sex education, and yet, it’s still a major source of information for young people. In a world characterised by endless scrutiny and comparisons between bodies, relationships and every other aspect of our lives, body image issues are rife, and the “perfect” footage used in most pornography only exacerbates the problem. The good news is, porn is not the be-all and end-all of sexual attractiveness – at least, not if Cindy Gallop has anything to say about it.  She’s out to change it all – the way we think about porn, learn about sex and make love – in one fell swoop. Best described as the Michael Bay of business who likes to blow sh*t up, Cindy is a diversity consultant, speaker, founder and CEO of the world’s first and only user-generated, human-curated social sex video sharing platform. In Cindy’s own words, Make Love, Not Porn exists to “provide a unique window into the funny, messy, loving, awkward, beautiful sex we have in the real world”, and to give us what we really want: intimacy, human touch, connection, love and relationships that feel good. In this episode of She Burns, Cindy takes a deep dive into the crucial difference between sex and porn, the value of seeing real bodies in the media we watch, the profound impact of social sex videos on survivors of sexual abuse and assault, and more. So what’s this episode really about? The real difference between sex and porn The unexpected pathway to happier, healthier sexual relationships The beauty in celebrating “realness” – both on camera and in conversation How sharing real-world sex can be as transformative for participants as for the rest of the world Why you should listen There’s something very reassuring about being real, even in the most intimate spaces in our lives, and the content created by Cindy Gallop’s “Make Love, Not Porn” is nothing if not real. If you have ever felt self-conscious about your body because of the media LinksMake Love, Not PornSheShattersYou can quote me on that…“You can talk body positivity all you like – you can preach self-love ‘til you’re blue in the face… At the end of the day, nothing makes us feel great about our own bodies like seeing people who are no one’s idea of aspirational body types getting turned on by each other, desiring each other, and having an amazing time in bed.” - Cindy Gallop “I am all about doing good and making money simultaneously, and so my aim with Make Love Not porn is to change the way the world has sex for the better and make a huge amount of money doing it.” - Cindy Gallop “[When women are suffering from burnout], sex and intimacy are the first things to go, and they’re missing intimacy with themselves.” - Hannah Austin Like what you hear? Please leave me a review - these stars won’t burn out!