You're Having Better Sex Than Porn Stars

No aspect of pornography is scrutinized more heavily than an actress’s performance. But their exaggerated moans of pleasure are faker than even their most critical fans realize. As some of porn's most prolific performers have noted, on-screen sex is very much an act. Some have claimed to focus solely on the money they’re earning, while their male co-stars mindlessly thrust away at their orifices. You can only imagine, then, what’s going through the average starlet’s head as she waits for an actor to ejaculate onto her, breathily encouraging him to finish his job. Your real-life partners may occasionally exaggerate their own performances, but not on the level of those who are paid to do the deed on screen.

Porno shoots stop for a range of reasons: condom breakage, desperate requests for lube, hair and makeup emergencies (actor Peter North is notoriously protective of his coif), bodily functions gone awry as a result of relentless probing. But no on-set issue could possibly be more banal than a lighting adjustment. Imagine you were at home — or anywhere, really — enjoying an encounter with your wife or girlfriend when a director declares that your room is too dark. A technician would then materialize to adjust the lighting while you sat down, gripping your penis to ensure your erection doesn’t fade, and waited for the sex to resume. Such is a normal day on the set of a porno movie.

Generally speaking, sex for every man, whether porn star or civilian (as the industry calls the layman), concludes on a similar note: with ejaculation. Under normal circumstances, however, your orgasm occurs in the presence of you and your partner, without a group of coworkers seated behind your bed, waiting impatiently for the magic moment to happen. By contrast, porn actors are under enormous pressure to ejaculate. And even after hours of shooting, actually doing so may still prove a challenge. So when it’s time to wrap up the scene and capture the glorious shot everyone’s been waiting for, they often wind up furiously stroking themselves for 10 minutes or more while their co-stars feign interest in the outcome and crew members mumble about how long they're taking to handle their business. Because that’s really all it is.

The average porn scene might last 20 minutes. In that time, the performers make their way through a circuitous succession of great-looking positions. It’s fluid, if mechanical, with the actors standing up and repositioning themselves every few minutes. In reality, though, the director is taking them aside between shots, coaching them on what to do — thrust harder, cup her right breast, grip her right leg. During these instructional moments -- the porno equivalent of a mid-assignment update from your boss — the actor has to maintain his erection so that he can go right back to work without delaying the shoot. When you’re having sex, you might stop for a breather, but no one will appear to appraise your performance and offer directives while you regain your composure.

For 6 more reasons, head to AskMen: You're Having Great Sex

—Lucas Wisenthal

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• Sex Lessons From Your 20s
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