Since the pandemic started, you might have experienced skin hunger — prolonged lack of physical touch that leads to irritability, sluggishness, sadness and sleep deprivation. If you’re living with a partner, children, family and/or roommates, your time alone might take a backseat to the emotional work of navigating new relationship dynamics.
One way to chase away your pandemic winter blues: elevate your masturbation routine by making your own porn. Skin hunger is no match for the cortisol-banishing powers of masturbation. This is a perfect opportunity to take a break from dicey arguments with loved ones, Zoom fatigue, and mind-numbing loneliness.
Aside from skin hunger, masturbating in front of the camera can cure two common arousal killers: dysmorphia and dysphoria. Body dysmorphia is an obsessive mindset over your body’s “flaws,” which is so overwhelming that you’re unable to see your body for what it actually looks like.
Dysphoria is a feeling of helplessness, guilt and shame about the body. Trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary folx may specifically experience gender dysphoria, the feeling of dissonance between one’s gender identity and their physical body. Masturbating in front of a camera can improve body dysmorphia and dysphoria, which can lead to more self-confidence.
You can stash your homemade video in your own digital library as a celebratory reminder to practice self-love. If you feel comfortable, you can send it to your partner(s) to show them how you like to receive pleasure. When you’re feeling dysmorphic or dysphoric, whip out that self-tape to remind yourself of how beautiful you are.
Approach these eight steps to making your own porn with gratitude for your body for being exactly who they are.
Clean Your Space
Ever been in a middle of having really hot sex only to be distracted by a pile of smelly laundry in the corner? Sometimes, a cluttered space can totally kill the mood. Take a second to look at the backgrounds of the porn you like to watch. Usually, they keep the space minimal so that you can focus on the actors.The right lighting can elevate your session. Think about the time of day you’ll be masturbating on camera.Imagine looking up at the camera after a sweaty ride with your favorite sex toy and looking onto Ryan Gosling’s ultra sleek apartment in Crazy, Stupid Love — or at least, as close as you can get to that ideal in your own space. Ah, what a relief. Throw in a few extra touches like candles, flowers, twinkle lights, salt lamps and essential oils to set the mood.
Prepare Your Sex Toys
Preparation is key. You don’t want to get up in the middle of your video to spend time cleaning a toy. You may start out thinking that you’re not in the mood for an anal plug, but change your mind five minutes into the session. It would be such a buzzkill to have to get up, rummage through your nightstand to find the right toy, and spend some time cleaning it. You might also want to add additional props to your lineup, such as whips, lube, ben wa balls, handcuffs, nipple clamps, and bondage rope. Keep everything where you can see it.Find Your Light
The right lighting can elevate your session completely. Look around your space and think about the time of day you’ll be masturbating on camera. If you’re shooting in the daytime, prop your recording device near a window with the camera facing toward you. If you’re shooting in the dark, play around with your lighting. Keep in mind that overhead lighting can cast shadows on body parts in weird ways. You’ll probably have to add a second lighting source to overhead lighting to get good results. You can also point a desk lamp at your body for a gentle spotlight effect. Pro-tip: This trusty $17 LED desk lamp from Ikea casts a dramatic spotlight while still preserving the effects of candlelight or twinkle lights in the background. A worthy investment.Position Your Camera
It’s best to use a laptop or digital camera to make your video, but a phone camera should work just fine. A digital camera that can be propped on a tripod offers a stable angle that won’t shake while you’re bucking, gyrating, and writhing on your bed. You can achieve the same effects by moving your nightstand or a small table near your bed, stacking books or delivery boxes until you get the right height, and then positioning your laptop on top of that stack. Phone cameras are a bit trickier to finagle into a stable angle, but you should be able to do it with the right support to prop the phone up. A pro-tip for the expert Tik Tok splicers and video editors who want to capture that multiangle feel: If you have an office chair with wheels, stack some books or delivery boxes on top of the office chair, and then position your laptop on top of that stack. You can gently push the chair into different angles around your bed to capture different angles and splice the footage together.Seeing your body in all its glory can lead to surprise, delight, and arousal:. Damn, I look good!You should also consider the mode of storage that feels the safest for this video. A digital camera is less likely to get hacked. Since your phone goes with you almost everywhere you go, the likelihood of misplacing the phone altogether is higher than other devices. Consider looking into apps that encrypt your footage, if you want to make sure your content is completely secure.