Why straight women watch lesbian porn: New study identifies five key factors

A new study published in Sexualities explores why many straight women prefer watching lesbian pornography over heterosexual content. The findings suggest that this preference is shaped by a desire for authentic depictions of pleasure, a lack of degradation, and a more relatable sexual experience. Rather than reflecting a shift in sexual identity, the study argues that straight women are drawn to lesbian porn as a way to explore desire on their own terms.

Over the past decade, data from major pornographic websites has shown a steady increase in female viewership. Statistics from Pornhub indicate that nearly one-third of its users are women, yet academic research on female porn consumption remains limited. While studies have explored women’s engagement with pornography in general, little attention has been given to the specific phenomenon of straight women choosing to watch lesbian content.

Mainstream heterosexual pornography often reinforces traditional gender roles, portraying women as objects of male pleasure while neglecting their own satisfaction. Many women report finding this content unrelatable, inauthentic, or even degrading. Meanwhile, lesbian pornography—despite often being produced for a male audience—seems to offer an alternative that better aligns with women’s preferences.

“I came across data from Pornhub Insights that surprised me: I hadn’t expected so many women to be watching pornography on a mainstream site, and I was also surprised by the Lesbian category’s popularity among women – as the common perception is that mainstream lesbian content is produced for men and primarily watched by them,” said study author Rotem Avgar, a PhD student at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

“Also, the numbers were so high that it seemed unlikely all the viewers were lesbian or bisexual – an understanding further reinforced by writings from straight-identifying women who described a preference for lesbian pornography. This led me to look into the encounter between women’s expectations of the category and the pornographic content itself in an attempt to understand what the viewing experience offers them.”

To investigate this phenomenon, the researcher combined multiple sources of data. She analyzed statistics from pornographic websites, drawing from Pornhub’s annual reports on search trends and category preferences. Avgar also examined fifteen online articles featuring firsthand accounts from straight women who watch lesbian pornography. These articles, published between 2014 and 2021, included interviews with women explaining their viewing habits and motivations.

Additionally, the researcher conducted a content analysis of ten popular videos from Pornhub’s Lesbian category. The selected videos were chosen based on their high view counts, ensuring they represented the mainstream offerings within the category. The analysis focused on whether these videos aligned with the key themes identified in the personal testimonies.

Avgar identified five primary reasons why straight women prefer lesbian pornography.

First, the most consistent factor was a focus on women’s pleasure. Many straight women expressed frustration with heterosexual pornography, which often depicts female pleasure as secondary to male satisfaction. Lesbian pornography, by contrast, frequently includes extended foreplay, oral sex, and visible female orgasms. In the videos analyzed, nearly all participants engaged in both giving and receiving pleasure, and every video featured at least one female orgasm.

The second theme was relatability. Women reported that lesbian porn felt more realistic than mainstream heterosexual content. While performers in heterosexual porn often conform to exaggerated beauty standards, lesbian porn was perceived as featuring a slightly broader range of body types and more natural physical appearances. Although the videos analyzed still largely adhered to conventional attractiveness, the study found fewer instances of extreme body modifications such as surgically enhanced breasts or heavy makeup.

The third factor was the absence of degradation. Many straight women actively avoided heterosexual pornography because they found it violent, aggressive, or humiliating toward female performers. While lesbian pornography sometimes includes dominance or rough play, women described it as generally more equal and consensual. In the analyzed videos, acts like spanking or choking were present but framed within a context of mutual enjoyment, often accompanied by affectionate interactions. Unlike much of heterosexual porn, which frequently emphasizes power imbalances, the lesbian videos lacked overt displays of coercion or degradation.

The fourth theme was authenticity. Straight women who preferred lesbian porn often cited the belief that it featured more realistic depictions of sexual pleasure. Performers were perceived as genuinely enjoying themselves, with orgasms occurring at natural intervals rather than exaggerated theatrical displays. The study found that in the videos analyzed, orgasms followed extended clitoral stimulation and other foreplay techniques that women considered more believable.

Finally, fantasy and exploration played a role in shaping women’s preferences. Many women reported that watching lesbian pornography allowed them to imagine new possibilities without necessarily identifying as bisexual or lesbian. The study suggests that this aligns with broader theories of sexual fluidity, which propose that women’s sexuality is often more adaptable than men’s. For some viewers, lesbian pornography provided a safe space to explore curiosity without the pressures or implications of real-life experimentation.

“I see the reasons women gave for preferring lesbian pornography as sort of a set of criteria for creating a sexual space that enables and encourages their sexual subjectivity,” Avgar told PsyPost. “This subjectivity integrates curiosity, exploration, fantasy, and pleasure while leaving out degradation and exclusion. Ultimately, these insights point to a vision of a different kind of sexual space – one that better reflects what many women (and perhaps also men) seek.”

“More than anything, analyzing the films through the criteria articulated by the writers and interviewees led me to find something in mainstream lesbian pornography that I hadn’t expected – as a lesbian woman and a feminist researcher. Although this content is largely mainstream and undeniably shaped by a male-oriented industry, viewing it through their lens revealed certain alternative elements. This offered an interesting way to examine women’s position within a sexual space that is predominantly androcentric.”

The study highlights the complexities of female porn consumption and challenges rigid assumptions about sexual orientation and desire. But like all research, there are limitations. The analysis relied on publicly available articles rather than direct interviews, meaning that the researcher could not clarify ambiguities or probe deeper into participants’ experiences. Additionally, the video sample, though reflective of mainstream lesbian pornography, may not fully capture the diversity of content available.

“I believe the methodology allowed for an important and relevant discussion, but it is, of course, partial and limited,” Avgar noted. “Since my study was based on an analysis of published articles, there was no opportunity for follow-up questions or clarifications. Additionally, while the study presents a necessary degree of optimism, this could obscure the significant obstacles women face in accessing positive sexual experiences.”

“This is evident in the strategies they develop to navigate a space not designed for them – choosing content ostensibly ‘for men’ that portrays sexual practices not aligned with their own, yet using it to explore, arouse, and experience pleasure. In my view, their ability to carve out these experiences speaks to both their agency and the structural constraints they must work around.”

“I see lesbian pornography as a fascinating reflection of the complex position women occupy in sexual spaces,” Avgar added. “It is no coincidence that there are two distinct categories labeled “lesbian pornography” – one mainstream and one alternative – and it is not incidental that women engage with both. They do so because these representations resonate with their experiences and because they offer something different. In my doctoral research, I am expanding this perspective by interviewing women of different sexual identities who engage with various forms of lesbian pornography. I hope this will be part of a broader project aimed at mapping and analyzing the position of the female sexual subject today.”

The study, “‘Boys just ruin it’: Exploring the popularity of lesbian pornography among straight women,” was published October 17, 2024.