Bellesa

Porn sites are a dime a dozen. Actually, considering how many there are, they are probably closer to a dime a hundred. Either way, after a while they all sort of start to blend into one another. It becomes hard to discern where Porn Hub ends and You Porn begins; was it xTube where I saw that video or was it xHamster? Who knows! They’re all essentially the same, with a few differing features here and there, some subtly varied emphases or focuses to each one’s brand or aesthetic.

Not only do most porn sites provide basically the same content in basically the same way, but most of them are also predominantly filled with super hardcore shit—DP anal gangbang, Bukkake for an unsuspecting 18+ Japanese schoolgirl, Pussy gaped by monster cock. Holy fucking shit, enough already! I’m not saying I don’t enjoy me a good, hard, rough fucking as much as the next man, but all the fucking time? No way … you gotta mix it up. Where’s the love, for chrissakes?

Women aren’t just meat slabs meant to pleasure our dicks. Don’t let your porn-rotted brain trick you into thinking that they are. They are people who like to be pleasured just as much as we do. Before you freak out and cry social justice warrior on me, don’t worry, Snowflake, I’m not going all feminazi on you. I’m just saying, porn stars are people too. Now, that’s not so radical, is it?

If you agree with me on that simple premise, then I’m sure that, at least every once in a while, you want to see a little bit of mutual passion in your porno. Maybe a little less anal DP or deepthroat to the point of mascara muddled tears and a little more sensual fucking to the point of blissful orgasms and legs shaky with pleasure? Does that sound like something you could get into? Well, if so, I think I have just the site for you.

Celebrate Female Sexuality

Bellesa.co. This site is doing something amazing for both female sexuality and the porn industry. Their name, I can only assume, comes from the Spanish noun, Belleza, which can be defined as the “Quality of a person, animal or thing capable of provoking in those who contemplate or listen to them a sensory, intellectual or spiritual pleasure.” This definition seems to be 100% in line with what Bellesa aims to do with its site, which is more a community of female empowerment than it is merely a porn site.

“At Bellesa,” the site’s mission statement reads, “we believe that sexuality on the internet should depict women as they truly are- as subjects of pleasure, not objects of conquest. Bellesa is a platform on which users can access sexual content that suits their desires, share intimate and erotic stories, and engage in a community of like-minded individuals. Our ambitions reach far beyond providing women with easily accessible and true natured sexual content; we’re aiming to open a dialogue amongst our expressive community members with thought-provoking non-adult content as well. Bellesa grows and changes as its community does- that's where you come in.”

So, as you can see, Bellesa is so much more than a site to stroke your dick or stoke your clit to (I mean, obviously, that is cool too … there is, after all, tons of great porn to choose from), it is also something of a lifestyle brand, a hub of feminine sexual empowerment, an erotic lit exchange, and a strong online community. In addition to female-friendly porn, Bellesa offers a sex toy boutique, and tons of fascinating articles to stimulate your mind as well as your body.

Porn Site, Or Way of Life?

From the very moment you land on Bellesa’s home page, you will immediately notice that it looks nothing like your typical porn site. It is so much better designed than 99% of the porn sites I’ve seen in my day. Up at the top of the site, you’ll find a slim menu bar, with nothing but the Bellesa logo to the left of a search bar. To the right, the site is very conveniently and easily broken down into four main sections: Videos, Erotic Stories, Collective (Bellesa’s own online blog/publication), and Boutique.

Clicking on Collective is almost like clicking into an entirely different (but equally well-designed) website. It looks just as good (if not better) than most online publications I’ve been to that do nothing but publish articles and blog posts.

Collective is broken into a few main sections of its own: sex, relationships, health, and culture. I think this is amazing. First of all, it is incredibly rare for a porn site to offer any sort of superlative services; let alone articles to read that are engaging and well-written; let alone articles to read that are engaging and well-written that aren’t only about sex or the adult entertainment industry. Bellesa might be the first porn site that I’ve reviewed about which I can say, “Hey, I only go there for the articles.”

Don’t worry, though, the porn featured on Bellesa is also incredible. And you don’t have to dig for it at all. If reading isn’t your thing, no worries, the first thing you’ll see when you arrive at Bellesa is a gallery of extra-large, high-resolution thumbnails of featured videos. All of which are of excellent quality and intensely passionate. Many of which actually blur the line between porn and art, either in their skillful cinematic execution, focus on narrative and aesthetic consideration, tender depictions of sex and lovemaking, or any combination therein.

Bellesa, being a website that is geared toward women and female empowerment, also has a boutique of original sex toys which are made, as it says on the site, “By women. For Women.” I must say, although I don’t have any experience using dildos myself, the toys in this boutique look awesome. First of all, they are completely unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. They come in many unique shapes and sizes, all of which are visibly guaranteed to please.

Although they are a bit on the pricier side, one glance is all you need to know that they are quality. And, as the old adage goes, you do often get what you pay for. Hm … I might have to stick around here a little longer; my girlfriend’s birthday is coming up…

As far as the rest of the site is concerned, I really have no complaints. The media player gives you options for playback quality (low to HD) and you can leave comments on videos. That, however, seems to be where the community features end. For a site so steeped in the idea of community and unity, you would think that they would offer a little more in the way of individual users being able to interact and converse, maybe even meet up should they so desire.

On the other hand, though, I can also see why Bellesa would opt out of catering to such features. As soon as word were to get around that there is a website in which thousands of women regularly participate in erotic discussions, dudes would be tripping over their dicks to swarm it, no doubt. Fucking mouth breathers, always ruining things and making the rest of us look bad. Smh.

Oh! I can’t believe I almost forgot about the erotic stories section. Especially since Bellesa’s erotica section is quite possibly the best that I’ve seen anywhere on the web. You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t be if you’re a big amateur erotic lit fan) at how many sites out there that cater specifically to publishing erotic stories do not have a halfway decent platform.

There are so many erotica sites out there that make you sift through sprawling list-style indexes of blue hypertext to find a story you might be interested in. And then, once you do finally pick out one that fits your interests, the story is presented on a page that looks exactly like a fucking .txt file from Microsoft Notepad or some shit.

On Bellesa, though, each story gets an appropriate thumbnail, every story comes with relevant tags (for easy browsing), and the reader page is just as sleek, elegant, and well-designed as the rest of the site. So, for all you aspiring authors out there, here’s a community of like-minded bibliophiles that actually respects their contributors.

All in all, I absolutely fucking love this site. If you like great porn, good reads, and the idea of destigmatizing and empowering female sexuality, then Bellesa is for you. I have to say, after seeing some of the shit that I see in reviewing porn sites day after day, Bellesa is truly refreshing.

It is stuff like this that keeps my faith in the world, however small and weakened it may become, from dying out entirely. Keep fighting the good fight, ladies.