Wickedly Inspirational Women – Anna Richards Founder of Frolic Me Porn for women and couples
As human beings, we have a natural preoccupation with sex. It’s instinctive, innate; it’s how we’re brought into this world, and in turn how we bring others. We often relegate it’s functional role to second place however, as I’m sure many of us will agree that it’s just irresistibly enjoyable. Whether you’re in a steady relationship with your Mr/Mrs Right, or in a heated moment of passion with someone you’ve just found for that night (no judgement here, we’ve all done it…) the general consensus is, most of us are, more often than not, fucking for fun, not function.
In our modern society, we live in a world where sex is EVERYWHERE. If you reflect on iconic moments in pop culture history, we’re sure you’ll remember some seriously steamy moments. Let’s talk music – for decades both male and female artists have capitalised on either sex-soaked lyrics or a seriously steamy music video to top the charts. Whether it be Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre’ video full of grinding, sweaty bodies, the suggestive nature of Warrant’s ‘Cherry Pie’, or T.A.T.u’s almost banned lesbian video for ‘All the Things She Said’, it’s evident that no genre of music is beyond pulling on people’s sexual strings to make a successful record. The list is endless: Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’, Madonna’s ‘Erotica’, Fountains of Wayne’s ‘Stacy’s Mom’, and how could we not mention the controversial 2020 anthem which was Cardi B’s ‘WAP’?
If we’re going to talk page-turners, E.L James’ ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ was the best selling book of the past decade, with the sequel ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ taking silver, and ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ closing out the top spots. Women succumbed to the throbbing groin of Christian Grey, as the book became a solid favourite around the hotel pool and on many-a-nightstand, and the ‘50 Shades Effect’ saw a 400% increase in the sale of sex toys (alongside a spike in women buying rope from hardware stores). When the 50 Shades movies lacked explicit visuals – many viewers were disappointed with the trilogies soft approach to BDSM – along came ‘365 Days’ (365DNI) to give viewers the hardcore fantasy they’d be waiting for. Let’s not be mistaken, it was a bad movie. With questionable acting, toxic storylines and a seriously bad wig, the movie has confirmed two sequels. Why? Well, many viewers managed to overlook the failings when it came to cinematic excellence, for all those truly intense sex scenes that have people questioning all over the internet if the actors really had sex, as it all looked SO real. And an honorable mention for television: while millions of us tuned into the regency-era romance that played out in Bridgerton, of course we were hooked on finding out who Lady Whistledown was, but it was those heart-racing sex scenes between Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor that really kept us watching.
So long story short, we’re a society obsessed with sex. However, when it comes to consuming porn, it can get a little more complicated. With billions of videos so accessible, with no regulatory body overseeing them, made and uploaded by amateurs and professionals alike – ultimately anyone with a camera phone and a semi-decent internet connection can create and post a sex scene. While we may get a little aroused watching Daphne Bridgerton getting eaten out by the Duke of Hastings on the stairs of the family home, or Massimo restraining Laura with a telescopic spreader bar on a four-poster bed, we ultimately know that these scenes are far from reality; carefully constructed for entertainment purposes, filmed in multiple takes, with a vast cast and crew and advisors on set to ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of the stars in such scenes.
However, this isn’t always guaranteed to be the case with porn. With the aggregator site Pornhub being the world’s most visited porn-viewing platform, it presents all sorts of issues when the ethics of the porn on their site is considered. Pornhub – and many other ‘tube’ sites of its kind – hosts porn videos from countless high-profile production companies, independent adult stars who’ve made a name by building a following and amateur couples uploading their self-taped sex acts. While a number of the bigger production companies follow a rigorous consent and aftercare procedure for their performers (with performers disclosing that Kink.com, Brazzers and Adam & Eve are amongst the most ethical of the big-name producers), this concern for care can often get diluted, the lower the budget and the smaller the scale. Throw into the mix the prospect of sex trafficked performers, underage girls, deepfakes and revenge porn, and it really makes you question whether what the porn you’re watching on an aggregator site would be really getting you going if you knew the truth outside the scene.
However, even the most ethical porn production companies are often directed for the male gaze. So yes, while the ethical boxes may be ticked, it’s often male-centric, with little to no focus on female satisfaction in the scenes. This is reflected in the outcome of Pornhub’s annual insights report, supported by the findings from our own research we conducted on social media. Both primary and secondary sources discloses that for women who watch porn, their favourite genre is lesbian. Straight women, who’ve never been slightly interested in engaging in a sexual relationship, often find themselves questioning why they find themselves watching girl-on-girl porn, and the most basic explanation comes down to it being entirely female-centric. With no male to commander the scene, women find themselves watching girl-on-girl porn for the lengthy cunnilingus scenes and focused female pleasure that heterosexual porn sadly generally lack.
Todays Wickedly Inspirational Woman has been producing porn for the past 5 years, with cinematic scale production, but beautifully capturing the intimacy that occurs within erotic encounters, and placing an emphasis on displaying authentic female pleasure. Anna Richards founded FrolicMe in 2015, after facing the problem that many women continue to face – struggling to find any adult content that truly aroused her. Tired of seeing porn that only focused on male gratification, she decided to stop accepting what she saw as the norm, and launched a platform that made totally kinky and arousing scenes, but that were captured in a beautiful way that was enjoyable for women to watch – whether solo or with a partner.
On her site, she states “pornography for too long has depicted sex in an unrealistic way, often base, crude and so unimaginative. It is more often demeaning and vulgar, not sensual, and in my eyes, poorly created.” Instead she decided to take an approach that opened up sexual arousal to more than just the eyes, adding a feminine touch as she “wanted to bring the written word and the visual image together and create bold and exciting sexual imagery and creativity within an elegant, feminine style, as well as an interesting online erotic magazine with interesting articles and features on all aspects of erotic sexuality with an array of submissions.” With video scenes, audio porn, beautiful written stories and a gallery of images for each scene, Anna has considered something for everyone, no matter what gets you going. Not to mention a detailed magazine and well-stocked toy shop, FrolicMe has covered all bases for it to be the one stop-shop for all your naughty needs.
While FrolicMe’s content is not free, unlike the majority of content you find on an aggregator site, paying for your porn is one of the most assured ways of ensuring it’s ethical. As highlighted in this article from Cosmopolitan (which we highly recommend reading to scrub up on erotic ethics), “a viewer will hit most of their ethical concerns if they’ve pulled out a credit card to watch it. When it comes to sex work, payment is an expression of consent between the worker and the client, and that’s no different in pornography,” says Jiz Lee, who is the editor of the book Coming Out Like a Porn Star, as well as a performer. All the performers agreed with this sentiment. So paying for porn is a way to both ensure that it was shot ethically and to support it ethically.” So yes, many of the best things in life may be free, but it’s not the case when it comes to porn. By paying for your porn, specifically from FrolicMe, not only are you ensuring that what’s about to rock your socks is ethically produced, but you’re also supporting a female entrepreneur, who is part of the process in changing the types of porn available for women and couples, the way we consume and supporting her team to continue producing the high quality, cinematic, sensual scenes that FrolicMe do so well. From just £3.33 per month you can become a member of FrolicMe and get access to their entire gallery of erotica. Want a little preview before you part way with your pennies? All of Frolicme’s videos come with an 80 second teaser, and a scene-setting written description that’ll have you entering your card details pronto.
Continue reading to meet the incredible, wickedly inspirational Anna Richards, learn about life on set, and find out all the answers to the questions you submitted via our Instagram.
So Anna, why don’t you introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Anna Richards, I founded the erotic platform Frolicme.com in 2015. I currently live between Yorkshire and London with my family. I’m married and 51 yrs old.
Can you tell us 5 words to describe yourself?
Creative, loyal, unassuming, hardworking, determined.
Was there a specific moment that you realised that you wanted to start your FrolicMe? Was there a certain experience or a memorable moment that you attribute to being the catalyst or inspiration?
On a personal level I was continually saddened at the adult products and imagery that was available on the Internet, that rarely if ever were of interest to me personally. I found the internet full of sensual and erotically arousing images. Many beautiful erotic photos found their way onto Tumblr, which was a great source and became a feast of sexual imagery where all genders explored their sexuality. However, this imagery never translated across into online adult films that women and men could both enjoy. Instead, online films were produced for the male gaze, removing consenting female pleasure while objectifying women.
This became a talking point for some time with a “why does it not exist” conversation, until one day I felt I wanted to put my money where my mouth was and create my own vision of what I thought sex should be. Rather than accept what I saw, I wanted to offer an alternative, and began producing and filming my style of erotic porn films and launched the site www.frolicme.com in 2015. It focuses on portraying better sex online that offered beautiful porn for women too.
You highlight on your site that the porn found widespread on the internet, designed for the male gaze, is so crude, unimaginative and demeaning. Where do you find inspiration for the narratives of the scenes that you shoot?
Sex is so much more about connection, not just physical, and I had found it had been hijacked by the rise of the tube sites who were chasing traffic on the internet, and while doing so cheapening the way we portray sex online. Yes it was aimed at the male gaze, but they were missing out on 50% of the remaining audience who were not relating to what they saw. Sex was becoming a turn off, not a turn on. I get inspiration from many places, talking to women on what they see exciting as women are becoming far more outspoken and confident in what they are wanting sexually. Also, inevitably, the vast majority then comes from production meetings where we explore topics and sexuality.
We’re generally becoming a more liberated society, which is witnessing women taking control of their own sexual content. Through the means of OnlyFans and similar platforms (Patreon etc), we’re becoming gradually more accepting, generally as a Western society, of sex work and sex workers. Despite this, there is still such a stigma around women openly admitting that they watch porn and discussing watching porn with their friends, why do you think this stigma is still so prevalent?
I believe this is primarily down to the nature of pornography that has been produced over the last 3 decades, since we saw the explosion of the internet and the degrading nature of the content that was subsequently produced by anyone with a handy cam. I believe women are private creatures by nature and it is actually a stigma against the unsavoury nature of how women are so often portrayed in such a degrading context.
FrolicMe doesn’t only produce erotic films, but also audio porn and erotic stories and photography. How do you think each of these methods vary in arousal for people, and why would you encourage people to venture away from just watching video porn?
Like all things in life, we all have our own tastes and views and this is no different when it comes to sex. The breadth of erotica available on Frolicme is provided to produce a stimulating offering, whether it be to those who enjoy the voyeuristic vision, or the more immersive media of audio porn or written sex stories, where the individual can build their own vision of the characters and scenarios in their way.
We’d love to know what’s a typical day on set like? How do you make your sets comfortable and safe spaces for the performers who star in your videos?
In regard to an average day on set, it inevitably commences with an early start, in order to have a pre shoot production meeting to go over the final preparations and details that have been built over the weeks beforehand. Thereafter, the day is very professionally run and is genuinely no different from any other film or advertising production I have been involved with. Just because there is sexual activity involved does not remove the incredible professionalism that I demand from my team; from the moment the models are welcomed onto set to wrapping up the day and enjoying a post-production evening all together.
Do you have a particular favourite category/type of scene you like to produce? If so, why?
No, for me the most enjoyable part of production is creating a breadth of variety. It is not unknown to start the day with a scene that is beautiful and romantic, of a loving nature, to follow the afternoon with a kinky dom, light BDSM fantasy, pushing the erotic boundaries. I believe my members look forward to the variety that comes with sex. After all, we never experience exactly the same sexual pleasure with different partners. Variety is the spice of life.
Its an obscure notion that the legal age to have sex in the UK is 16, while the legal age to view adult content is 18. Despite this, of the 503 people who responded to our survey on our Instagram stories, 300 of them admit to having watched porn before the age of 16. It’s inevitable that porn plays a role in young adults perception of what sex is going to be like before they start having it. Do you think porn should be discussed in sex education; to clarify that it’s not reality and to not place pressure on young adults to emulate it?
Absolutely, I believe very strongly the need to have porn be discussed as part of anyone’s sex education. We need to have porn literacy, the world of the internet is sadly full of free, and in my belief, unacceptable pornography for inexperienced children. That said, it is naïve not to expect the sexual inquisitiveness of youth not to turn to the Internet for education, when they use it for everything else. It is therefore important that companies like Frolicme.com provide a healthy and sex positive environment, portraying the respect, consent and female pleasure that comes from good sexual relations.
We asked our followers what ‘realities’ they would like to see more in porn; some of the top responses included body hair on women, realistic and diverse body types, the use of lube, putting on condoms, giggling and authentic ‘awkward moments’ when things don’t go entirely to plan, just like with genuine sex. Your movies are artistic and beautifully shot, almost like cinematic movies. How do you approach the balance between reality and fantasy in your scenes?
Just like the fashion industry, I believe there is a high level of aspiration in the visual content that I produce. And whilst I acknowledge there is a plethora of different body shapes and attitudes to body hair etc, my personal vision for Frolicme is to elevate the quality of the erotica I produce, in order to bring a level of aspiration and acceptability that is visually appealing to the mainstream. I would also add that I love bringing in fun authentic moments into my films too. From natural laughter and giggling when there’s too much lube squirting out, to trousers not coming off quick enough. Natural laughter and awkward fumbling moments are part of sex.
When you wear lingerie yourself, how do you feel, as opposed to underwear?
Ooh, I have always been a huge fan of lingerie and find it uplifting and empowering as a woman every morning when I wear it. I have always been a bit of a collector of luxury lingerie.
What does female empowerment mean to you?
For me, female empowerment has always been relatively simple. It allows me to be my own person, the ability for me to lead my life the way I wish to live it. Take on challenges fearlessly, this is one of the reasons why I have wanted to run my own business – to give me the flexibility and opportunities to explore what matters to me.
What do you do to make yourself empowered/liberated/confident?
I am not sure I do anything specifically other than to work hard, stay focused and give myself goals to work towards. And of course to give myself a pat on the back too, when you’ve achieved something specific.
‘Female sexuality is no longer a taboo’. Do you agree with this statement?
Female sexuality is, without question, on a march to break down historical taboos, which can clearly be seen within the support of written blogs, influencers, the media with an array of magazine articles and more women opening up the conversation of sexual pleasure. However, there still appears to be far too many stigmas attached to certain aspects of female sexuality: to the number of sexual partners a woman has had to that of a man, through to the orgasm gap and balancing of genders and pleasure equality.
What message would you give to your younger self e.g. as a teenager?
To look at the world as a glorious challenge, to believe in yourself and know that everything is possible.
We opened up our Instagram stories to our followers to see if there were any specific questions they wanted to ask you and they included the following:
– Do you ever feel aroused when you’re directing a scene, or do you see it strictly through a work lens?
Due to the nature and professionalism of my sets, there is never a second to stop and focus on my personal sexual arousal of a scene, as there is so much to concentrate on. However, I love coming back to a scene some months later in post-production and seeing the results of our labours and realising just how horny the moment was.
– How has working in this industry affected your own sex life?
No, not at all. I have been married for 25 years and continue to have a great sex life.
– What is something you wish more women knew about your job/working in this field? What are some misconceptions around the industry?
How supportive so many people are in this industry. I was an outsider when I started and have had so much help and support from models, performers, and those across the industry to help me achieve my goal.
– Do you feel the need to make your content diverse, more so than male directors?
I just produce what I want to produce, that I feel is sexually arousing and varied for women and couples to enjoy, and presents sex as a glorious pleasurable aspect of our human existence.
– How difficult is it for you to be a woman in this industry? Do you have to try harder for respect, or to be taken seriously, since it’s such a male dominated field?
No. As a female producer entering this industry I personally have not found it difficult or experienced any boundaries.
– Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to get into the adult industry; how to do it in a healthy, safe, way?
I think this very much depends on whether this is on the production front, or as a performer and model. As a producer, I would say it is so important to have more women on the production team, to have a balanced view of female pleasure as well as a very solid business understanding, as to produce great content does not come cheaply. To produce an erotic platform such as Frolicme.com, with a wealth of nearly 300 films, together with the audios, stories galleries, etc does cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Talk about a wickedly inspirational woman, right? If this article has got your mind – and hands – wandering as to where you can find Anna’s works of erotic art, be sure to check out Frolic Me to explore her vast gallery of beautiful created content. Recently, FrolicMe’s Instagram account fell victim to the platform’s attack on sexually suggestive content and their rigorous censorship clampdown, being deleted at 70,000 followers. To help them regain a following and show them some support, follow their account at @frolicme_officialand Anna’s personal page at @frolicme_anna.
