The Golden Age of Porn

The “Golden Age of Porn” is a term that, colloquially, refers to the period between roughly 1969 and 1984 (15 years or so) where porn in America started gathering favorable attention and widespread acclaim. As a consequence, the production of pornographic films and material boomed during the Golden Age, and porn’s popularity only continued to grow into the mid-late ‘80s and ‘90s. Porn was so positively viewed that we even recall famous titles such as Deep Throat, Debbie Does Dallas, and Bobby Sox in pop culture today.

Shanna McCullough Won 4 AVN Awards between 1988 and 2000 and is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame

Of course, in the advent of the internet, pornography became even more popular and accessible. At the turn of the century, companies raced to establish themselves as premier film studios, still holding to the model of feature-length films that had become so popular in the three decades preceding. Many actresses saw critical acclaim due to this trend; stars like Kayden Kross, Riley Steele, and Jesse Jane became household names due to Digital Playground’s deserved stranglehold on the popular feature-length market.

Feature-length films weren’t the only genre that surged in popularity in the 21st Century – gonzo porn was increasingly demanded due to its success in the 90s. Being the first genre in the line of “reality” porn, gonzo quickly grew stars and studios like Casey Parker who worked quite a bit with Shane’s World. The growing ability to distribute single scenes on the internet meant that creation of gonzo porn (a genre that needed little production in post) could be increased immensely.

Riley Steele has won a total of 30 awards during her career, even taking roles in mainstream film an television in the 2010s

As the industry entered the 2010s, it was clear that quick access to a large catalog and high production value were two things that people wanted from their porn. Growing access to the internet and its progressively more accommodating capabilities allowed for widespread production of high-quality scenes and films, increasing demand for actresses and supporting talent.

The new possibilities driving the increased demand for video pornography is why the Golden Age of Porn isn’t really the Golden Age of Porn. In fact, we’re living in it. This site in itself is proof. High-quality porn is available more now than it ever was and the visual appeal of talent has sky-rocketed. With the increased demand, actresses are more diverse than ever, with an emphasis placed on natural, fit-looking women rather than the “Barbie look” that was prevalent preceding decades.

Casey Parker was a gonzo porn superstar, having ten years in the business starting in 2006

Consider Porn Hub’s “Year in Review” from 2015. The most searched stars worldwide included many of the current-day staples like Riley Reid, Alexis Texas, Sasha Grey, Mia Malkova, and Tori Black. The more natural and fit body type was surging due to the increase in market appeal and availability. Compare that to 2023, where the most popular star of the year was Abella Danger, with Eva Elfie, Riley Reid, Emily Willis, and Lana Rhoades all near the top of the list with her. Eliza Ibarra surged 46 spots. Adriana Chechik maintained her presence on the list, as well.

New faces appear in larger frequency these days, as well, meaning that content is always particularly fresh and the ability to discover new favorites is greater than ever before. The 2010s gave rise to an era in porn that’s quickly become an enthusiast’s wet dream. So much content with such incredible quality has never been so widely available.

Eva Elfie broke onto the scene in 2018 and has quickly become a favorite of porn enthusiasts everywhere

The capitalizing element is the quick rise in popularity of Vixen Media Group – a studio with several sites that produces incredibly high-quality content and releases it regularly. Women from around the world make their porn debuts with the studio and the scenes/feature-length films never disappoint, even more consistently than Digital Playground back just a decade prior. Just a brief scroll through their featured actresses is enough to determine that the quality of the women in the industry has increased exponentially as compared to ten years ago, especially when compared to the Golden Age of Porn.

Concisely, the Golden Age of Porn is now - in the period between roughly 2010 and the present. One could even say that it stretches back to the turn of the century but one thing is clear: the way that porn is produced today has quickly solidified itself as the most prevalent in the industry’s young history. Similarly, the quality of the actresses has a distinct trend and has grown rapidly in the last decade.

Let’s enjoy this new Golden Age of Porn.