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From opera stage to porn director, ex-singer seeks to remove stigma
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Armenian-Austrian opera singer Adrineh Simonian poses for a photo in the city center of Vienna, Austria on April 30, 2021. (AFP/Joe Klamar)
Seven years ago, Adrineh Simonian bowed out of a successful career as an opera singer to produce pornography instead.
Since then, the 48-year-old from Vienna has not looked back, becoming a prominent voice for porn producers who prioritise their protagonists' comfort and wellbeing.
With the emphasis on filming artistically and ethically, her approach fits into an increasingly popular genre known as feminist pornography, or femporn.
Makers say it promotes gender equality and seeks to dispel stereotypes in an industry plagued by sexism, disempowerment and abuse allegations.
Simonian told AFP that while the term "pornography" carried huge stigma, she tried to "make people understand that there is another side" to it.
"I really want to support those doing artistic pornography -- there's enough of the mainstream already," she said.
By filming people who have never had sex in front of the camera before -- actual couples or those who hadn't previously met -- she aims to show the real deal.
