Page 58 - AVN June 2019

“Women want to see stories that feel realistic,
that they could relate to—they want to see
themselves in porn. ... We call it fantasy fuel.
It’s where reality ends and fantasy begins. ”
with a solution to that obsession
when she founded Bellesa.co,
an online platform dispensing
female-friendly erotica and
sexual wellness information.
The site celebrated its two-year
birthday in February.
There were “three original
pillars” of Bellesa: articles about
sexual wellness, literary erotica,
and sexually explicit videos.
But the focus was on creating
a safe space for women and
“the feeling of being part of a
community.”
Shnaidman elaborated further:
“Women engage with their
sexuality differently, so whether
that’s by watching videos or
reading erotica or reading
articles about sex or sexual
health, they were able to come
to Bellesa and have this one-
stop shop for all things female
sexuality.”
Two years later the content
is robust, supplied by studio
partners as well as some
amateur producers. Videos
are presented in a way that is
both female-friendly and also
designed to introduce each
producer to the members of the
Bellesa community. The Bellesa
team cuts the videos to lengths
that range from 10 to 17 minutes,
depending on the partner.
“Some times there’s a video that’s
amazing,” Shnaidman said, “but
at the end of the video there’ll be
a cum shot to the face. ... And
we’ll literally just cut that out.”
The company that is most
involved is Mile High Media, a
partner in Bellesa Films—which
will begin releasing original
content this spring. A key player
is Sweet Sinner director Jacky
St. James, who serves as the
creative lead for Bellesa Films.
“She’s one of the best storytellers
and tension builders—not just in
porn,” Shnaidman said.
“Jacky has been a godsend.
People feel so comfortable
around her because of the kind
of person she is. Everyone on
set is just having fun. I think it’s
a different kind of thing when
they show up there and they’re
literally told to just go have fun
and go have sex,” Shnaidman
enthused.
St. James also expresses
delight in their collaboration.
“Working with Michelle has
really been more gratifying than I
could ever articulate. There were
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