Perhaps you heard something about this site Bellesa.co last week? Porn twitter was up in arms – and for good reason.
Launching in early 2017 and operating up through Thursday 21 September 2017 (when I am writing this), Bellesa was an erotic space populated with GIFs, images, stories, and porn clips. I say “was” because on September 21st, Bellesa rolled over with a complete redesign that did not include its former library of “curated” porn, the content of which was almost exclusively pirated.
This is what happened.
Bustle.com – a site that regularly touts itself as sex positive and fairly feminist – published a piece titled “Bellesa, A Free Porn Site For Women, Is Changing How We View Sex.” It essentially read like a Bellesa press release, lauding the site for finding some way to be ethical while also giving porn away for free.
The article hung out on the interwebs for about a week before performer Kim Cums began tweeting her ire regarding the piracy-based – and thus neither ethical nor feminist – nature of the site. Porn twitter then took off like a freight train.
“It’s not free content. It’s stolen content. You are no better than PornHub, Imgur, or Reddit,” Cums tweeted on September 18th, regarding Bellesa.
It’s not free content. It’s stolen content. You are no better than PornHub, Imgur, or Reddit. https://t.co/7srK6EtQ4N
— Kim Cums (@KimCummms) September 19, 2017
Casey Calvert stated, “Just because you’re stealing *for women* doesn’t make make it ethical. This is repulsive.”
Janice shared, “I LITERALLY FOUND STOLEN CONTENT OF MINE ON @BellesaCo – hope they’re ready for DMCA takedowns forever. Some ‘empowerment’ – you’re thieves.” That tweet was followed up with “[T]ake me off of your site @BellesaCo – I do not want to be affiliated with you in any way.”
…and on and on it continued, from every corner of the industry.
Throughout the blitz, both Bellesa and Bustle were publically silent. Then, like magic, on September 21st, Bustle slipped a line about industry concerns into their original piece (which they later removed in lieu of a larger front-end disclaimer). Bellesa meanwhile issued the following statement:
— Bellesa (@BellesaCo) September 21, 2017
Will Bellesa make good on their claims? Will mainstream media and news sites looking to capitalize on the clickbait of sensational topics like “feminist porn” finally figure out how to do their due dilligence when it comes to reporting? Maybe… I’m not holding my breath, but I am also willing to be hopeful – call me a Pollyanna, it’s okay.
The cam-relevant aspects regarding Bellesa are two-fold. First, if you own your content – be it a pre-shot clip or a recorded show — you do not have to stand for it being stolen by a tubesite. You have rights and avenues for recourse. You should read this piece YNOT Cam did with Takedown Piracy’s Nate Glass for more information.
Second, the stunning power of the industry united got an exploitative site taken down – and even civilians took notice! Perhaps this marks a tidal change in consumer regard of adult content. Perhaps some good will come out of the debacle that was Bellesa. Again, call me a Pollyanna — it’s all good.
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Email me your takedown stories.
“If you really want to live in a rainbow, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.” — That’s a quote from a recent version of the classic “Pollyanna.” Unfortunately, YouTube removed that video, so here is another take on what it means to be a Pollyanna.
Lead image © Lorenzo Cafaro.
