There’s no doubting the physical and mental health benefits that an orgasm can bring, and one photographer’s project emphasised just how much one can boost our mood.
The last thing some people would want is a photo permanently reminding them of what they look like when they’re getting their rocks off, but a group of brave and beautiful women decided to do exactly that as part of Marcos Alberti’s ‘O Project’.
The Brazilian snapper is perhaps best known for a previous project, which saw him capture images of people after a few glasses of wine to see how their mood shifted, and he returned with a second, more sexually focused assignment back in 2017.
This time, with the help of the sexual well-being brand Smile Makers, the photographer wanted to capture and present female sexuality as it has never been seen before.
Explaining the ‘orgasm gap’
The photographer wanted to shed a positive light on women’s sexuality (Marcos Alberti)
Each of the women involved was asked to use personal massagers, with Alberti taking photos before they began, during their peak and after they’d finished, with the release of endorphins that comes from an orgasm pretty clear on their smiling faces.
While that might sound a little similar to the sort of thing you might see on OnlyFans, Alberti’s shots are ‘fun and sexy, but tasteful’, as everything below the waist was hidden from view, even from Alberti himself.
Viewers are instead just focused on the shift in emotions on the women’s faces, similar to his ‘Wine Project’ series, which, according to a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot on his YouTube channel, inspired Global Brand Manager of Smile Makers Fan Yang to reach out to him.
According to Yang, ‘female sexuality is more often shrouded in shame and secrecy’, an image which they and Alberti hoped to change.
Everything but the women’s faces is hidden from view (Marcos Alberti)
Yang continued: “Our partnership with Marcos allowed us to create this series to upend that social stigma around female sexuality, and encourage the normalisation of female pleasure.”
While it’s fair to suggest that 99 per cent of men would reach an orgasm during sexual activities, women are not always so fortunate, with their sexual satisfaction sometimes sadly forgotten about.
In fact, numerous studies have examined the discrepancy between male and female orgasm experiences, known as the ‘orgasm gap’.
In a 2018 study published in the National Library of Medicine examining the differences in orgasm frequency between men and women, heterosexual men were 95 per cent more likely to experience an orgasm during intimacy; meanwhile, for heterosexual women, it was only 65 per cent.
The participants certainly seemed to enjoy the experience (Marcos Alberti)
A reason why this might be is that the idea of an ‘orgasm gap’ to some is not something they’ve ever thought of, or is more complicated, according to this 2022 study in Psychology of Women’s Quarterly.
However, this certainly isn’t the case, as numerous studies have proven that women have no issue achieving orgasm when doing it by themselves, or even with other women, for that matter.
In the same 2018 study, lesbian women experienced orgasms at 86 per cent, while bisexual women were slightly higher than their heterosexual counterparts at 66 per cent.
The photographer aimed to break down the barriers of female sexual well-being (Marcos Alberti)
As for why this gap exists, it’s largely due to women requiring clitoral stimulation to orgasm, which isn’t often depicted in mainstream media in comparison to penetrative sex, according to Psychology Today.
According to a 2020 study on Springer Nature Link, sociocultural factors, like ‘societal scripts about masculinity’ and a woman’s ‘lack of entitlement’ of mutual pleasure, are some of the potential factors that led to shame about female sexuality.
Yang described the women in the photos as being ‘in awe, especially the final shot where they were glowing and radiant’, adding: “That final shot, of a strong female grinning into the camera, is exactly what we want people to see.
“We hope that everyone viewing this project will feel more confident about their bodies and sexuality. All it takes is one smile at a time.”
Women from across the world were asked to participate (Marcos Alberti)
The women spanned a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and nationalities, with Alberti hoping to convey the message that all women are in control of their own sexuality, something that should be fun.
Marcos Alberti added: “I love that we were able to speak so frankly with these women about sex and pleasure.
“When you approach the taboo topic of sex through the lens of humour, people start to open up and share opinions more freely, which can lead to a monumental change in people’s mentality.”