PinkLabel.TV Spotlight series returns with an interview with queer non-binary artist and sex educator, Anna Wim. A multi-faceted sex educator, visual artist, freelance writer, and social media manager based in Berlin, Anna has written about sex and porn and creates sex-positive art advocating sex workers’ rights, LGBTQ+ visibility, and more. As an affiliate of PinkLabel.TV, they’ve long championed the work of indie adult filmmakers.

Sex-Positive Spotlight: Anna Wim

PLTV: How did you get started with writing about sex, and what’s been your biggest accomplishment?

Anna: I’ve been writing about my life online for ages, having started blogging when I was young, and it felt like a natural progression to start exploring the topic of sexuality in that way too. It was quite a loaded issue for me back then, both because of the vaginismus I was suffering from at that time, and the shame and stigma that had surrounded sex most of my life. When I was doing my Bachelor degree in Communication Design, I really zeroed in on it and focused on it in written and visual form, essentially making all my projects about kink or sexual and reproductive health, and realized I really wanted to be a sex educator.

To be honest, I’d say the biggest accomplishment might be that I’m still trying to pursue this dream of mine – it’s not easy to sustain yourself being a sex educator!

Have you experienced censorship?

As many of us who talk about sex online, I have been dealing with shadow banning and content removal for years. In 2021, Instagram deleted my account without any reason (I did not have any flagged content for months at that point) and frankly, I have never really recovered from it. Since then, the shadow banning has gotten so much more intense and it has been really hard to grow my platform from scratch again. Unfortunately, this is not just the case of Instagram; I have found it really difficult to establish myself on other social media platforms too. This has had a lot of impact on my job opportunities, and it sucks so much.

What have you learned about porn?

There’s been so much interesting and influential things I’ve learned, but what probably had the biggest impact on how I view the porn industry and how I talk about it is how harmful the division between “bad” (often used for any porn published on mainstream porn sites regardless for its content) and “good” porn can be.

What is your favorite porn genre? Can you recommend a studio to watch?

I personally love when porn is colorful and fun – especially when the content is more kinky/hardcore but the aesthetics are all quirky and a bit campy. One of my fave studios is House of HUITLACOOCH, now regrouped as Fruta Putería.

What is the sex ed and porn industry like in the Czech Republic?

Despite the Czech Republic and Prague specifically being such a common destination for a lot of porn to be filmed in, there isn’t much of an independent, alternative porn scene. It is slowly starting now, but most of it is not by people who have already been doing sex work and just expand their practice into another media, it’s rather artists and creatives who want to explore sexuality in their artwork.

Is there anyone whose work has inspired or influenced you?

Probably every single sex worker and educator I have ever met. Honestly, my work would be nothing without so many smart, talented, and sex positive individuals on the sex positive scene!

What advice would you give someone who was interested in pursuing a career in sex writing?

As much as I hate saying this: do not expect it to be a road to fame and fortune. Even though there seems to be more and more sex ed and sexual wellness companies by day, it does not automatically translate to better job opportunities or lessening of the censorship and stigma this work brings with it.

What upcoming projects are you working on?

I don’t want to jinx it or reveal too much before anything’s properly planned, but maybe the very first porn film festival in the Czech Republic might happen soon? Otherwise I want to focus even more on hosting online workshops and writing in Czech (instead of my regular English).

Thank you Anna! Find more of their work and art at AnnaWim.com, and follow @AnnaWim2.0 on Instagram.

Featured images courtesy Anna Wim.