Oral History of the Money Shot Goes Real Deep
Dozens of historians, performers, and experts trace the evolution of the now-common porn practice
December 12, 2016
For avid porn viewers (a.k.a. humans), the concept of the “money shot” seems as common as muscle-bound pizza delivery boys or buses in which to bang. However, as a recent oral history over at Vice revealed, the money shot has quite a backstory.
Though a traditional “closing act” to much modern porn, the money shot apparently began in earnest with the famed 1972 porno “Deep Throat,” centering around a woman whose clitoris was at the back of her throat and, thus, engaged in much fellatio. The film ends with what is considered the first major intentional money shot and the practice grew from there.
“Back then, everyone was using condoms in scenes because there wasn’t a way to get a STI test back in 24 hours like there is now,” said ’70s adult film star Odette Delacroix. “So with money shots, they could see the guy cum and see the condom was gone—that it was an actual sex scene.”
As the ’80s rolled around, the money shot evolved and became more artful. Dr. Carol Queen, a sexologist at a sex toy company, explained: “Cumshots opened a door: Where will the ejaculate go? This was becoming more stylized and sometimes fetishized by the 1980s: pearl necklaces, cum on my tits! My favorite porn fail is when a woman orgasms loudly when ejaculate hits her ass—that rarely happens in real life.”
Dozens of porn critics, academics, and experts were interviewed for the piece, which delves further into facials, bukkake, and the money shot’s acclamation into every day sexual practice.
Read up on the entire history here.
