11 Movie Sex Scenes That Are Empowering For Women

What makes a movie sex scene [1] empowering for women? Everyone finds different things to be sexy [2], but in the end, far too many fictional sex scenes [3] spend too much time focusing on the male gaze and not enough on letting women be in charge of their own sexual agency. And since fiction often bleeds into real life and influences what we think of as "normal" or important, it's crucial that more of what we see on screen [4] centres on women and their pleasure and power. Fortunately, there are a few scenes that are already leading the way. Check out some of our favourite empowering sex scenes that actively focus on giving women as much agency as they can.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour

Adèle and Emma's connection is the root of the movie's intensity [6], which makes their sex scenes all the more important. There's a balance between the awkwardness of exploring new things and the palpable chemistry between them. Most important, though, is the clear trust that develops between them and the way the movie avoids the male gaze of all too many sex scenes involving women.

Wonder Woman

Superhero movies aren't exactly known for having well-rounded romances, but Wonder Woman is the exception. Diana isn't hypersexualized, and despite their intense chemistry after sharing a dance in the snow, Steve is shown to be fully willing to just say goodnight. It's only when Diana wordlessly invites him in that the spark between them ignites, but it's not painted as some faux chivalry — it signals just how sexy mutual respect [7] and a woman's bodily autonomy can be.

Someone Great

The Netflix rom-com is packed with quite a few excellent, realistic, and empowering sex scenes for all of the women in the story. The biggie, though, has to be between Jenny and Nate, whose relationship is told in nonlinear fashion throughout the movie. The atmospheric neon lighting amps up the sexy, but it's the obvious focus on Jenny's pleasure (and her memory of the hookup) that proves this is a movie that cares about women's experiences of their own sexuality.

Crimson Peak

All too often, it's the women who are more physically vulnerable or stripped off during movie sex scenes. That's one of the reasons the sex scene in this Gothic drama is so empowering: not only does Edith initiate the intimacy with her husband, Thomas, but she's also the one who remains almost fully dressed while he strips off eagerly.

Anna Karenina

The dreamy nature and back-and-forth cuts of this scene can't disguise the intense sexuality, and it's all focussed on Anna's experience. Both in storytelling and in the camera angles, the scene is all about repressed Anna finally taking charge and taking what she wants — which, in this case, is the handsome officer Vronsky.

Crazy Stupid Love

When Hannah finally decides to go home with Cal, what results is a scene that's 50 percent hilarious, 50 percent sexy, and 100 percent centreing Hannah's wants and needs. There's a tension-laden Dirty Dancing reenactment and a standard-issue shadowy makeout session, but there are also several breaks when Hannah gets nervous and a shockingly tender conversation. It's all about Hannah learning to be comfortable, and it's all the more sexy for that.

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