In porn, squirting (or female ejaculation) is often so theatrical that it’s a centerpiece of the video and an entire genre. Like a human super soaker, the performer usually leaves herself and the occasional partner or partners drenched, and oftentimes, the fourth wall is broken when the camera lens is left splashed with droplets on it.

During 2021, searches for squirting videos on PornHub saw a 188 percent increase in the UK and 213 percent jump in France. In the United States "squirt" jumped 17 spots and landed in the top 20 most searched words.

Squirting, or female ejaculation, is the expulsion of fluid through the urethra during sexual arousal and orgasm (although it doesn’t necessarily require an orgasm). The average amount of liquid typically ranges from 30 to 150 milliliters.

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Within the science (and porn) community, it’s long been debated whether or not there is a difference between squirting and peeing during sex because the liquid comes from urethra and the result differs body to body. Sometimes it can be nothing more than a wet spot on the sheets and other times it’s accompanied by a powerful orgasm, and in porn, it oftentimes is depicted like a literal vaginal geyser. So, how do porn stars make their squirt scenes look like a shaken bottle of popped champagne? Mashable spoke to porn stars to find out.

"Porn is acting to some extent, but it's more heightened. On set, you have an orgasm but then you also have to make more of a show of it," Adriana Chechik, the porn star turned gaming and mental health advocacy Twitch streamer said. So, the same goes for squirting.

How women prep for an on-screen squirting scene

As actresses are expelling liquid through their urethra when they’re squirting, it’s important to be hydrated before they start shooting their scenes. This typically includes drinking lots of water or Pedialyte, the electrolyte filled rehydration drink.

However, getting hydrated is just the tip. "For women, getting to heightened orgasm is so much more about being desired and feeling that passion than it is just the action," Chechik said. "Porn is great and it's awesome, but you just hit that ready, set, go and don't really get that build up."

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Wett Diamond, another performer, exclusively does her squirting scenes solo. "I cannot miss a good water-based lubricant to avoid hurting myself," she says. "I can only achieve the squirt if I use my toys that vibrate constantly so that I can stimulate the area."

For Chechik, who stopped shooting mainstream porn about a year ago, she liked to ensure she herself was in the heightened place of arousal before the shooting started. "I often tell women what’s worked best for me was going into the bathroom and having that alone time where I would have an orgasm before I even went to go shoot the scene." She’d do this before even meeting her male performer. "If you're already ready to go, it's a lot easier for somebody else to give you an orgasm."

"People don't understand that the mess isn't just happening in front of the camera. It's happening all around the camera and all around the set."

From there, communication is key. She said sitting down with the other performer before the shoot and ensuring they could talk about how to get to the goal of squirting is crucial before starting the scene. "Otherwise, it might not happen,” she said. “You need to be able to talk them through it."

Additionally, sometimes douches are used. This is when water is inserted into the vagina, and the actress pushes it out to create an excessive squirting effect. "It's hysterical because the director is like, ‘Okay, cut. Let's just put one in there.’ And then, they're like, ‘1, 2, 3, go!’ and you're trying to roll."

Diamond says she doesn’t use them for health reasons. "In my opinion, they are not healthy for the pH [of the vagina]," she said. "The only items I use are my user controlled toys, dildos, and water based lubricant."

Common squirting scene mishaps

Much like in any other filming, there’s a bit of behind-the-scenes movie magic, but when the body is involved there’s obvious opportunities for risks to both the actors and anyone on set.

A common question or assumption around squirting in general is if it’s simply urine, and while actual female ejaculation it isn’t, in porn sometimes it is just peeing. A few years back, Woodrocket featured squirting on their “Ask A Porn Star” series with porn stars Allie Haze, April O'Neil, Veruca James and others. The answers ranged from squirting isn’t real, to it is and it’s not pee (because it has a distinctly different taste), to it is but the performers have also peed during scenes.

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"I will say 90 percent of the time, I was truly squirting," Chechik said. "There are some times where you get booked for a squirt movie or something like that and you will pee because you're over hydrating."

She also pointed out the potential risks with over hydrating for these shoots. "I've been on set multiple occasions with girls – and once myself – that got dizzy or sick, because you're waterlogged," she said. "It's crazy because you throw up and it’s not only that – your body digests everything." They’ll often experience other symptoms of over-hydration like nausea and diarrhea.

Additionally, similar to childbirth, there’s also contracting and pushing when trying to create this embellished squirting scene for the camera. "A lot of times, girls will poo because they're pushing too hard, so that’s a challenge," Chechik said.

"I myself have broken nine cameras, and I know other girls that have broken a lot too."

It’s not only the women that have their own set of potential mishaps when shooting squirting scenes, though. Chechik recalls one particularly slippery shoot. "I was shooting with Miss Tiffany Watson and me and her both squirted to the extent where not only did the director fall, but the talent fell and then one of the PAs (production assistant) fell," she said.

They ended up taking a long break for the set to be cleaned up. “The PA came back with “Caution: Wet Floor” sign, and said we were all going to break a leg,” she remembered. “It’s always really funny, because people don't understand that the mess isn't just happening in front of the camera. It's happening all around the camera and all around the set."

Finally, in addition to the obvious challenges of the stop and go nature of shooting sex scenes for the performers and the crew, shooting squirting is particularly risky for even the cameras. "I don't understand why videographers aren't doing more stuff to keep the cameras from breaking or getting stuff that's waterproof," Chechik said. "I myself have broken nine cameras, and I know other girls that have broken a lot too."

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She said she’s even been directed to squirt towards the camera but lower. Laughing at how ridiculous those requests are, she said, "Sure, let me try to control this now with this huge dick in the middle of coming. This is on you, not on me!"

While it’s clear to viewers, there’s typically a lot of effort going into a performer reaching climax and squirting on screen, it’s even more apparent the prep and execution of this particular genre includes a lot more than foreplay and making a big splash. The star of the show is just part of the equation and the entire crew comes together for all of your viewing pleasure.

This article was first published in 2022 and republished in 2023.