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United States Annie Sprinkle has evolved from a pioneering figure in adult entertainment to a renowned sexologist, performance artist, and advocate for ecosexuality.
Artist. Co-Author of “Assuming the Ecosexual Position-Earth as Lover." Co-Director of Playing with Fire— An Ecosexual Emergancy.
Co-authored 'Assuming the Ecosexual Position: The Earth as Lover' with Beth Stephens and Jennie Klein, published in 2021.
Co-authored 'Annie Sprinkles ABC Study of Sexual Lust and Deviations' with Vera, V. and De Ridder, W., published in 1985.
Published 'The Kinky World of Annie Sprinkle' in 1985.
Contributed to 'Beyond Bisexual' (1991), edited by Hutchins, L. and Kaahumanu, L.
Co-authored 'Annie Sprinkle's Post-Modern Pin-Ups: Pleasure Activist Playing Cards' with K. Gates (1995) and 'XXXOOO: Love and Kisses from Annie Sprinkle (30 Post-Porn Postcards)' with K. Gates and C. Adams (1997).
Published 'Annie Sprinkle's Love Vibrations' in Japanese in 1996.
Contributed an essay titled 'We've Come a Long Way—And We're Exhausted!' to 'Whores and Other Feminists' (1997), edited by Jill Nagle.
Published 'Annie Sprinkle [Post-Porn Modernist: My 25 Years as a Multi-Media Whore]' in 1998.
Co-authored 'Hardcore from the Heart: The Pleasures, Profits and Politics of Sex in Performance' with Gabrielle H. Cody (2001), which won a 2002 Firecracker Alternative Book Award.
Contributor to 'Tattooed Women' by Spider Webb (2001).
Published 'Dr. Sprinkle's Spectacular Sex: Make Over Your Love Life with One of the World's Great Sex Experts' in 2005.
Co-authored 'Pees on Earth' with Ellen Jong (2006).
Wrote the foreword for Barbara Carrellas's 'Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century' (2007).
Wrote the foreword for Deborah Sundahl's 'Female Ejaculation and the G-Spot: Not Your Mother's Orgasm Book!' (2014, revised 2nd ed. 2023).
Contributed to 'Documenta 14: Daybook: Athens, 8 April-Kassel, 17 September 2017' with Beth Stephens, edited by Quinn Laimer and Adam Symczyk (2017).
Co-authored 'Explorer's Guide to Planet Orgasm: For Every Body' with Beth Stephens, illustrated by Yu Dori (2017).
Born Ellen F. Steinberg in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1954, Annie Sprinkle’s early life included time in Los Angeles and Panama. She describes herself as having been shy until age 17, when an interest in sex sparked a lifelong journey. In the era of sexual liberation in the 1960s and early 1970s, she adopted the name Annie Sprinkle and entered the adult entertainment industry, working as a cashier before becoming a performer. Her debut as a hardcore-sex actress was in “Teenage Cover Girls” in 1976. Over 22 years, she appeared in approximately 200 porn loops, shorts, and feature films, often focusing on fetish genres. By the early 1980s, Sprinkle, identifying as a feminist, sought greater control over her work. She wrote and directed her first hardcore feature, “Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle” (1981), which became a top-grossing adult film in 1982, noted for her warm and playful persona.
Sprinkle transitioned from a porn performer to an internationally acclaimed artist, author, lecturer, and sex educator. She earned a PhD in human sexuality, challenging traditional views on sex and art. Her performance art piece, “Post Porn Modernist,” which received federal funding, included an invitation for audience members to view her cervix. This act, intended to demystify the female body, drew criticism but solidified her commitment to sex-positive messaging. Her work expanded from feminist pornography to advocating for the decriminalization of sex work and exploring experimental and conceptual artistic thought. She also developed new genres of sexually explicit film and video, such as edu-porn and art porn.
In recent decades, Annie Sprinkle has been prominent in the creation and promotion of ecosexuality, a philosophy centered on treating the Earth as a lover. Alongside her life partner, Elizabeth Stephens, she has engaged in various art projects, including performance art weddings with ecosexual themes, marrying elements like the Earth, Sky, and Mountains. Through these endeavors, she champions a pro-sex message that emphasizes liberation, pleasure, and spirituality, challenging repressive cultural norms and contributing significantly to feminist, queer, and environmental activism.
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