What is porn?
Porn is the representation of sexual behaviour that is intended to arouse the viewer.
There are many different types of porn and it can be found online or in printed media. Almost all people in porn are actors who are paid to have sex.
What’s the problem?
Whether or not you use porn, you have probably been exposed to it in in one way or another.
You might think, ‘What’s the problem,? ‘It’s just sex right?’. Not quite.
Most porn represents a certain type of sex that ignores consent and shows women in degrading and humiliating ways. A lot of young people learn from porn and this sets up false expectations of what they feel they ‘should’ or ‘have to’ do.
Porn & Consent
Porn rarely presents sex in the context of respectful relationships.
Consent is always needed before sex takes place. If you don’t feel like you have a choice, you are not consenting. If you are not consenting to sex, this is sexual assault. Consent is often not negotiated in porn.
Feeling pressured into certain sex acts such as anal sex, is not part of a healthy sexual relationship. Sex should always be a positive experience for you and your partner based on consent.
What do you mean by ‘degrading women’?
Porn presents an overly sexual image of women’s bodies designed primarily to arouse men. Women in porn are often presented in objectifying ways that depict them as having less power during sex.
Similarly, the women in porn are seen to enjoy aggressive sex which perpetuates the idea that forceful intercourse is pleasurable.
The power should be equal and you have a right to feel comfortable and respected.
How does porn impact men?
Some young men learn that they have to ‘take charge’ of sex and that sex is only about pleasure.
You don’t have to behave like the actors in porn in order to ‘be good in bed’. Although pleasure may be part of a healthy sexual relationship, sex is also about intimacy and closeness to your partner.
Porn might lead you to expect that all women enjoy sex acts such as rough sex or oral sex. This is certainly not the case.
It’s important to maintain open communication and respect your partner.
What about body image?
The hairless, toned and tanned bodies of men and women shown in porn can lead to body insecurity in young people. A lot of porn is photoshopped and some actors have had cosmetic surgery.
Porn can send the message that you need to look like this in order to be seen as sexually appealing to your partner.
Bodies vary from person to person and the body type represented in porn is just one of many.