by kwheele4 on March 4, 2021
Opinion
Adding Science to Sex: Why Porn Is Not a Prerequisite for Sexual Empowerment
By Nicole Patano ’22
Asst. Head Copyeditor
Content warning: Discussion of pornography and sex
As the pornography industry grows into a nearly $100 billion worldwide business, the consumption of pornographic material has become a dangerously common societal indicator of whether or not a person is in touch with their sexuality. In some feminist circles, pornography can be employed as a tool of female sexual empowerment, for both women participating in and viewing porn videos. For these women, openness about their porn consumption is empowering, as women are often excluded from conversations about pornography. However, pornography is not a prerequisite to feeling empowered; women do not have to watch or enjoy porn to be empowered individuals.
There are a number of reasons why women watch porn, including to act out fantasies, for sexual gratification, and for learning how to give and achieve pleasure. For some women, the experience can be empowering. Yet, while porn can promote positive depictions of female sexuality, qualitative research on women’s feelings towards pornography has found that most women feel conflicted about their relationship with pornography. For example, in one study, a woman remarked, “I feel angry and demeaned by the whole, you know, experience of seeing pornography, and yet also being aroused by it.” Other women in the study also admitted to feeling guilty while watching porn.
This phenomenon results from what scientists call the mind-body gap. According to this theory, the conscious arousal of the mind and the unconscious arousal of the body in women are dissociated. In layman’s terms, a woman will feel physically aroused even if she is not psychologically aroused. This explains why women may have an orgasm while experiencing or watching unwanted or coercive sex.
Consent in pornography is a gray area; it is almost impossible to know if the actors in a porn video have consented and are willing participants. Porn sites feature fantasies and fetishes which are murky at best when it comes to consent. Women watching porn to learn more about their fantasies and sexual desires may find themselves simultaneously aroused and disgusted by videos depicting violent or aggressive behavior towards the female actor. Even worse, the ubiquity of these kinds of dubious videos can trick viewers into thinking that violent behavior is normal in sexual relationships.
The current state of the pornography industry is more harmful to women than it is empowering. Not only that, there are biological and psychological reasons why women do not enjoy porn as much as men do, if at all. So, women who do not watch porn, or perhaps watch porn but feel guilty or troubled by it, should not be made to feel like outcasts for their feelings and decisions. Not enjoying pornography is completely normal, valid, and, frankly, natural for women. In fact, all women are likely to experience some level of discomfort, however minor, with pornography because of the disocciation between our bodies and minds when it comes to arousal.
Women who are aware of the dark side of pornography, whether consciously or subconsciously, know that porn videos may include non-consensual acts. Without knowing for certain if the actors are engaging in a consensual sexual act, the woman will feel guilty while watching, even if, and often because, her body is aroused.
While the recent introduction of ethical porn to the industry has sought to ameliorate this aspect of pornography, it has only created two more problems. The first is that “ethical porn” has become somewhat of a buzzword in the industry, so that even porn videos which are not produced with the performer’s pleasure and boundaries in mind are being branded and marketed as ethical porn by production studios. The second problem is that adding “ethical” to the word “porn” suggests that erotic content that is not ethical is still porn. Daya Dare, a sex-positive writer and educator, explains, “In reality, X-rated content that isn’t ethical isn’t porn. It’s abuse.”
Additionally, the mind-body gap theory posits that women require a psychological stimulus in addition to a physical stimulus to truly feel at one with their sexual bodies. This is because women, specifically heterosexual women, have to consider the long-term consequences of their real-life sexual encounters—for example, pregnancy and raising a child. Sex with the wrong person can result in single motherhood or an abusive spouse. Thus, just like in her real life, a woman is more likely to become aroused when she knows and is attracted to the person’s nature than when she is only physically attracted to them.
Although pornography can feel empowering to some women and there have been improvements in the industry—namely the creation of feminist and ethical porn—women who do not watch pornography have legitimate reasons for not doing so. Women do not have to watch or enjoy pornography to feel sexually empowered, or to be respected as a sexual being. Regardless of whether a woman enjoys, dislikes, avoids, watches, reads, writes, produces, or acts in porn, she deserves respect.