January 23, 2024
By Kylie Self
Pornography can be described as the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement. Many people may view or participate in pornography, not knowing the numerous detrimental effects of it. Today, we will focus on the effects it has on women and their mental health, and how it effects men’s views and opinions of women.
I would first like to make a disclaimer and say that not all men have these opinions and standpoints on women. When I use the word “men” in this article, I am talking about most men who view pornography, not the general population of men, unless stated otherwise.
The first effect of pornography that women are a victim of is comparison. The women in the videos, pictures, magazine covers, and so on have been heavily edited, whether with software or plastic surgery, which therefore provides an unattainable and unrealistic expectation that women may feel the need to achieve. This can lead to poor mental health, increased rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Men who view pornography may also see these women in porn, and think that the women they see in their day-to-day life need to look like that as well in order for them to find women attractive.
Second, studies have shown that pornography can increase the risk of violence and sexual assault towards women. In a chapter covering rape and pornography, the textbook for “Introduction to Sociology” explicitly states “male students who watch violent pornography in experiments later exhibit more hostile attitudes toward women”. Also, according to Fight the New Drug, those who view porn are “more likely to express an intent to rape, less likely to intervene during a sexual assault, more likely to victim-blame survivors of sexual-assault, more likely to support violence against women, more likely to forward sexts without consent, more likely to commit actual acts of sexual violence, and more willing to purchase sex”.
Lastly, pornography provides an avenue for sex trafficking. According to this article about pornography and sex trafficking, it states that “pornography moved to the number one venue of where trafficking cases were reported in the United States. Traffickers will often capitalize on the vulnerabilities of victims by using coercion methods”. They kidnap or coerce victims, give them drugs or alcohol, and then sexually abuse or assault them and put it on the internet.
Despite all of these tragic and heartbreaking facts about pornography, some people are still advocating for it. In the 1970’s, the “sexual revolution” came about, where women wanted to make a point that they enjoyed sex and had sexual desires, just like men (something that was seen as a radical idea at the time). This became the foundation for a movement that claimed to bring female sexual empowerment, when in reality, it set women up for further objectification for many years to come. In an article about the protection of pornography, it specifically mentions that “The First Amendment protects pornography, with this term being used to mean any erotic material”. So, because people see the banning of pornography as a violation of their free speech, it is still being made and distributed across the web.
Most people are against porn, for many reasons, but no matter what side you are on, porn is a degrading form of media that is extremely detrimental to not just to those who view it, but the entire population of women as well. There needs to be a change in the regulations of pornography in order for these effects to not be so prevalent.
