IMPACT OF PORNOGRAPHY FOR WOMEN

DATA FROM PORNHUB,

which has more than 15 million monthly visitors, indicates that a third of the regular users are female. While young men who watch pornography have struggled with erectile dysfunction and feelings of inadequacy, it is now being reported that young women also struggle with healthy intimacy, pain during sex and plummeting libidos.

One woman reported she was distracted in work with flashbacks from the images of the pornography she had viewed. She also described feeling disappointed by the actual sexual acts as she was comparing real sex life to pornography sex. This created anxiety around sex, which resulted in discomfort and tenseness. Another woman indicated she agreed to more aggressive sexual acts as she wanted to keep her partner interested in her.

Some therapists are suggesting that pornography is being normalized and if a person is not watching it, they are considered abnormal. A psychosexual specialist reported that the increasingly extreme nature of adult content is making younger women afraid of sex. Another concern is women who are watching it regularly, are often comparing their bodies or their sexual performance to what they are watching.

A gynecologist reported that younger female patients are struggling with vaginismus – a fear of vaginal penetration, which causes the muscles to tighten involuntarily. She reported that she is unclear if pornography is directly responsible, however did indicate that watching pornography increased anxiety around sex.

Some assert that pornography creates a message that sex is a person’s most valuable asset and in order to belong you must be overtly sexual and willing to do whatever sexual act that is asked of you. Some studies report that adolescents who look at sexualized images and pornography, are more likely to develop anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

Interestingly, Pornhub data from 2015 showed female viewers were 100 times more likely to search for terms such as “rough” or “hardcore”, when compared to men.

Watching explicit videos triggers a surge in brain chemicals responsible for pleasure and reward, dopamine, which also happens during sex. Over time, the brain becomes desensitized to the dopamine’s effects, which means the user must seek out increasingly unrealistic or extreme content to feel good. This also means they find it difficult to become aroused during real sexual encounters.

Whether you think you have an addiction to pornography or are finding yourself struggling with anxiety around your sexuality, therapy can be helpful for working through these issues to help become empowered in your sexuality.