Porn: Viewer’s discretion advised

Not one for the faint of heart, our writer delves into the world of porn and its effects…

Porn has had its ups and downs (and ins and outs) in recent years. The release of Fifty Shades of Grey means housewives and househusbands across the country have embraced their sexuality, which, rightly so, has led to many more questions about the previously unmentionable taboo of the porn industry itself. It is sexually demeaning to women? Does it set unhealthy expectations for sex and appearances?

The answer to this question surely lies in whether men and women are able to separate real life from fantasy. Many fetishes and pornography scenarios are perfectly healthy when left merely as consensually staged acts or imagined fantasies, but taken into real life these can be dangerous and damaging. There has to be a pre-existing level of maturity to deal with and view pornographic material – 18 or not, if the viewer isn’t mentally capable of distinguishing between the two then porn can certainly distort views. If you were to ask a porn star their opinion on the above questions, the response would almost certainly be a resounding “no.” If you were to ask the pope, you might burst into flames for even probing such a tender area.

From everything as near and far as fruit to fetishism, too many bananas are undeniably bad for your health.

The middle-ground – a healthy, sex-positive environment that is needed to combat the slut-shaming and victim-blaming of sexually expressive women – would suggest that everything should be taken in moderation, otherwise perceptions of sex and the human body may be twisted. From everything as near and far as fruit to fetishism, too many bananas are undeniably bad for your health. There is obviously a reason for so many women being self-conscious about breast size, bottom size, and, perhaps most unnervingly, vagina size. Figures from the Guardian show that the Harley Medical Group, a leading cosmetic surgery provider in the UK, received more than 5,000 enquiries for cosmetic gynaecology in 2010. Alongside tightening and reshaping, 65 percent of these were for labial reduction. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Penis sizes have been the butt (or at least that general location) of jokes for many years. There is a medically recognised condition known as Penile Dysmorphia, with options for drugs and surgery for penis enlargement existing for decades.

Photo: Redjar/Flickr

Most of my male friends had no clue when asked – or why exactly I was asking them – that the average erect penis length is in fact 5.5 inches. Porn can be sexually demeaning to both men and women. It is strange in itself that male genitalia is a far less taboo topic than female, and this could, alongside these ridiculous expectations for bodies and intercourse, be drilled into society by the very industry that deals with them.

However, pornography is a billion-dollar consumable item, and, like many goods, is regulated, retailed, and recalled. Rules and limitations ensure that mainstream pornography is safe and consensual, but, like anything, it can be twisted to reach an end f a r less pleasurable than originally intended. Pornography is an important feature of many a person’s or couple’s sex lives, and despite facing a few humps in the road, there seems to be no valid reason why this would be otherwise. In moderation, sexual exploration and satisfaction is healthy, and can even contribute to the level of maturity needed to not only discuss topics as taboo as porn, but, for me, to resist the urge to just end this article with the word “willies”.