When most people in our culture think about pornography and who is accessing it online, their thoughts automatically go to the male population. Would it surprise you to know that women represent 30% of the internet pornography consumers (Internet Pornography Statistics, 2008; Nielsen/NetRatings, April 2005)? It is time to stop with the “old school” thinking that it is just a “man” issue and take a look at not only the increased activity with women and pornography, but also the impact that it is having on them and their lives.
Women have greater access to information, laws, and resources that foster sexual health and expression, but we can’t be naïve not to acknowledge these advantages against other realities that women will face. Women today are introduced into a society with more sexually explicit messages that encourage risky and impulsive behaviors. Here are just a few examples of the powerful influences she will be facing as she surfs the Internet:
- Sexualized messages
- Sex crimes
- Online sexual predators
- Internet dating services
- Sexualized cyber bullying which will make her world more sexually distorting, daunting, and aggressive than ever before in her early stages of her development
Women as Objects: What They View and Its Impact
So how is this happening and why are women becoming more and more consumed with Internet pornography? The sex industry and pornography are gaining greater acceptance and presence in our culture. What use to be culturally unacceptable has it become more of the norm? The rapid growth of Internet usage has been identified as the primary reason for the exponential increase in pornography use and production, as well as compulsive sexual behaviors related to pornography use.
Women are more saturated today with sexual messages and are buying into the distorted marketing that a provocative woman is ideal. For example, this might include pressure for women to make out with other females so that men think they are “open-minded” and “cool” at high school and college parties. These activities, among others, can send a normalizing sexual abuse acceptance because of seeing it eroticized in pornography. These are thoughts and activities that they would have never entertained in the past, but can now feel like it is necessary at times to be accepted.
Women as Consumers: A Growing Trend
Men use to be the main consumers of pornography and women were the objects of the images. It is now more common that women are producing, viewing and interacting with the sex industry than ever before in its history. Their time, energy, and thoughts are being seriously impacted as they too spend countless hours lost in the world of fantasy and also, at times, in shame hoping they can measure up to what they view.
Some of the consequences of the increase in women viewers are:
- Insecurities
- Body image issues
- Sexual anxieties
- Relationship difficulties
What makes some women willing to accept this more than others? Women who had suffered sexual trauma were more accepting of pornography than women who had not suffered sexual trauma (Broman, 2003). Of course, not all women who suffered sexual trauma ventured into pornography but it certainly opened the door to either have their boundaries become more tolerant that this type of behavior is normal based on what they experienced or to use pornography to numb the hurt they continue to feel from their trauma.
The Impact of Porn on Women
There are women, like some men, who will feel that there is no harm in viewing pornography and that their viewing patterns are controllable. What they might not consider is that once the door is open, they become more vulnerable to a potential addiction and an extensive array of other traumas that can stay with them the rest of their lives.
These statistics and facts are both alarming and sad but reinforce how dangerous it is for women to get caught up in the world of pornography:
- Diminished trust in intimate partners, decreased desire to be sexual exclusively with a partner, increased risk of developing a negative body image, acceptance of promiscuity as a normal state of interaction, views love in a cynical manner.
- In the US, one in four adolescent females (ages 14- 19) is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease, and 15 percent have more than one sexually transmitted disease (Altman, 2008).
- Every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted (including rape, attempted rape and other sexually violent felonies), and every eight minutes, someone in the U.S. is raped (RAINN, 2008).
- Women make up 80 percent of humans trafficked and 70 percent of these women are used for sexual purposes (e.g. prostitution) (McGinnis, 2007).
Conclusion
Those that think pornography is harmless entertainment or a martial aid have clearly never been exposed to individuals, couples, or families who are reeling from its devastating effects. Many women are seeking out mental health counselors for issues related to these trends and the manner that it affects their relationships, sexuality, self-esteem and their identity as women. The days of looking at pornography as only a “man” issue are over and it is time to step up and create awareness so that women can see how destructive and impactful this will be in their lives. Otherwise, we will be creating a culture where women lose their identity, value and worth for something that will leave them even more broken and hurt.
References:
- Altman, L.K. (March 12, 2008). Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenage Girls. In The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2008 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/science/12std.html?WT.mc_id=.
- Broman, C.L. (2003). Sexuality Attitudes: The impact of trauma. Journal of Sex Research, 40 (4), pp.351-357.
- McGinnis, E. The Horrifying Reality of Sex Trafficking. Retrieved June 13, 2007 from http://www.beverlylahayeinstitute.org
- RAINN (June, 2008). How often does sexual assault occur? Retrieved June 17, 2008 from http:// www.rainn.org/print/287
© Copyright 2010 by Janie Lacy, LMHC, NCC, CSAT, therapist in Maitland, Florida. All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish granted to GoodTherapy.org.
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