. . . Did I get your attention?
My first semi-exposure to pornography happened when I was in fifth grade. I was with some of my friends (all girls), and one of them mentioned that the other day she had Googled porn. I, being an innocent youngster, thought she said corn. I didn’t understand the big deal. It’s just corn.
“What’s that?” I whispered to my other friend, thinking I must have misheard.
“Porn,” she said. “It’s like naked women.”
Image courtesy of gunnars.com
Some are exposed earlier than that, whether it happens on the Internet, at home, or in schools. Can you imagine a young 8-year-old looking up pornography? Some may be exposed to pornography by accident, a misspelling or an innocent seeming link. Some may be exposed due to bullying, being told that unless they looked at pornography, they would be tormented. Some turn to pornography due to a lack of relationships. Some turn to pornography just because it seems like everyone else is.
Each person either has personal experience, or knows someone who has personal experiences with pornography. It has somehow incorporated itself into daily lives, normalized itself, broken down the shock element. It is no longer surprising to people to see a pornographic image, or at least, not as surprising or traumatizing as it has been in the past.
I want you to know that pornography is not normal. It is addictive, it is damaging, and we need to be working to stop the spread of pornography.
Pornography is a drug. In fact, there is a movement now, an organization called Fight the New Drug. The purpose of this group is to spread awareness of the effects of porn, and to support love. Now, some of you may be saying, “Sydney, pornography is not a drug. It’s just something to be watched sometimes.” No, nope, nope, nope. Pornography affects the portion of your brain that leads you to making decisions, and creates a pleasure sense throughout your body, the same way drugs do. This leads to you feeling like you need to have pornography in your life in order to achieve that pleasurable feeling.
Image courtesy of Fight the New Drug
So, what’s the deal with pornography? It’s just naked people, right? We have classic art that is nude. It’s just people having sex right? There are sex scenes in movies and television now, so that must not be a big deal. It’s just promoting violence and aggression in relationships, right? Oh, wait, that’s not OK.
Pornography is harmful to the user and the partner. Have you ever had your heart broken as you looked at one of your biggest heroes to see a dead look in their eyes because of the shame they had due to a pornography addiction? Have you had to watch an eight-year-old become exposed to something so vulgar because of talk on the playground? Have you ever had to remind someone of their beauty, despite what they may have seen in a pornographic video or image? Have you ever had to help a friend realize her value and worth as a person because her ex-boyfriend stopped seeing her as a person and more as an object there just for his use? Have you had to listen to someone try to recover from abuse due to a pornography addiction? Have you ever had to help a person recognize the reality they are in, currently, and that what they see on the screen is not real, is not normal?
Pornography hurts. It may feel great in the moment, but the effects of it are damaging and long-lasting. Pornography is not real, pornography is not normal, and pornography is killing.
What you see in pornography are sometimes actors, sometimes not. Either way, what is presented on the screen is not realistic. The people portrayed in pornography are designed or created to look unrealistic, kind of like a Barbie doll. What you see is not even the true version of the actors or others, so why continue using pornography as a way to judge reality?
Image courtesy of The Abolitionist Movement
Remember when I said that sometimes the people in pornographic materials are not actors? The link between human sex trafficking and pornography is becoming more apparent. Many females who are taken in sex trafficking are often sold to pornography creators, and then drugged to be placed in the film. The sex is not consensual. These people are not being given a choice. When did we, as a society, become okay with this? Are we okay with this?
Though society has tried to make pornography normal or common, it is not. Pornography is damaging, it is addicting, and it can kill relationships. Fight the New Drug has a saying, “Porn kills love. Fight for love.” We should all be trying to find love with real people, not fake actors or drugged humans who are portraying something far from any reality we can achieve in this life.
If you or someone you know struggles with a pornography addiction, know that you can get help. There are many resources for overcoming this addiction, as well as others. You do not have to fight this alone. Pornography makes you feel as though you can’t share this with anyone, but you can turn to others and get help.
Let’s stop normalizing pornography and treat it is it truly is: a drug. Let’s take a stand and fight against it.
Note: This post was not in any way sponsored by Fight the New Drug. They just have tons of facts, information, and images available to the public.
