The social world has conditioned us to be obsessed with sex and all things associated with it. We all get the awkward "birds and the bees" talk that, for the most part, scared us away from the topic of sex. Additionally, the media changes the narrative and begins to introduce sex into our lives through our favorite shows, the movies we sneak into, and through thousands of advertisements on a daily basis.
Usually, by the time we reach 11, we have most likely encountered pornography in some way. Being in elementary school and while exposed to such extreme content provides a distorted view of sex and sexuality from an early age. Growing up, we rely on these images of sexual falsehood and think, "Alright this is how it works." When in truth, we could not have a more skewed mindset. Pornography is not real life.
Porn is a multi-million dollar industry that has grown to be one of the largest components on the Internet. But, like everything in life, there is more to pornography than meets the eye; It is more damaging than it is rewarding. One of the biggest issues is the depiction of sex itself.
Male porn stars have huge penis sizes and unflattering, immediate erections. They are aggressive and seem to last for extended lengths of time during sex with ease. Young men are developing unrealistic expectations of themselves because they believe having an unrealistic penis size and long erection is necessary to have a sexual relationship. Porn itself is created by men, for men. So, much of the various videos and categories are catered to a male audience.
Female bodies in porn fit a type that appeases what most men want, large breasts, a big butt, and a flawless, hairless vagina. Procedures like labiaplasty and breast augmentations have become popular for women who are involved in the porn industry, and they possess no power other than being a sexual being at the disposal to men. The women have orgasm after orgasm (or so it seems) as their partner manhandles them. If you have ever engaged in and sexual behavior with a woman, you know that's in no way how a woman acts during sex.
Michael Castleman explains the truth here, "Only one-quarter of women reliably experience orgasm during intercourse no matter how long it lasts, no matter what size the man's penis, and no matter how the woman feels about the man or the relationship." One of the biggest insecurities that women face is they aren't normal because they do not orgasm through vaginal intercourse. In reality, only 25 percent of women can orgasm consistently, and the other 75 percent of women need a little assistance to get there.
This video does an excellent job of elaborating on the discrepancies I have mentioned above. At the end of the day, you should look at pornography as nothing more than a parody of sex that provides a severe lack of representation for the unique world we live in.
