Pornography is one of the most valuable industries, with 28,258 users visiting internet porn sites every second.

Pornography is one of the most profitable industries, with a net worth of $97 billion, making more money than all professional basketball, football and baseball franchises including the NBA and the NFL. 

Generating roughly $12 billion dollars in annual revenue, the industry has grown excessively due to the craze surrounding internet porn. 

Over time, pornography has become more normalised in our society and amongst some people, has been deemed a ‘healthy’ form of sexual expression. Today in Australia, 99% of men under the age of 30 report accessing pornography in the last year. 

The first exposure to pornography among men is 12 years old, on average, and only 43% of teens believe porn is bad for society. 

This demonstrates the kind of societal impact porn has had on younger generations and the age in which young people, predominantly young men, are exposed. 

It isn’t abnormal for boys as young as 12 to become curious about sex, however the fact that most of these young men rely solely on pornography to educate them on intercourse is where the issue lies. 

Recent statistics show that 88% of scenes in porn films contain acts of physical aggression, and 49% of scenes contain verbal aggression. Already, young men have been exposed to this type of behaviour, leading them to believe false notions about sex and relationships. 

As time has progressed, society is noticing the influence the porn industry has had on issues such as the sexualisation of women, violent sexual acts and more.

The history of pornography dates back so early, that it’s almost impossible to pinpoint when it all began. 

It is believed an Italian man by the name of Marcantonio Raimondi was one of the first people imprisoned for presenting images of a ‘sexual nature’ in a series of erotic engravings dating back to 1524. 

As time went on and technology advanced, porn was updated to print in the 1820s and later transformed to motion pictures in the early 1900s. 

Nowadays, pornography is more accessible than ever before. Through a single click on a screen, you can become immersed in the world of fantasies, fetishes and most importantly, unrealistic expectations. 

Porn and unrealistic expectations 

Porn has had an extreme impact on the sex lives of all viewers in one way or another. One study has found a majority of porn consumers in Australia report that they have applied at least one thing they have seen in pornography in their own sex lives. Research also states that pornography can shift the sexual interests, behaviours and relationships of its users through such influence. 

Despite the overly unrealistic storyline that acts as the lead up for porn videos, most people tend to forget that pornstars are just actors and actresses. 

Most people these days have learnt about intercourse through pornography by watching and observing what is considered to be ‘normal’ in sexual relationships. Because of this, extreme unrealistic standards have been set for sex and intimacy. 

These expectations can range from the idea that women must be overly vocal during intercourse in order to enjoy it, and that women must look similar to those in the videos. 

Psychology Today has stated that in porn “there is no talking, no negotiating, no seducing and no tenderness,” which may be leading young men to “demand unrealistic levels of novelty, stimulation and excitement.” 

These kinds of unrealistic expectations have led to statistics that show that people who frequently view pornography “are likely to find their real-world partner less stimulating compared to the spectacle of porn sex.”

Women unfortunately, have had to deal with most of these unrealistic expectations that have formed from pornography, leading them to feel insecure about their bodies and their sexual desires, which has only continued to strengthen the already impractical beauty standards society has placed on women. 

Naomi Wolf, American feminist author and journalist, discusses this issue stating that, “the young women who talk to me on campuses about the effect of pornography on their intimate lives speak of feeling that they can never measure up, that they can never ask for what they want; and that if they do not offer what porn offers, they cannot expect to hold a guy.”

The high standards men have been conditioned to expect from sex due to pornography has resulted in extreme consequences for partners in relationships and marriages, whilst also having a large impact on the confidence and mental health of women. 

Porn & rape culture

The most disturbing and dangerous part of the porn industry are the acts of violence and aggression towards women, with 88% of scenes in porn films containing acts of physical aggression.

The porn industry including these dangerous acts against women and portraying it as sensuality is one of the most harmful messages to send to users, especially young men. 

In a study amongst a group of fraternity men, those who were regular users of pornography expressed a greater intent to commit rape if they knew they would not be caught as opposed to those who did not consume pornography.

Adult star Ron Jeremy, charged with the rape and sexual assault of 21 women.

Despite the counter-claim that pornography has helped decrease sexual violence by allowing people to express their fantasies/fetishes in a ‘safe space’, most studies have found it having the opposite effect. 

A 2015 meta-analysis showed “22 studies from seven countries found that internationally the consumption of pornography was heavily associated with acts of sexual aggression, among males and females.”

According to Dr Robert Johnson, “my own studies and reviews of other examinations of content suggest there a few basic themes in pornography: (1) All women at all times want sex from all men, (2) women enjoy all the sexual acts that men perform or demand, and (3) any woman who does not at first realise this can be easily turned with a little force, though force is rarely necessary because most of the women in pornography are the imagined nymphomaniacs about whom many men fantasise.”

These themes sexually objectify women for the sake of male pleasure and continue to promote an unrealistic idea of what a woman’s reaction to sex should be. This leaves men confused with why their fantasies are not being reciprocated in reality, and leaves women suffering with impractical standards that they are being punished for not meeting. 

Porn and influence on relationships

Despite porn having an obvious individual impact on men and women in society, porn also has a reputation for contributing to issues in relationships and marriages. 

Some negative impacts that pornography has on relationships are : 

  • User faces difficulty becoming sexually aroused without pornography
  • User loses interest and engages in fewer sexual experiences with partner
  • Partner may view pornography use as infidelity and a betrayal
  • Partner feels sexually inadequate and threatened 
  • Partner may feel that certain sexual activities desired by user are objectionable
  • Bother use and partner experience a decrease in relationship sexual satisfaction and emotional closeness
  • Relationship trust decreases due to dishonestly and deception about pornography use 

Men and women in marriages have normalised the idea of turning to porn on a regular basis, thinking it doesn’t have any significant influence on their relationship. However, porn has been shown to “weaken commitment in marriages because it creates an utterly false impression of what a normal body looks like and what sexual behaviour is really about.”

Researches of University of Alabama, Jennings Bryant and Dolf Zillmann, studied the effects of porn for over 30 years and found that consuming pornography can make an individual less satisfied with their partner’s physical appearance, sexual performance, sexual curiosity and affection.

Their research also discovered that users would feel not only less attracted to their partner, but critical of their appearance and attitudes towards sex. 

This not only demonstrates the ridiculous expectations pornography has placed on both men and women’s physical appearance and sexual performance, but also shows how watching porn can negatively impact partners in relationships and marriages. 

Overall, pornography has contributed to the objectification and sexualisation of women for decades, whilst setting impractical beauty standards and unrealistic, dangerous examples for sex that have resulted in the encouragement of sexual violence and aggression towards women. 

Though we are now living in a world where sex and pornography is overly accessible and normalised, it is important we become aware of the harm it has caused to both sexes and prevent any further damage. 

If you or someone you know may be struggling with addiction to pornography, contact Addiction Centre. Be sure to confide in trusted friends and family for further support.

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