Porn may be detrimental to more aspects of your life than just your socks.
The fact that pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry is sickening. Frankly, it’s a waste of money on something that most people already have at their fingertips. According to Family Safe Media, $3,075.64 is spent on pornography every second. The Internet, which provides endless opportunities for free peaks, is a porn-lover’s haven. It’s convenient and can be completely confidential, with 42.7 percent of Internet users viewing porn.
Watching porn provides a dopamine high, which is temporarily a good thing, but can be addicting.
People view pornographic material for a multitude of reasons, whether it’s to aid masturbation, materialize fantasies or even to avoid intimacy in a relationship, according to sex therapist Louanne Cole Weston. Some psychologists believe porn addicts behave just like any other addicts, needing more extreme material to satisfy their compulsions.
Frequently, people enter the X-rated industry out of desperation for cash. By supporting this industry, we are sustaining a harmful lifestyle for those who have been forced into it by unforeseen and extenuating circumstances. Without the demand for this industry, there would be no self-degrading videos to produce and these workers would find opportunities elsewhere.
Pornography is, essentially, exploitation of very intimate behavior, and it has been taken way out of context over the years. While there is no said “normal” for taste in sexual activities, there’s definitely been an increase in risky business over the years. Though illegal, child and animal pornography are just two of the many forms of harmful categories this industry has incorporated.
Porn may systematically portray women as sexually insatiable objects, but honestly, this trade depicts men and women as such.
Although casual sex is becoming more widely accepted in our culture, it’s still a personal choice and an intimate act between individuals. The triple-X business glorifies casual sexual activity and offers substantial amounts of money for those willing to exploit themselves. Pornographic films don’t show how to handle the issues casual sex can present.
Seriously, how often is condom usage demonstrated in porn?
Obviously, incorporating safe sex into the raunchiest scenes would take away from the exhilaration of the moment. However, this just further exemplifies the idea that such conduct has no consequences. It’s okay, you didn’t really contract anything — it’s just a movie.
It may be a tired argument, but porn can often provide unrealistic expectations in real life situations. From the way people look to their performance, porn depicts people as sex-driven lunatics, lacking any boundaries in what they are willing and capable of doing. When it’s time to hit the sheets, people who frequently watch porn are often disappointed in the reality of the situation.
Having a visual aid is very useful to some people and homemade sex tapes are clearly a popular trend. “Sexting” is also a growing development in recent years, which includes very obvious risks via cell phone. Another prominent practice is people posting naked or nearly-naked pictures of themselves online, which I have yet to understand.
Are you that desperate for attention?
The truth of the matter is porn provides a place for men and women to explore their sexual fantasies and view them as something tangible. Quit being so unoriginal, and experience intimacy for yourself instead of relying on other people to do it for you. If you can’t talk openly with your partner about personal matters out of fear of being rejected or ridiculed, that’s a problem in itself.
 
Gabie Bacques is a 21-year-old animal science senior from Mandeville, La. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_Gbacques. 
 
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Contact Gabie Bacques at [email protected]
  Click here to read Gabie’s thoughts on sexting