Is Porn Degrading to Women?

[Rudolph Quin]

Saw this topic on another site and thought I'd get opinions here: is porn, as a business and a medium, degrading to women? Do you consider it shameful? Do you watch it regularly? If yes or no, how often do you engage in intimate acts with other people(not including roleplays online)?

 

[SweetKissHardBite]

Might be that I'm a girl but, I think that, if anything, porn its already all about uplifting women

At least mostly, unless you are into degradation in your porn, which means yes, but that's neither all porn, not exclusive to women, as a matter of fact, if 50shades of Gray points at anything, is that women like both porn and degradation too

You see, in porn, the actress is the main everything, the camera is on her, everyone wants her, everything reacts to her, she is the main attraction, to the point, the males are almost treated as dissembodied dicks (Maybe its because I'm a girl, but hey, I want to see a bit of hunk there, why only a dick?), I do get its kind of the whole First Person Fantasy thing, you are supposed to be that dick (Which might explain why it might be a bit hard (Pun intended) for me to do it

But in the end, porn is mostly about how much pleasure the Actress gets from the D, so, that might actually say a lot about Male sexuality right there and the mind behind the product

 

[SithLordOfSnark]

I don't see porn as being degrading. Its a living, just like being a cop, a lawyer or any other career.

 

[Hahvoc The Decepticon]

The only time I think it is degrading is if your partner is more into porn than they are into you.

I still remember when an ex said to me, "Yeah, I watch porn. I can't think about you all the time."

 

[Trygon]

I think the business side of it is degrading to women, but not as badly as it used to be and it's getting better.

I think being in porn degrades all but a particular kind of person's mind - One of the rare sorts who can have truly attachment-free sex.

I don't think the fact of porn, or the consumption of it, are degrading to women, though. It does indicate some interesting things about the viewer, though.

 

[Shovel]

I believe mainstream pornography can be degrading to women, depending on the genre porn you are looking at and who is producing it.

There is a niche market out there for women and couples pornography. One such place I have found is Ifeelmyself.com. In their about me section they state...

In its focus on male pleasure, mainstream pornography marginalises the female experience and often deprives it of its dignity. We want to do our part to restore the balance by creating images of female sexuality that are constructive, honest, and personal.

...But if I may be honest, artistic depictions of sexual activity makes me no longer think of the word pornography. It makes me think more along the lines of erotica. :-/

 

[Tierhund]

Lots of porn is, IMHO, but not as a whole. I know about a lot of people who'd disagree with me though. But I think like any medium, there is a mixture. Like prostitution has a dark history and prostitutes have a lot of dehumanisation from society and so they're seen as disposable and have a high assault/rape/murder rate, but many women may say that prostitution to them is a career. It really depends person to person.

Lots of female porn stars, especially starting out, get coerced into scenes and activities that they aren't actually into or comfortable with- anal, slapping, being called malicious things, etc, and if they don't go through with it they don't get paid. Lots of ex-porn stars have some very sad tales to say.

I wonder if there's a difference between professional business pornography and amateur, home-made pornography?

 

[Shiki]

Honestly I don't find porn degrading to women, but I feel a lot of people do look down on girls in the porn industry due to gender stereotypes. Also, I can imagine they get a lot of attention from guys trying to get with them and it must feel annoying.

 

[Manic]

I feel porn and for that matter stripping and prostitution is dehumanizing to women and men and I am not just talking about the men and women who are performing in the films or working in the sex industry. I think there is a "disconnect" that happens when you watch something like that.

I didn't always feel that way but as I get older I seem to find it more difficult to look at these things without feeling as though there is something very wrong with it all.

 

[pleasantlyperplexed]

I have viewed many forms of porn over the years and no I do t find it degrading at all. Some woman actually enjoy the type of stuff that other women might find "degrading," shit if the porn star wants do it then let her, it's her body, it's her life, IT'S HER MONEY.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

I feel porn and for that matter stripping and prostitution is dehumanizing to women and men and I am not just talking about the men and women who are performing in the films or working in the sex industry. I think there is a "disconnect" that happens when you watch something like that.

I didn't always feel that way but as I get older I seem to find it more difficult to look at these things without feeling as though there is something very wrong with it all.

No more disconnecting than masturbation is. I think there is a disturbing trend in this day and age for people to blur the line of fantasy/fiction and reality. Porn is a stimulating visual to get the body aroused. That's it. Nobody is saying the depictions are real or that anybody should be basing real knowledge on what happens in porn. People who do operate under that assumption will find out fairly quickly when trying to engage with a real person in real intimacy that those assumptions are wrong and produce unfulfilling results when with another person.

 

[KinkyKitten]

Might be that I'm a girl but, I think that, if anything, porn its already all about uplifting women

At least mostly, unless you are into degradation in your porn, which means yes, but that's neither all porn, not exclusive to women, as a matter of fact, if 50shades of Gray points at anything, is that women like both porn and degradation too

You see, in porn, the actress is the main everything, the camera is on her, everyone wants her, everything reacts to her, she is the main attraction, to the point, the males are almost treated as dissembodied dicks (Maybe its because I'm a girl, but hey, I want to see a bit of hunk there, why only a dick?), I do get its kind of the whole First Person Fantasy thing, you are supposed to be that dick (Which might explain why it might be a bit hard (Pun intended) for me to do it

But in the end, porn is mostly about how much pleasure the Actress gets from the D, so, that might actually say a lot about Male sexuality right there and the mind behind the product

There's only the dick so make viewers can sort of 'insert' themselves into the scene. Slight psychological ploy there. Showing the entire guy usually prevents that from happening. It's weird.
I honestly think porn, for the most part, is not degrading. Now, some scenes may be written in a way that degrades them, but not all. I think the whole 'porn degrades women' thing came from the old belief that sex is a dirty act and is only something to do with your husband. So scenes of women fucking different guys, either one on one or in groups, or of *gasp* one girl eating out another or a tranny getting it up the ass, were all seen as dirty and wrong. (Especially the last two, because of social prejudices towards homosexuality and transsexuals.) women were taught to go away from these things because they were said to be 'unladylike' and the popular, yet vague, 'wrong'. However we know much better~ I myself know sex is just sex and nothing else. It's purely pleasure, separate from religion and commitments. At least, that's how I see it. That would explain why I'm so sexually active~ ^-^' (multiple orgies every week might be a little to much but I absolutely love it <3)

 

[SweetKissHardBite]

Yeah, I know the trick, its just not that great for me, and you know I want more than that, might be the reason I tend to like orgy scenes too, its impossible to hide all the guys...
Plus there is just something awesome about seeing so many people loving it, dunno, might be just me, but I kinda love the sight as much as the action itself, maybe other girls prefer to just imagine it, but meh

 

[heartlesskitten]

Degrading? Depends on the situation and the mentality of the actresses. As long as they're doing it of their own free will, then more power to them.

I watch porn sometimes but as soon as I'm done those tabs get closed fast. Ew.

 

[ClaudiAnastasie]

I don't think it's degrading to women; if a woman chooses to go into the porn industry, she's doing that of her own free will, just as a man would. Are there consequences that may come with it? That really depends on what you consider a consequence. Anyone who puts themselves on a screen for people to see is bound to draw more attention to themselves. But going into that, a woman realizes that is the case.

 

[Manic]

I feel porn and for that matter stripping and prostitution is dehumanizing to women and men and I am not just talking about the men and women who are performing in the films or working in the sex industry. I think there is a "disconnect" that happens when you watch something like that.

I didn't always feel that way but as I get older I seem to find it more difficult to look at these things without feeling as though there is something very wrong with it all.

No more disconnecting than masturbation is. I think there is a disturbing trend in this day and age for people to blur the line of fantasy/fiction and reality. Porn is a stimulating visual to get the body aroused. That's it. Nobody is saying the depictions are real or that anybody should be basing real knowledge on what happens in porn. People who do operate under that assumption will find out fairly quickly when trying to engage with a real person in real intimacy that those assumptions are wrong and produce unfulfilling results when with another person.

Masturbation is done to one self though, you might be looking at porn or going off your own imgaination. It might be a kind of disconnect but then again it can also be a way of just getting the relase you need without screwing with anyone else - IE Using someone else's body to masturbate with instead of your own.

Porn is real though. It's not like a violent film where people are pretending to kill and be killed, Porn might happen in a staged environment but it's really happening and some of it is quite rough and violent.

I agree most sensible people would work out pretty damn quickly that Porn is not real life and most sexual experiences don't occur that way, but there are plenty who think it does.

I still feel it can be very degrading.

 

[Krimson]

 

[Diabolic Resonance]

I think a micro-issue ought to be considered as well, as it might give some much needed perspective to the overall issue here:

Would porn that is focused on a degradation/humiliation fetish be degrading to a woman who gets off on being degraded?

I suspect that answering that question, and more importantly, answering the related hows, whys and why-nots will lead to a better grasp on the matter at hand.

 

[KaitouKid5790]

Porn creates unrealistic sexual expectations. Depending on the Porn I think it can be very degrading to women, especially if it paints us as sex crazed and never being able to get enough penis. Part of it is education, if a growing young man OR woman is watching porn parents should not shame them for it, they are growing up, of course they are curious. Part of solving the problem is to demystify sex. To stop treating sex as something shameful that should never be talked about. Talk to young people, answer their questions truthfully and fully, listen to their concerns and thoughts on the matter. If Young people have nowhere to go to talk about this, they will think that what happens in Porn is what all sex is like. And that is just not true, at least after some of the porn I have seen I really, really hope not.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Porn creates unrealistic sexual expectations. Depending on the Porn I think it can be very degrading to women, especially if it paints us as sex crazed and never being able to get enough penis. Part of it is education, if a growing young man OR woman is watching porn parents should not shame them for it, they are growing up, of course they are curious. Part of solving the problem is to demystify sex. To stop treating sex as something shameful that should never be talked about. Talk to young people, answer their questions truthfully and fully, listen to their concerns and thoughts on the matter. If Young people have nowhere to go to talk about this, they will think that what happens in Porn is what all sex is like. And that is just not true, at least after some of the porn I have seen I really, really hope not.

Very very well put. Thank you, Kaitou. I agree it can create unrealistic expectations to a degree. I've been with women who didn't consider foreplay sex but didn't understand why penetration wasn't then making them scream and holler like a porn star. I think that the key is information and education, like you said. There are so many things we just don't communicate freely about in society and relationships and that bullshit is what is really damaging us.

I consider porn entertainment and nothing more. I'm not going to watch Fast and Furious and think I can suddenly do these things with a vehicle that honestly shouldn't be possible. Yes, there are people who do act out what they see in movies and porn but is that really porn or films' fault? Ignorance is not an excuse to blame the medium for someone's personal intellectual laziness and personal responsibility.

 

[Keelah Se'lai]

I like it when women are degraded and humiliated in porn, is that the same thing?

Honestly, I agree that it depends on the situation and the woman. If she enjoys it and has worked hard to get a good and stable contract then she should be empowered by that, just like any person should be when they work in a profession they enjoy. However if she feels ashamed about blowing an old git in the back in the back of a panel van in front of a camera for a few bucks to pay for her next meth hit then it's probably a little degrading... And bordering on the line of prostitution.

 

[Jolie]

A lot of porn is degrading to women, but not all.

 

[nerdfuck]

Lol no. Porn is not degrading for women. It is a job that they agree to work to make a living. I watch almost daily and engage in 'intimate acts' every other day or so.

Even porn where the woman is being degraded (ie: talked down to, smacked around, etc), it is realistically not degrading to them because they are still getting paid for the work they agreed to.

But that's not to say that porn can't be used in a degrading way, just it itself is not meant to degrade.

I agree it makes unrealistic expectations of sex and puts a lot of pressure on both men and women to fuck like a porn star. But I would say it is no more damaging to future relationships than those slutty novels or teen magazines. It's just how you use it.

 

[Asphodel Terrarium]

Erm, why women only? Porn is for men/women alike.

Well, in my opinion, it actually does degrade. Porn is where art ends. Displaying one's body as a form of expression is art. Porn is the objectification of people.

 

[TheDarkerMe]

As someone that participates as a Bondage and Fetish Model, and who once did video work - I have to say it can be degrading at times. I say at times, because most of the time those situations involved 'coercion' of some sort. But then again I have been in some sexual situations, In real life, that could be particularly degrading. Things I did not agree to, or things I was pushed into.

But in the end, I do not feel 'degraded' or 'dehumanized' as a person - simply because I did that work, and will probably do again given the right chances.

It's a release of boundaries, a step into the forbidden. I liked most of the work I have done, and it's especially fun when I can do such work with my husband. Nothing like doing something you love, fucking like rabbits, and getting paid to do it on video. As an exhibitionist... it really makes me quite tickly.