The unrealistic portrayals of sex and the human body in the porn industry
Although there are some genres that are more realistic, such as female oriented sexually explicit material, most sexually explicit material does not show a realistic portrayal of what sex is like. Indeed, sometimes it is the opposite.
How common it is for some sexual acts to occur in heterosexual couples, such as threesomes and anal sex, tends to be distorted in sexually explicit material. The female orgasm is often not portrayed realistically. In porn, females often orgasm easily, quickly, and in any position. This is not realistic.(For more information on female orgasms check out this previous installment of Talk Nerdy to Me).
Sexually explicit material is also unrealistic in its representation of human anatomy. Most people do not have a ‘porn star’ body, so it is unrealistic to expect your partner to have one. Those in pornography often have larger than average breasts and penises. Additionally, unlike in sexually explicit material, most women do not fully remove their pubic hair. The concern surrounding such unrealistic portrayals is that people will think that pornography is reality and then expect sex to be exactly like what they see in those materials, but for many this is not the case.A study done at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia found that most people are aware that sexually explicit material is unrealistic. The researchers discovered that more exposure to sexually explicit material was connected to more accurate knowledge of anatomy and sexual behaviours.
This study demonstrates that people’s sexual knowledge and attitudes are influenced by many sources and sexually explicit material is just one of them. Other important aspects, including the ability to be a critical viewer of media, impact how people understand the content of sexually explicit material.
Photo by Tasha Falconer