For years, pornography has been widely available, mostly free and easily accessible. With the touch of a button on our cell phones or laptops, we have access to anything we could want to watch. Although some may argue that pornography is a normal part of one’s sexual desires or fantasies, it is more harmful than we make it out to be. Pornography creates a false image of sex – one that is violent, hardcore and less intimate.

There are a few categories of pornography that are specifically designed for the female audience, with most of the categories being designed for men. These categories display gruesome acts of violence toward women, characterizing them solely as sexual beings. Some of the most violent categories of pornography include, but are not limited to, gangbang, hardcore, facial abuse, slave bondage and submissive. These categories are not only degrading of women; they portray the female body as a sexual object. This type of hardcore pornography routinely normalizes male dominance, creating the ideology that women must remain submissive in the bedroom.  

It’s quite unfortunate that pornography websites such as Pornhub are accessible to those under the age of 18, even though it was originally invented strictly for adult viewers. When teens are exposed to such sexually explicit videos online, their concept of sex drastically changes. Teenage boys who are exposed to pornography then grasp onto the concepts shown in the videos that are available to them, teaching them it is acceptable to perform harsh penis-vaginal intercourse and that all women enjoy violent penetration. They then grow up and become men, still accustomed to the idea that sex is far from intimate – that it’s acceptable to treat a woman’s body like property and to see females only as sexual objects that are catered to male desires.

When it comes to sex in relationships, those who have been exposed to pornography already have a preconceived notion of what sex entails. Pornography has created many expectations that are nearly impossible to meet, making men feel dissatisfied that their partner cannot perform in the ways they have seen online. The reality is, what you see in pornography isn’t real. These actors have been trained to perform in such unrealistic sexual activities to gain more viewers and appeal to a particular audience. 

Sex is meant to be intimate, romantic and something sacred and special shared between you and your partner. In every relationship, the sex life varies because not everyone has the same desires or fantasies as others. Unfortunately, due to the immediate access of such vulgar videos online, pornography has created unrealistic expectations and standards of sex.

 It is evident that pornography degrades women and creates countless unrealistic standards and sexual expectation pertaining to sex. Not only does it normalize sexual violence toward women, it demonstrates the notion that it’s acceptable to treat women with disrespect – without boundaries. Pornography objectifies women to the point where it dehumanizes females, casting their role in the bedroom as submissive and purely meant to fulfill the wants and needs of their male partner. Pornography falsely shows men how they should view women: as submissive, obedient and vulnerable.