As we see in the rising popularity of platforms such as Only Fans, it is essential to realize the effects pornographic content can have on a committed relationship. We all know what porn is and who it is catered to, and it isn’t women. It can negatively impact a man’s perspective of the women he interacts with, even changing how he treats them.
This epidemic of pornography is ruining our relationships. To illustrate just how widespread the impact could be, a 2020 Pornography Consumption Internet Sample done by the National Library of Medicine, reports about “91.5% of men and 60.2% of women herein reported having consumed pornography in the past month.”
It is common to see insecurity form in relationships, as well as a lack of sexual satisfaction, and it can make you feel poorly about yourself. The mere idea of someone engaging in any pornographic material while in a devoted relationship feels wrong.
Generally, an individual who watches porn constantly results in their partner experiencing “lower relationship satisfaction and stability, less positive communication, and more psychological aggression” reported Naomi Brower in the article “Effects of Pornography on Relationships.”
If you are in a relationship and you watch porn, chances are your partner isn’t comfortable with it, and you’re more than likely creating a wedge between the two of you. And sure, some people have no issue with it, but regardless pornography still has an impact on your behavior and future relationships.
If you are going behind your partner’s back and lying about your actions, watching pornography is cheating and there should be some accountability. If someone you care about tells you they don’t appreciate you watching porn and you continue to do so, there is no respect in the relationship. And while you are not physically cheating, you could be inflicting emotional damage on your partner.
Put it this way, if you are lying to your significant other about porn and are worried you are going to get caught, you are being disloyal to the one you love.
According to Brower, you may even experience “difficulty becoming sexually aroused without pornography” or “increased behaviors of hooking up and infidelity,” which destroys all aspects of romance and intimacy.
We wonder why this generation is obsessed with hookup culture. Well, it could be our overindulgence in everything porn. We cannot form real connections when our perspective on sex and love is mediated by the porn industry.
And further, porn has been popularizing an unrealistic image of women and sex. In most sexual situations depicted on these sites, there is no intimacy or love, and the woman is “enjoying” whatever unorthodox version of sex is being portrayed.
While some women may genuinely enjoy these experiences, the issue is that men start believing all women are like this and want to be treated in such ways. Women are displayed as objects at men’s disposal when, in reality, most women don’t see sex as this kind of unlovable act.
Porn takes away the aspect of getting to know what your partner likes — you already think you know what they like because “you saw it in some porn.” However, each person is different, and everyone should remember that porn is not reality.
These expectations of how a woman is supposed to look and act during sex are unhealthy. And it goes both ways, women also expect men to behave a certain way because of porn, and all it does is form insecurities.
The bottom line is porn causes relationships to fall apart for more reasons than one, affecting both the user and their partner. If we continue such a fatalistic habit, we might as well forget falling in love or having real, passionate bonds with one another.
