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Kyle Bogert
Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
3/30/2015

The Moans and Groans of Pornography

Living beings have three natural survival instincts: eat, sleep, and reproduce. While
eating and sleeping are parts of everyday life, why has sex become the human races greatest
taboo? Why has civilized society chosen to look down on this beautiful aspect of our biological
development? However, because sex is so forsaken, it has also became the worlds greatest
fascination. Sex has very deep and secure roots in our society, from suggestive images of
beautiful women in the media, to illegal prostitution and sex trafficking. With the oncome of the
internet, pornography rose to the forefront of this sexual culture. The more connected the youths
of America are to the internet, the easier it has become to access this library of adult videos. Porn
is only tightening its grip on America as more free sites are becoming popular. Yet, contrary to
popular belief, porn isnt necessarily a bad thing. Viewing sexual content releases dopamine in
the brain, causing a sort of feel good sensation in the brain that can become a stress reliever for
many Americans, not just teenagers (Hilton, Watts). The dangers only arise when the desire to
indulge in these pleasures overpowers all other motives, as porn can become addicting and cause
deteriorations in the brain.
Should teens watch porn?
Many parents struggle with this question, and while it is a very uncomfortable situation to
catch or be aware of their child partaking in these acts, porn isnt a slippery slope leading them to

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partake in unhealthy sexual relationships. Most young adults will view pornography before
turning 18. In a survey concerning college aged men and women, 87% of men and 31% of
women view pornography (Hilton). Almost all of these men and women will go on to have
healthy sexual and emotional relationships. The key factor for parents comes with the most
dreaded talk when they begin to notice their son or daughter begin to experience a fascination
with the opposite sex. Teens will attempt to imitate what they have viewed and parents or a more
experienced role model should fill in the gaps. For example, only about a third of the industry
wears condoms in favor of resorting to a pull out method of orgasm. This is very dangerous as
not many teenage boys are capable of the timing involved in this feat, so a condom is necessary
not just to prevent pregnancy but will also stop the spread of any diseases their first partner may
be carrying. Also, while porn will vividly display the basics (what goes where , possible
positions, etc.) the teenagers must be aware that what they are viewing is not how sex will be
like. Their first sexual experience will be clumsy, awkward, and an all-around horrifying and
degrading experience. Carrying these expectations into the bedroom may hinder performance
and create a negative outlook concerning sexual matters. Teen males can be so stressed it
becomes impossible to become erect, not only damaging the males ego but also causing the
female to believe she is not sexy enough for her partner. This trauma has been known to lead
teens to depression and cause further difficulties with sexual matters.
Porn and Sexual Fetishes
To state it bluntly, what porn he watches influences what types of sexual activities he will
want to or will take part in. For example, if one male grows up watching anal pornography
(which has become more of a standard practice in mainstream porn) that male will likely push
his partner to have anal sex. This relatively innocent fact doesnt seem particularly dangerous,

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those who watch porn with a lot of blondes will seek blondes, those who watch porn with
African Americans, will seek intercourse with African Americans. The scary part comes when
compared to the most searched and most viewed types of pornography. The worldwide most
commonly searched porn category is teen, basically all porn containing teenage male or female
actors. While this is mostly caused by teenagers themselves looking for porn more relatable to
their own experiences, there are still older adults still infatuated by these emerging adults and
fantasizing about having sexual intercourse. There is a large category of porn involving older
men having intercourse with barely legal teens, and also young attractive men doing the same to
older women. Taken to another level, researchers found an 85% correlation between those who
are viewers of child pornography and those who commit sexual acts with a minor (Bourke and
Hernandez). The most horrifying finding by far is the amount of violence in pornography that is
directed to their female actors. 88% percent of pornographic videos contain some aggressive
acts, whether verbal or physical, towards women. This has led to many questions aimed at the
industry and society in general. For example, has our society become desensitized to crimes such
as sexual assault or rape from the majority of our population being exposed to these acts online
in their younger years? Are these videos awakening mens sexual desires to injure a woman or
force her to commit sexual acts? Are we losing sympathy for the victims of sexual assault with
the simple reasoning that they deserved it?
Your Brain on Porn
Researchers are only recently studying the effects of pornography on our society. For
many years the leaders of the porn industry have simply brushed off any accusations as only
being from moral or religious reasons. However with such a large majority of the population
viewing pornography how could it not impact society? Rather than an emotional/moral

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standpoint, can porn affect viewers on a biological standpoint? Yes it can, in the exact same way
gambling, overeating, and heroin affect the brain. When porn is viewed, dopamine is released in
the brain (Hilton, Watts). With continuous doses of dopamine, the dopamine receptors become
less effective and require stronger releases to reach the euphoria previously obtained, similar to
drugs that affect the dopamine system. The brain succumbs to a natural addiction and craves
more sexual content to reach its high. During a study on addicts that display compulsive sexual
desires, scans of their brains showed deterioration in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is in
charge of impulse control, leading to the patients inability to withdraw themselves from sex.
These same degenerations were found in patients with eating and drug disorders. With all this
evidence, researchers and society should begin looking at pornography from a sociological and
biological perspective instead of our moral judgement.
Porn and Relationships
A pornography addiction can devastate a relationship, or ignite a new flame in the sexual
lives of the partners. Pornography and masturbation can leave a man feeling wanting while
having sex. Chronic masturbators are used to an endless stream of women at their fingertips. The
speed at which they are capable of masturbating far surpasses what they can reach in the
bedroom, so the stimulation isnt as extreme or fulfilling. This could cause difficulties becoming
or staying erect. Reaching orgasm becomes near impossible with a single girl. The female
partner feels unwanted and ugly, the male partner loses his sense of masculinity. This creates a
rift in their relationship and they lose their lust for each other. A strong sexual base can support a
healthy relationship, but the loss of desire could destroy one. Women can also feel as though
their partner is cheating on them by viewing porn. They can lose trust in their partners if they
need to view other women nude. Inversely though, using pornography as a spark and

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incorporating it into foreplay can help get both partners in the mood. By including the partner
in this sexual experience will show them the enjoyment and include them in the lust rather them
isolating them.
An emerging category in pornography is faux-incest where two actors that have similar
physical traits portray brother and sister or parent and child on film. If a teen were to just
discover this porn living in a household with a sibling and parent of the opposite sex, unhealthy
sexual feelings could develop in this young adult just finding his sexuality.
One of the more depressing aspects of being an actor for the porn industry is trying to
form new relationships or hold onto old relationships. As one would imagine, porn stars are
stigmatized in society. There arent many people who are willing to have their boyfriend or
girlfriend have sex with other people as a career. Many actors lose touch with old friends and
family, and even after they have left the industry they will always have the label of porn star
hanging over their heads. At a professional level, many ex porn stars are rejected when searching
for a new job. Companies dont want to be associated with the porn industry, and ex actors have
been known to be fired from their jobs when clients or management have recognized them from
their days on film.
How Successful is the Porn Industry?
The porn industry makes more than Hollywood. In 2007, porn had amassed $13 billion in
profits. Hollywood made $8.8 billion that same year (Bridges and Wosnitzer). How did porn
become so successful though? Online sites make millions every year simply from the demand for
more porn. 13,000 pornographic videos are produced each year with the United States being the
leading producer of porn (Stop Porn Culture). Every week the U.S can pump out over 400

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videos, and its viewers are only demanding more. Online, pornographic content is searched for
on average 68 million times per day (Stop Porn Culture).
Porn Stars
What motivates men and women to become porn stars? Are female porn actresses solely
mindless sluts that cant hold a job in an honest society and their only redeeming feature is there
body which they must sell in order to make money? Did some manager or photographer trick
them into erotic shoots in order to kick off a modeling job? More realistically, these men and
women simply enjoy sex, their career is pursuing something they love. During an interview with
the Huffington Post, porn actress Dylan Ryan stated that she uses porn to express her sexuality.
Women don't have many opportunities to express their sexuality and what is positive for them
sexually, and it's felt empowering to represent myself and my sexuality and know that other
women are going to see that and see me enjoying myself, me being present and in my body, and
imagine that there is a space for them to be sexual without shame (Ryan). Inversely, many men
will think that being a porn is a dream come true, unfortunately there are a lot of rigors that come
with the job. To begin with, having difficulties getting up for work doesnt just mean being on
time. Male porn stars are expected to stay erect for the duration of the shooting, for however long
that may be. To the director it doesnt matter if the girl is unattractive, the shooting area is cold,
he is in an uncomfortable position, he was paid to stay erect until the director signals for the
money shot. Also, Male porn stars also are paid significantly less than their female costars
(Tibals). This is because the industry is directed almost exclusively to male consumers. The male
actor is defined on set simply by his penis, while the female costar is who the viewers want to
see.
The Sexual Revolution

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A form of pornography that is starting to claw its way up to mainstream acceptance,
erotic novels have started topping best seller lists. This sudden spike in interest is caused by two
factors, e-books and E.L. James. E.L. James is the author of the erotic trilogy 50 Shades of Grey,
and also the worlds highest earning author. Women flocked to this new series as a way to enjoy
the sexuality of the story without having to delve into the graphic imagery involved. Even more
surprising, this trilogy wasnt about the explicit intimate relationship of two lovers. 50 Shades of
Grey is the story of a college aged girl an older man who introduced her to bondage. This wasnt
the romantic tale of Dear John, this was a millionaire using a girl as his toy. Women were drawn
in by this novels ability to capture their sexual fantasies without the gross imagery.
Erotica has been around long before porn, so why has one trilogy made it possible for
thousands of new authors to start producing their own works of lust and love? E-books have
made it possible to buy and view these new erotic novels without the shame of purchasing one
from a store or being caught reading these novels. A new sexual revolution is happening in these
online book stores. With a quick search for erotica on the amazon online book store, an
astonishing 240,000 books were found.
More than just inspiring new authors, E.L. James is now inspiring her readers to try new
things in the bedroom. A recent article from the NY Post states that sales in BDSM toys has
increased by 92% since the release of 50 Shades of Grey. Following the theory that readers will
want to mimic the erotica they are consuming, as more authors incorporate different types of
sexual play, more women are going to incorporate those acts into their own relationships. There
is a danger associated with this play however, as BDSM can be dangerous if mistreated.
Handcuffs and rope can cut off circulation to the hands, whips can do more damage than their
partner can handle. While all these new experiences may seem exciting, the familiar emotions

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felt as an onlooker to these activities may seem foreign and even scary when actually blindfolded
and handcuffed, completely helpless against your partners whims.
Conclusion
Pornography is not a moral or religious issue. Pornography and its effects need to be
studied in a more scientific manner to fully understand the impact it has on society and culture.
Why has this particular enterprise become so profitable? Humans will continue to indulge in
whatever makes them feel good, and with porn being so accessible and convenient, there is no
reason not to view porn whenever the opportunity arises. While kept in check, porn and
masturbation are great for relieving stress and helping to unwind after a long day. The dangers
arise when every free moment is used to watch porn. Porn addiction can become as serious as
drug addiction, and relationships will suffer because of it. People should become more aware of
the dangers that chronic porn use could lead to, but porn is not a bad thing.

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Work Cited
Hilton, Donald L., and Clack Watts. Pornography Addiction: A Neuroscience Perspective.
Surgical Neurology International. Medknow Publications. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3050060/?report=classic.
Flood, Michael. The Harms of Pornography Exposure Among Children and Young People.
Wiley, 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.librarylink.uncc.edu?
doi/10.1002?car.1092/edpf.
Our Culture Is Porn Culture. Facts and Figures. Stop Porn Culture, 04 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Mar.
2015. http://stoppornculture.org/about/about-the-issue/facts-and-figures-2/.
Ghose, Moushumi. The Good and Bad Sides of Porn. GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. , 22
June 2011. Web 7 Mar. 2015. http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/good-bad-sides-porn/.
Isaacson, Betsy. "Why These 3 Women Chose To Go Into Porn -- And How The World Treats
Them Because Of It." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Tibals, Chauntelle, Dr. "The Unsexy Truth about Porn Actors."@menshealthmag. Web. 27 Apr.
2015.
Velez, Natasha, Gabrielle Fonrouge, and Natalie O'Neill. "'Fifty Shades of Grey' Whips Sex-toy
Sales into a Frenzy." Web. 27 Apr. 2015.