03/05/2024
Copied from Theresa Daley:
ARTICLE FROM FIGHT THE NEW DRUG:
The P**n Industry Doesn’t Just Sell S*x, It Sells Violent Abuse of Women
Endless violence in mainstream p**n
One team of researchers analyzed hundreds of the most popular p**n scenes and found that 88.2% contained physical violence or aggression, while 48.7% contained verbal aggression.3 Another study estimated that nearly 40% of videos analyzed on P**nhub contained visible aggression or violence, while 25% contained verbal aggression.4 And yet another study suggested that 45.1% of P**nhub videos and 35.0% of videos on XVideos depicted violence or aggression.5 And as each of these studies agreed, women were almost always the targets.
The demand for violent, hardcore material has never been higher—just look at P**nhub’s 2021 annual report. P**n showing men being abused is a popular category that shouldn’t be ignored, though it’s important to note that this is a niche fe**sh category and not as “mainstream” as abuse of women.
Some studies examine violence in p**n through content analysis. Others estimate prevalence by surveying consumers about the frequency of certain behaviors in the p**n they watch. For instance, a recent Australian study showed that 70% of young people often saw men in dominant roles. Additionally, 34% witnessed women being verbally abused, and 11% reported frequently observing nonconsensual violence against women. Thirteen percent reported occasional exposure to aggressive nonconsensual s*x in p**n, indicating that 1 in 4 young people had repeated exposure within a year.6
Related: 4 Ways P**n Can Warp the Way Women View Themselves
The amount of violence in p**n is troubling. Equally disturbing are the portrayed reactions to that violence. In one study, 95% of violence targets in p**n either appeared neutral or seemed to respond with pleasure.7 In other words, p**n is sending the message that s*xual violence is just a part of s*xual pleasure.
Live Presentations
Violence in p**n isn’t an exception. It embodies entire genres on p**n sites.
Viewing it this way, p**n stands in stark contrast to the victim-advocate world that society claims to strive for. The p**n industry normalizes a system where millions associate victimization, abuse, and s*xual violence with arousal and entertainment.
And in some cases, this normalized violence can transfer to the real world.
How does constant violence impact everyday p**n consumers?
So how does this normalization of s*xual violence affect p**n consumers? Well, according to neuroscientific studies, with repeated exposure to p**n, consumers can become desensitized to some s*xual content. They may need to consume increasingly extreme content to get the same rush as before.8
Related: Does the P**n Industry Really Care About Empowering Women?
By watching scene after scene of dehumanizing or violent content, it can start to seem normal.910 In fact, research indicates that p**n consumers are more likely to objectify and dehumanize others s*xually,111213 more likely to express an intent to r**e,14 less likely to intervene during a s*xual assault,1516 more likely to victim-blame survivors of s*xual assault,1718 more likely to support violence against women,1920 more likely to forward s*xts without consent,21 and more likely to commit actual acts of s*xual violence.22232425
Related: 99.3% of Surveyed Women and Girls Report Experiencing S*xual Violence
In 2016, a team of leading researchers performed a meta-analysis of quality studies on the connection between p**n and s*xual violence. After analyzing relevant studies on the topic, they concluded that the research left “little doubt that, on the average, individuals who consume p**nography more frequently are more likely to hold attitudes conducive to s*xual aggression and engage in actual acts of s*xual aggression.”26
It’s evident that supporting an industry normalizing nonconsensual situations contradicts the empowerment of abuse survivors in our society. The industry, without apology, fe**shes what people speak out against daily.
Become A Fighter
Changing the culture means changing our consumption
The p**n industry exploits the issues of s*xual assault, abuse, and nonconsensual s*xual encounters for entertainment and profit.
The research focus is not to directly blame p**n for all s*xual abuse or assault cases. Instead, it emphasizes that p**n creates an environment where society tends to dismiss abuse and assault survivors.
“If we want these experiences to decrease, we must begin to change our culture… We must recognize that objectification, r**e culture, p**nography, s*xual violence, prostitution, and s*x trafficking must be addressed and the links between them made known,” says Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Center on S*xual Exploitation.
Related: How P**n Can Promote S*xual Violence
This involves considering what we consume and watch and acknowledging the s*xually exploitative material we have allowed to be normalized in our society and lives. This includes considering when we have been upset by hearing about a s*xual abuse or assault situation, yet not by the abuse and objectification of men and women in p**nography.
In addressing the issue of gender equality, s*xual exploitation, harassment, and abuse in our society, we must address the ways that p**n promotes inequality and feeds into the damaging narrative that women are objects to be used or s*xual means to an end.
Fortify
Given what research is showing about p**n normalizing violence, it’s worth considering the facts before consuming.
Related: How the P**n Industry Profits From Nonconsensual Content and Abuse
This isn’t a moral argument, nor is it some kind of strategy for censorship or banning p**n. It’s simply something we invite you to consider.
It won’t be easy to change the culture that surrounds us, but it is important that we do. Standing against violence toward women and girls means standing against their s*xual exploitation and the normalization of their abuse.
