Editors Note: This story contains sensitive content such as Rape, Sexual Assault and Abuse

Pornography has been around for centuries and is not an unknown topic. It has slowly climbed its way up the social ladder and is a part of sex culture. Unfortunately, throughout the years, it strayed from a regular sex scene with a little fluff into the degradation of women. 

The minds of the youth and even adults are morphed into a preconceived idea of what women want in the bedroom. Porn degrades women and turns them into objects rather than individuals. 

Did you know that 1 in 3 videos contain depictions of sexual violence and aggression? This sets a precedent of what women are expected and supposed to do during sex. Implementing that aggravated assault is a turn-on and a must during sexual intimacy. 

It dehumanizes women into being sexual servants in the bedroom and is seen as just another moving part. According to Fight the New Drug, porn consumers are less likely to take sexual assault seriously and are more likely to entertain or even exercise it. 

We are living in a culture that openly accepts the production of child porn, violent porn, and even the fetishization of rape. It is shifting our values into a violent sexual society. Mass consumption of porn sets a standard that this is the norm. 

This is not a prudish or repressive dialogue against porn. The truth is that the pornography industry is normalizing the degradation of women and it is directly linked to sexual violence. 

Why must we normalize a toxic industry when it is actively seeking to undermine the very serious epidemic of assault. Women are not pawns in your sexual fantasies and are not created to fulfill the sexual desires of men. 

One in 5 women are victims of completed or attempted rape. 1 in 3 female victims have experienced completed or attempted rape between the ages of 11 and 17.

Statistics aren’t always imperative in making a point; however, how can one not be disgusted at the mere sight of these numbers? 

Most of the women in our lives have been affected by catcalling, sexual advances, rape and sexual assault. Porn creates a safe space for twisted sexual desires and is used as a “learning tool” for sex. 

The bare minimum is creating a safe and coessential space for sex between yourself and your partner. Remember a woman doesn’t owe you anything and just because she said yes to one thing doesn’t mean you have a greenlight in other sexual acts. 

Porn teaches people you need to be violent during sex. When a woman is hit during the production of porn, 95% of the time they respond in pleasure or are non-responsive. 

Creating the narrative that sex and violence are intertwined with one another is a dangerous principle. John Foubert, a researcher and scholar who studies the effects of porn in our society, made a great argument. 

“They question solid research because it doesn’t fit their own opinion,” said Foubert. Facts and evidence are seen as merely admissible. As a society, we have shown we put aside truths to fit our narrative and defend our behaviors. 

Before you open Pornhub or any other major platform that produces pornography, remember its effects on the women around you. 

Remember the burden it puts on women and the violence against them.

Remember that women are not objects, we are human beings, with feelings and desires that don’t revolve around the male ideology of sex. 

Maxwell can be reached at [email protected].