Pornography
Most people will have a look at porn at some point in their life. We know that sometimes when young people don’t get good sex and relationships education in school, they may turn to pornography to get some of the answers they need.
We can learn good and bad things from porn but there can be a lot of wrong messages given out. You really need to be over 18 to watch porn but because the internet is so easy to access and use, we know that some young people are watching it at a younger age.
SO, here are some things that are useful to know.
Porn stars are actors
People taking part in most pornography are paid actors and they are doing things to entertain the people watching it. Some of the things that happen aren’t really common in every day sex, but watching lots of porn can make people believe they are.
Porn stars’ bodies are not always realistic
The actors in porn often look a certain way and certainly don’t look like the people we see everyday. Women often have big breasts, perfect nails, long hair and no hair in their pubic area. The men normally have big muscles, a six pack and a bigger than average penis. This is because it’s for entertainment and doesn’t reflect real life.
Porn can be negative
Stuff shown in porn can be very negative towards women and does not give out good messages about equality. Often in extreme porn there can be violence or people are forced to do things. This isn’t what should happen in a normal relationship.
Porn is fantasy, not real life
Nobody really talks about what they like or don’t like in porn. In real life, in a positive relationship, this is a very important part of intimacy. In fact, a lot of the time the women are asked to do things that most women wouldn’t like to do in sex. This ‘fantasy’ side of porn is what can make it entertaining to some people but it’s important to know the difference between fantasy and real life. Some porn will show two women having sex together. This is not lesbian porn but provided for the entertainment of straight men.
Porn doesn’t often show ‘safe’ sex
You don’t normally see condoms in porn either, or in fact any conversations about unwanted pregnancy or STIs. Again, this is because it isn’t real life, and the actors taking part get tested regularly, sometimes as much as once a month!
Porn is an industry
Making porn films is big business. Many people – lesbian, gay and straight – take part. For many of them it is not a nice experience and some might have been exploited or badly treated.
