Let’s talk about porn

For so many adults, their first exposure to sex was through entertainment. From movies, books, music, and other media, most of us learn about sex from actors and characters.

When I was in high school in the 90s, my friends would sneak in Playboy magazines in their school bags and we would giggle at the centrefolds.

As for explicit pornographic videos — what we called ‘blue movies’ — those were also something we would have to sneak to watch using the VCR.

The overall access to pornographic material was very limited to us, and so was any real information about sex. We certainly were not allowed to talk to the adults about it, so for the most part, we had to depend on our forbidden stash.

Flash forward to modern days where, with the advent of the World Wide Web, video are literally at our fingertips on our phones, tablets, and laptops.

Porn is much more accessible, and much of the shame associated with watching porn is gone, mostly because so much of mainstream media has tapped into the porn industry for inspiration and much of the content is not very different.

There have even been cases where porn actors are featured in mainstream roles, while quite a few Hollywood actors have appeared in pornographic magazines like Playboy as well.

Furthermore, with the release of movies like the Fifty Shades series, the line between porn and mainstream is constantly being blurred.

There are so many people who feel like the existence of porn perverts the youth and gives them a warped view of sexuality, and therefore it should be outlawed.

There are others who think that porn is essential to sexual expression and believe it helps couples find common ground in the bedroom.

I believe that porn has its place. It can be a great tool for couples to better understand each other sexually. There have been several arguments about people becoming addicted to porn, and I believe those points have merit, but I am cautious about using the word ‘addicted’. I think that it’s possible to have a healthy sex life and enjoy porn. But if a person finds themself not being able to become aroused or even function in their everyday life without porn, then that can be problematic. The way I see it, porn is a tool — it can enter– tain, teach, and arouse — and it can be abused. There is a responsible way to enjoy porn, and with the variety that exists, there is something for everybody. Send your questions or comments to sexychatwithshelly@gmail.com. Tweet me @drsexyann, visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/allaboutthesexy or visit my website: www.drsexyann.com.