For decades people have been exposed and addicted to pornography without realizing the harm they are causing to themselves, others in their lives and women thousands of miles away.
Porn is a business with a goal of spreading and making money; it cares not of who it harms– only of who it reaches. At $12 billion a year, the porn industry’s revenue is greater than ABC, NBC and CBS combined. 12 percent of all websites are for pornography. One in every four online searches are for porn. It is an ever growing problem that must be addressed.
Similar to most drug addictions, porn addictions cause damage to the dopamine system, which is very important to human development. Dopamine releases chemicals in the brain as a reward by showing pleasure in a certain experience. The release of this neurotransmitter causes the brain to reinforce that activity by repeating it over and over again, causing a person to crave the feeling all the more. This is dangerous because of how addictive watching porn can become.
The damage is prevalent as 93 percent of boys have been exposed to porn before the age of 18, and 70 percent of men ages 18-24 watch porn monthly. Many people, both men and women, are affected while the images remain seen forever in their heads.
Watching porn regularly changes the perception one has on everything around them. Pornography brings harm to relationships as it allows and trains people to use others for their satisfaction. It causes people to have the mindset of using others for the sake of themselves. Additionally, it feeds a constant guilt and shame of their hidden habit.
Not only does porn cause damage to the brain but also the heart. If someone is addicted to porn prior to getting married how are they to love their spouse as though they are the only one they’ve ever loved? Watching porn creates a bond with a body without the person, yet marriage has both. When a person is continuously lusting over a body they don’t know, how will they ever fully love a body they do know?
Among therapists, 86 percent believe it is harmful to relationships. Alyse Zuiderveen, Junior, touches on pornograpy’s misleading representation of love and the prosperity that comes with the withdrawal from it. “Eliminating these false expectations can help create mutually loving and selfless relationships, as both partners value the other,” she explained.
Many are unaware that the porn industry is intricately connected with the sex trafficking industry. Women in porn are encouraged or forced to be sex trafficked in addition to their normal job, and vise versa. Both make money by using other people to give pleasure to its consumers. Continuous porn watching creates an overwhelming desire for sex, eventually needing to be fulfilled by real sex which is supplied the sex trafficking industry.
Both industries harm women, children and sometimes men. However, most people fail to recognize the people behind the scenes. Zuiderveen expresses the damage porn viewers unconsciously cause to women in the industry. “While individuals may not personally support the harm being done to those being featured in pornography, they have to understand that their views are inadvertently showing support for it.”
The famous porn star Jenna Jameson tells in her autobiography “How to Make Love Like a Porn Star” about the damage caused to her mental health as a result of her involvement in the industry. “As life goes racing by me, all the while my soul goes on with sickness. Yes, sickness. It feels like it’s ailing…” she said. “I’m certainly scared that if I try to fix what has broken in me, so long ago, I may not succeed. So I go on faking that I am whole, proud, and strong…”
Some claim that being involved in the industry is empowering for women since they are utilizing their freedom in choosing how to express themselves, yet the true lifestyle of a porn star tells a different story of repulsion of who they are.
Although she repeatedly defends her job and does not regret choosing this path, it is clear that it brings hurt and a distortion of love to Jameson and many other women involved. “I close myself off. Not wanting to let what’s in the mirror of my life stare back at me,” Jameson reveals. “I never take the time to feel the effects of my choices. Maybe it’s because I would be ashamed, maybe afraid.”
As the industry objectifies women so do the people who view it. Freshman Ella Hurst has concerns of the serious negative effects pornography has towards society. “Pornography depicts women as sex objects and desposable at men’s pleasure which can really perpetrate the sexual assault culture in America,” she explains.
It is far more difficult for women to be respected in society when they are being portrayed in the light of pornography and constantly lusted after. Furthermore, pornographic films are an unrealistic representation of women’s bodies, creating a standard which is impossible for any woman to live up to. With exposure to porn, women are not going to be seen as beautiful people to serve, but rather just another person to be served by.
With the negative affects pornography has on a person’s brain development, ability to love and the perception of women, there are many reasons to kill the lustful habit. However, the high level of addictiveness and amount of pornography available, with a new film being made every 39 minutes, makes it difficult to be completely free from it.
Zuiderveen reiterates the importance in knowing that there are solutions. “While there are certainly consequences to face after viewing pornography, it is important to recognize that redemption is possible following a struggle with or addiction to pornography,” she explained. “Seeking help is the most courageous thing someone can do- it will free them of their guilt and shame.”
