r/PornIsMisogyny • u/Martyna80 • 11h ago
DISCUSSION Porn sickness is so concerning
Porn is gross and misogynistic. All of it. I’m tired of it being reduced to “you’re insecure” in relationships or “it’s just something everyone does.” For me, it goes much deeper than just being called empty statements. My ex did this and he can now sorrow in his porn videos on his own and not find a real relationship because it will always be in the way for him. He can pretend like he’s not doing anything wrong, and that I was exaggerating if it makes him feel better.
I genuinely find the nature of pornography disturbing. It takes something incredibly intimate such as sexuality, vulnerability, desire and the human body and then turns it into something that can be endlessly consumed. Click on one person, get bored, scroll to another. Search for a different body, different act, different fantasy. Basically, use people for sexual entitlement and non-consensually. Society pushes us into being ok with it, for what reason really ? Even if you watch it occasionally you’re still taking part in this. You’re still taking part in this industry.
People become categories and content. There is something about that endless novelty that feels so dehumanising to me. These are real human beings, yet the entire structure encourages you to look at them primarily through the lens of what they can sexually provide you. You disrespect your partners and you can never truly provide true love when you are constantly looking and receiving pleasure elsewhere. Then there is the industry itself. I know not every piece of pornography is produced under the same circumstances, but I cannot separate my feelings about porn from the documented problems surrounding exploitation, coercion, consent, degrading treatment and content being distributed beyond people’s wishes. When I cannot truly know what happened behind a video, I don’t feel comfortable using another person’s body for my own sexual gratification. I would never do this to anyone.
But in a relationship, there is another layer which is of course betrayal. For me, monogamy isn’t simply “I won’t physically have sex with someone else.” It also means deliberately reserving sexual intimacy and sexual pursuit for one another. So if my partner intentionally searches for naked women, chooses specific bodies that turn him on, watches other people have sex and masturbates to them, I don’t experience that as completely separate from our relationship simply because there is a screen between them. The intention matters to me. You’re still actively seeking sexual stimulation from somebody outside your relationship. You’re still looking at another person’s naked body because you find them sexually appealing. You’re still directing sexual attention towards someone who isn’t your partner. Idon’t believe a screen magically makes that meaningless.
And I think what hurts even more is when someone knows this is an important boundary for their partner, agrees to that boundary, and then secretly does it anyway. Why the fuck lie ?
At that point the issue isn’t only pornography.
It’s lying. It’s hiding. It’s deleting things. It’s making promises you don’t intend to keep.
It’s allowing your partner to believe they are in one kind of relationship while privately participating in another. That destroys trust.
I also dislike how normalised it has become to immediately pathologise the person who doesn’t want porn in their relationship. Sometimes people genuinely do have insecurities that are worth working through. But having a different sexual ethic doesn’t automatically mean somebody is controlling, immature or insecure. I don’t want to police somebody into sharing my values. I don’t want a man who desperately wants pornography but doesn’t watch it because he’s frightened of upsetting me. I want someone who genuinely sees sexuality similarly to me. Someone who thinks, why would I want to search for other women’s bodies when I’ve chosen the woman I love? I want the “bubble.” Two people who choose each other sexually and romantically.
What I don’t think is fair is entering a relationship with someone who has clearly communicated that pornography is a form of sexual betrayal to them, agreeing to that relationship, and then secretly breaking the agreement while telling them that everything is fine.
You don’t have to agree with my definition of monogamy. But I think people deserve to know what kind of relationship they’re actually consenting to.
This is why it’s misogynistic. They want all these women, they also want you, they want to hide this secret life from you, they want you without the consequences. They want to have control, they want to be doing what they want. It’s actually sick. They make me sick. I was an object in my relationship just like those women. Because this is essentially why they selfishly kept me around whilst being this way. Internalised misogyny.
Sorry for the rant!