“To understand how women develop body image self-consciousness during intimate relations,” the researchers employed the attachment theory.
Others may find themselves self-conscious about their looks in bed because to the enhanced curves, flawlessly sculpted abs, and very flexible bodies that women in porn have. Because the “ideal” body type portrayed in pornographic movies, the beauty business, and pop culture is frequently unreachable yet desirable, women may become fixated on the notion that their bodies aren’t “hot” enough for sex, which impairs their ability to enjoy the act and be in the present.
But there are other factors besides body type or size that influence how self-conscious women become as a result watching porn. According to a recent study, one of the variables could be connected to women’s attachment patterns.
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The attachment theory investigates the many ways in which we form bonds with other people and attempts to provide an explanation for the various ways in which we act in relationships, particularly those that last a long time. Anxious attachment is one of the several attachment styles that are suggested within this theory’s framework. This attachment style is also known as “preoccupied attachment” because those who display it frequently get so consumed with their partner’s perceptions of them that they overanalyze everything to the point where they may neglect to engage in active relationship-building.
Therefore, it would seem almost natural that they would pay closer attention to how their spouse is seeing their physique. However, the evidence presently available to scientists validates that intuition as well. “The results indicate that women who are anxiously attached and in a romantic relationship may be more vulnerable to the impact of pornography use on their body image self-consciousness,” the study says.
The force of the blow might be rather strong. In addition to making people detach during sexual activity, body image problems can also impede people from having pleasurable sexual experiences. When someone feels that their physique is “unattractive,” their sexual self-esteem is lowered, which frequently results in their avoiding sexual engagement. A professional sex therapist named Laurie Watson noted in Psychology Today that when one aspect of the sexual cycle is disturbed, it frequently affects other aspects as well, including desire, arousal, and orgasm.
Additionally, persons who feel ashamed or anxious about their bodies may avoid physical intimacy and have less satisfying sex.
Feminists in Britain staged protests in 2011 against the obsession that porn culture had with flawlessly shaped vulvas, claiming that this was driving women to spend money on gynecological cosmetic procedures. Following her visit to The Guardian, one of the ladies revealed to them that she had gone through one of her brother’s Playboy [magazines] to see what the females looked like. Some seemed to have nearly nonexistent or extremely tiny labia.
According to reports, porn has fuelled society’s fascination with hairless vulvas, pushing women to occasionally find up in emergency rooms due to incidents involving the removal of their pubic hair—a practice that actually shields us from a variety of illnesses.
A 2018 study also discovered that there is no correlation between the frequency of porn viewing and more serious body image problems, even when it comes to heavy use and difficulties resisting the impulse to look. However, using porn as a coping strategy did work, albeit the researchers weren’t really sure why. First author Nicholas C. Borgogna, an associate professor of counseling psychology at Texas Tech University, had stated that there was a slight correlation between women’s use of pornography as a dysfunctional coping strategy and problems with body image and relationship satisfaction.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that body shaming in general makes women feel even more self-conscious than they already are due to pornography.
Comprehending the influence of pornography on women’s body image is particularly pertinent in the Indian setting, where the lack of sex education in schools frequently leads to pornography serving as the main source of exposure to information about sex. As a result, porn becomes to shape what sexual encounters seem like in the imaginations of children. Unfortunately, because the majority of pornographic videos are targeted at men, women may start to view themselves during sex as objects rather than subjects or active participants. This can cause them to focus more on how their partner perceives their body than on the physical pleasure they are experiencing.
It’s improbable that feminist porn will influence pornography in the near future. Up until then, research like this one—which suggests addressing attachment patterns as a means of assisting individuals in resolving difficulties related to body image—may be our only weapon against the negative effects of porn on women.