Who Seeks Aggression in Pornography? Findings from Interviews with Viewers

Despite the recent proliferation of research on aggression in pornography, we still know relatively little about the preferences and perceptions of viewers themselves. In particular, very little research has examined how women who watch pornography feel when encountering aggression toward women. To...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of sexual behavior 2022-02, Vol.51 (2), p.1237-1255
Main Author: Shor, Eran
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Aggressiveness
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Deviance
Erotica
Fantasy
Female
Gender
Gender Identity
Humans
Male
Men
Original Paper
Pornography & obscenity
Psychology
Public Health
Sexual Behavior
Social Sciences
Women
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Summary:Despite the recent proliferation of research on aggression in pornography, we still know relatively little about the preferences and perceptions of viewers themselves. In particular, very little research has examined how women who watch pornography feel when encountering aggression toward women. To explore this question, we conducted interviews with 122 regular pornography viewers (61 women, 60 men, and 1 gender-diverse). Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data show that the majority of both men and women reported that they did not enjoy aggressive content. However, in contrast to common conceptions among most scholars and pundits, it was women, not men, who were more likely to report being aroused by aggression, mainly consensual aggression toward women, which was perceived as pleasurable. Women were also more likely to report actively seeking for aggression and wanting to see more aggression in mainstream pornography. These findings challenge long-held radical feminist views regarding the preferences of both women and men and offer new insights on the relationship between gender and sexual fantasies.
ISSN:0004-0002
1573-2800
DOI:10.1007/s10508-021-02053-1