pornochromatic

The other day, I opened my RSS reader and saw the headline Study: Women buying more porn. This was intriguing for a number of reasons, the main one being that I’ve always suspected that women were watching porn in much larger numbers than they’ve traditionally been willing to admit. Perhaps now the truth was coming out?

To the best of my knowledge, porn is primarily a masturbatory aid (some find it a turn on to watch with a partner, but I get the sense that those people aren’t in the majority). According to the sexologist quoted in the article, “A lot of women who’ve been suppressed about getting sexual information are finding that there is an educational element to a number of adult films.” Not only that, “women are watching for the creative storyline and videography. Others use it as a tool for their own relationships.”

Let’s be honest: porn is by and large devoid of any creativity and most certainly the last place anyone needs to be looking for sex ed. Especially women, since porn is very rarely about women’s pleasure.

So, with that in mind, I call shenanigans on this assertion that women are watching porn for its educational and cinematic value. My guess: women are watching porn and getting off, but don’t want to admit it.

It’s becoming less of a taboo to admit to watching porn, but women are still too embarrassed to tell “researchers” that they actually masturbate, so they give them the modern-day equivalent of “I read Playboy for the articles.” That way, they look sexually adventurous but don’t have to admit to touching their naughty bits.

To those women, I say: You’re not fooling anyone (except, perhaps, credulous journalists). So stop trying. There’s nothing shameful about enjoying pornography for its intended purpose. I promise you won’t go blind.

As men age, they produce less testosterone than they once did. Basic biology, right? According to an article in Newsweek, pharmaceutical makers are trying to pathologize this situation by making up a new “treatable condition” called (get ready for the marketing speak) “Low T.”

The thing is, you don’t need drugs to raise your testosterone levels, you just need a hard on. According to a scientist quoted in the Newsweek article, getting an erection “drives up dopamine levels, which drives up your testosterone.” So watching porn (or having sex) can help keep some of the annoying “symptoms” of aging at bay.

One thing to keep in mind: testosterone/erections are a use-it-or-lose-it kind of deal. Low testosterone levels can interfere with your ability to get hard.

Porn is a whole lot cheaper and free of side effects than testosterone therapy, not to mention that compelling research suggests getting off can help protect against prostate cancer. I personally think doctors should be recommending a healthy sex life (with oneself or others) as an ounce of prevention vs. a pound of pills as a cure.