Consuming Ecstasy: Representations of Male and Female Orgasm in Mainstream Pornography
AUTHOR(S)
PUBLISHED
2018 in The Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 55(3), pp. 348–356
KEY FINDINGS
- Mainstream pornography may perpetuates unrealistic beliefs and expectations in relation to female orgasm and male sexual performance.
ABSTRACT
Social representations, which appear in a variety of media, can influence the way sexual experiences are perceived and understood. While pornography is not the only medium in which orgasm is portrayed, it is the most explicit, and it is widespread and easily accessible. As such, pornography is an ideal medium for examining representations of male and female orgasm. PornHub’s 50 most viewed videos of all time were viewed and coded for the frequency of male and female orgasm, orgasm-inducing sex acts (and whether activity... READ FULL ABSTRACT
EXCERPTS
- "As a whole, representations of male and female orgasm in mainstream pornography seem to reflect and perpetuate cultural sexual scripts in relation to orgasm, including the coital and orgasm imperatives and the male performance script. Consequently, they perpetuate unrealistic beliefs and expectations in relation to orgasm, notably female orgasm, and male sexual performance."
