I’m usually the first to defend pornography when it routinely gets condemned by wacko prohibitionists. Of course though, like all of the finer things in life, porn is best used in moderation. And now that brave visionaries are filling in the farthest corners of the human fetish map, it’s becoming ever more tempting to overdo the whole porn thing. This is not me fap-shaming anyone, but know that, as with irresponsible sex, irresponsible porn use can have some shitty consequences.
Firstly, excessive porn use can lead to some unrealistic expectations, which your actual sex life may never be able to fulfill. Pornstars often have idealized or unattainable body types for most guys. Too much porn can condition you to only be attracted to 10s. And real talk, unless you yourself are a 10, that can lead to trouble. A good way to deal with this problem is to just only watch amateur porn (that's the hottest kind of porn anyway). Condition yourself to fantasize about real bodies, and you’ll be more attracted to real men.
Another thing to be weary of is how porn can actually alter your fetishes in ways that wouldn’t occur otherwise. The dopamine-inducing rush of clicks on a porn site can easily lead to a continuous ante-upping of extremity. Tube sites may lure you into deeper and more obscure fetishes that aren’t necessarily the special ones you acquired during your formative years. Not that there’s anything wrong sexual exploration, but if you can only get off to upside-down ice-cream anal fisting, you may find it difficult finding a compatible partner.
And this leads to the most important thing to be wary of with your porn use: how it affects your partner. Unrealistic expectations and incompatible kinks are two big wedges placed between you and a partner. Additionally, watching an excess of porn can make your partner feel like he isn’t satisfying you sexually. And if you’re
not in a relationship, porn can be a convincing alternative to putting yourself back out there. Don’t let porn take a position of priority over real relationships.
The bottom line is, make sure you’re using porn responsibly. Maybe that just means masturbating less often and to less extreme porn. But also, take a moment and realize that our ancestors used to only have the Sears catalog to jerk off to. So check your privilege, and check your fapping while you’re at it. ;)
