Adults and Broader Impact
Pornography Use and Sexual Objectification of Others.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
Researchers have demonstrated associations between use of pornography and sexual objectification of women. We examine whether self-reported preference for degrading pornography moderated the relation between use frequency and sexual objectification of others. Participants were 1,342 heterosexual women and men residing in the United States. In women and men, pornography use frequency was associated with the sexual objectification of others, even after controlling for interest in generally explicit content. In men, interest in degrading pornography content significantly predicted sexual objectification of women. Our results suggest greater pornography use is associated with greater sexual objectification of others, across a variety of content
categories.
Relevance
This study shows that both male and female viewers of pornography objectify different-sex others. (Past research has demonstrated the objectification of women by male users of pornography; this study found a comparable objectification of men by female users.) This was especially true for users with an interest in degrading pornography.
Citation
Bridges, A. J., Willis, M., Ezzell, M. B., Sun, C. F., Johnson, J. A., & Wright, P. J. (2024). Pornography Use and Sexual Objectification of Others. Violence against women, 30(1), 228–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012231207041
