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Violence

Sex on the Screen: A Content Analysis of Free Internet Pornography Depicting Mixed-Sex Threesomes from 2012-2020.

 

Open Access: No.

 

Abstract

Viewing online pornography is common among US adults, with mixed-sex threesome (MST) videos being one of the top 10 most popular categories of pornography for both men and women. The current content analysis applied sexual script theory to understand the themes present in these mixed-sex threesome videos. Independent coders viewed a total of 50 videos (25 MMF and 25 FFM) at each timepoint (2012, 2015, 2020) and coded for different sexual behaviors and themes in each video. By examining both same-sex (female-female, male-male) and other-sex (female-male) behaviors, as well as themes of aggression and sexual initiation in different videos and across three timepoints, it was determined that other-sex behaviors are more common in MST videos than same-sex behaviors. Same-sex behaviors between two female actors were more common than same-sex behaviors between two male actors. Aggression was a common theme in videos, with male actors being more aggressive on average than female actors. Most of these trends did not change across 8 years, suggesting that the impacts of traditional sexual scripts are pervasive in pornography, even in current online content. Important implications for both researchers and clinical professionals are discussed.

 

Relevance

Most actors were white with no pubic hair.  A minority of the male actors used a condom, and a majority engaged in visible ejaculation , most common on a female’s face and/or mouth.

Same-sex behaviors were more common among two female actors than among two male actors.

“Overall, videos were more likely to have displays of aggression than no  displays of aggression” and “male actors engaged in physical aggression more than female actors.”

 

Citation

Kulibert, D., Moran, J. B., Preman, S., Vannier, S. A., & Thompson, A. E. (2021). Sex on the Screen: A Content Analysis of Free Internet Pornography Depicting Mixed-Sex Threesomes from 2012-2020. European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education, 11(4), 1555–1570. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11040110