Pornography harms women
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Pornography encourages body dysmorphia.
Pornography gives a distorted view of men and women's bodies, as well as the actual sexual act, often showing the performers with synthetic implants or exaggerated expressions of pleasure. Pornography has a detrimental effect on self-esteem, particularly amongst women.
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The Argument
Pornography puts forth unrealistic body images that can cause body dysmorphia. Pornographic performers often have implants and use exaggerated sounds and facial expressions that create false expectations in viewers. [1]
People, especially teenagers, can be convinced by the bodies shown in pornography that their own bodies are inadequate. When individuals who are already insecure with their bodies view the artificially created bodies that populate pornographic videos, it can cause them to move from insecurity to full-blown body dysmorphia.[2]
Pornography is widely available and can be easily accessed, so it is likely that pornography will be the first intimate introduction that many people have to another person’s body. If that first introduction includes bodies that are altered from reality by implants, beauty enhancement, and acting, then people may immediately have a skewed perspective of how they ought to look. This is especially harmful to women, who already face societal pressures of appearance.
Counter arguments
Pornography is viewed much less frequently by women than other things, like magazines and television shows, that contribute much more heavily to body dysmorphia. As such, pornography is not a major concern.
While the link between body dysmorphia and pornography has been shown to be clear for men, it is not clear that pornography is a genuine cause of body dysmorphia.