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Many sex therapists recommend hardcore tapes to couples with sex problems.

"In my estimation, approximately 40% of all sex therapists today use adult films successfully as adjunct therapy," says Dr. Judith Seifer, president of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

"Commercial porn has been America's sex educator for the past 25 years," Seifer says. "It's presumptious for sex educators and therapists to think that we have ever been able to match the audience that commercial porn has found. People who watch pornography learn a variety of coital positions, as well as how to touch and how to do somebody - because that's what porn is all about." (Hustler)

Clinical sexologist Dr. Patti Britten: "I consistently recommend the use of adult entertainment materials for my clients. Porn/Erotica provides positive role-modeling for pleasure, an opportunity for couples to learn vital new techniques to keep a long-term sexual relationship off the critical list, and the possibility to observe explicit sexual anatomy and expression." (New Vibrations Guide to Adult Videos, p. X)

Adds psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Bernie Zilbergeld, author of The New Male Sexuality, "More and more people in this country are watching adult films. When I was growing up - long before VCRs - they were called blue movies and were primarily viewed at stag parties. Now they're available at most video stores for any adult who wants them." (Hustler)

Porn, in or out of a therapeutic context, is not for everyone. Many therapists avoid adult videos as a counseling aid because of the "dirty movie" stigma.

Others maintain a more medical approach, in which such forms of adjunct therapy have no place, and therapists offering sex counseling from a religious perspective do not embrace erotic movies. Even among practicioners likely to accept the treatment, there are professional reservations.

"Porn is not a universal cure-all," cautions Seifer. "It is not a substitute for therapy for couples who are having profound sexual problems. Nor are videos to be used with individuals who will tend to find them inherently distasteful or against their values." (Hustler 12/94 p. 49-55)

About as many therapists who prescribe porn for sexual problems blame porn for creating sexual problems. Porn reinforces the male tendency to hurry to intercourse without much foreplay and to concentrate touching on the genitals.

In Sexual Solutions, Michael Castleman writes that the "sex media focus on genitals has little to do with leisurely, sensuous full body love.

"To present the most explicit crotch shots, the only part of the actors that touch are the genitals.

"Porn seldom includes kissing, handholding, caressing, massage, reciprocal undressing, tenderness or discussion of lovemaking preferences. It's wham, bam, thank you mam.

"Men remain silent as they pump in and out. They never smile, never breathe deeply, never sigh, and rarely speak except to bark orders like 'Strip, suck, spread.' They look bored and grim."

Joseph Matyas coauthored a study at San Francisco State University of gender differences in sex fantasy.

"The basic themes in male pornography have remained amazingly stable since at least Victorian times: The main character taking an active role as seducer, anonymous sex, multiple partners, focus on genitalia, a swift progression to sex acts.

"Romance fiction - as well as women's erotic fantasies - tend to be concerned mainly with a loving relationship that develops, typically involves only one partner and builds to erotic excitement only slowly."

Novelist Guy Garcia writes in the Washington Post: "While women's tastes tend to meander into romance-novel territory: flirtatious glances, smoldering passions, a steamy kiss in the rain...male sexual fantasy on screen can be summed up 'nude blonde.'"

In SEX - A Man's Guide, the authors quote respondents to a Men's Health [magazine] survey. "It takes a lot of searching to find a video that has enough sensuality for her and enough explicitness for me."

"I don't know any woman who is not turned off by erotic videos," says a 45-year old biologist. "At best I have found them to be very excited for five minutes."

"My wife is more aroused by strong R-rated videos with an emphasis on eroticism and slow development of relationships into sexual arousal. She finds the X-rated videos more boring and laughable than offensive. She can't relate to the quickness with which the men and women seem to become so wildly aroused."

A 54-year old policeman tells of renting a sex video and finding that his wife refused to look at it. Then she woke him in the middle of the night after watching. "We had one of the best sessions of aggressive intercourse we've ever had." But she refused to ever watch another one.

A 29-year old wife writes: "My husband and I watch them about once a month. They allow me to lose all inhibitions and improve my 'technique.'

"Watching other people turn each other on and gorge on their own sensuousness is a definite turn-on. We prefer movies with the three Rs: realistic sex, relationships you care about and eroticism."

Since the '80s, videotape camcorders have allowed couples to show their love to the world. Such amateur porn now accounts for about 25% of the overall porn market. Psychologists generally give it their blessing. "I'd wonder about anyone with a camera who hadn't thought of doing it," Chicago psychologist Kate Wachs told Time magazine. "It's usually a fun thing done by people who have absolute trust in each other, are relaxed about their sexual adventurism."

"Filming can hit touchy unresolved issues within a relationship," warns Bonnie Eaker-Weil. "People may have incompatible attitudes concerning sex… Sometimes an element of coercion is involved. It's nothing overt, more subtle. Usually the man instigates the filming, and the woman goes along. But she isn't comfortable."

9/20/98

Videographer Quasarman writes to me:

It seems that every new girl I shoot is toting some useless unemployable schmuck to the set with her. I really believe that the suitcase pimp phenomenon has to be eradicated. I also believe that the following are an excellent criteria for determining who is and who is not a suitcase pimp.

1. You carry your wife/girlfriend's bags from the car to the set.

2. You regularly watch your wife/girlfriend get f---ed by a guy who isn't you.

3. At the end of a scene you hand your wife/girlfriend a towel so that she may wipe away a faceful of semen that was not put there by you.

4. You're presently "in between jobs" but soon your wife/girlfriend will not have to support your incredibly inept and unskilled ass any longer.

5. You are your wife/girlfriend's "manager" and so she will support your incredibly inept and unskilled ass indefinitely.

6. You enjoy all the money your wife/girlfriend makes but sometimes at night when you really think about it you get jealous of all the men she is f---ing who aren't you. So you smack her a couple of times, apologize the next day promising it will never happen again and then you do it again the following weekend.

8. You have tried being in scenes with your wife/girlfriend but for some strange reason your penis doesn't work when a camera comes around.

9. Without your wife/girlfriend, you would be standing in line for a bowl of warm soup and a blanket.

I feel that anyone meeting the above criteria should, as soon as is convenient, blow their f---ing useless heads of with a shotgun and donate their organs to people who aren't complete and total manipulative bloodsuckers.

Montdlaw replies: "This gentleman doesn't seem to understand how much most of these porn girls need and like this type of guy. If all the suitcase pimps obliged and wiped themselves out like lemmings, the porn girls would simply train and deploy a whole new crop. It might take a week.

"Every creature has it's place. Blaming abusive loser's for filling the abusive looser niche is kind of pointless."

Husband of Heavenly Leigh, Blake, writes: "To Videographer:One ass whole I carry my wife's bags because I am gentleman and that is what a gentleman should do for his wife/girlfriend.And two I do all of my wife's bookings because I don't trust the f---ing agents in this business they all f--- there talent or worse so its my job to look after my wife you f--- head!!!(Rob is the only agent to be trusted)And three there are allot of girlfriend/boyfriendes in this business that both work in the business that beat each other up all the time but I see you fell to talk about that's f--- head what you are saying is its ok for guys that work in the business to beat up there girlfriends that are also in the business.And four it is hard to get hard around f---ing ass wholes like you watching all the time and that brings up another thing what the f--- do you think you are doing ass whole getting a hard on for some one who would never f--- you any way!!!And five you don't know anything about the guys that come with there wife's and frankly its non of your business I make more money in a week then you make in a month f--- head I own 1000 acres of farm land in Ohio so don't judge any one unless you know that person dick head.So lets sum this up another f---ing ass whole in porn who knows nothing but thinks he knows it all that is the phenomenon that is going on in porn f--- HEAD!!!I hope we meet on some set so I can set you straight we can do it the easy way or the hard way I don't give a f---!!!!!!!!"