Do College Aged Women Have Unrealistic Expectations Of Sex From Watching Porn?

Pornography often presents a highly glamorized and exaggerated version of sexual activity that may not reflect real-life experiences. Many people, especially young adults in college, may not fully understand the distinction between fantasy and reality when it comes to sexual behavior. Even if they do understand the difference, when the time comes, the nerves and emotions of the situation can be difficult to push past to view the reality of the situation.

It is difficult to estimate an exact percentage of college students who watch porn, as the data on this topic can be inconsistent. Some studies have found that a significant percentage of college students report watching porn.

A 2018 study published in the journal “JAMA Network Open” surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,287 US adults ages 18 to 29 years and found that 84% of men and 55% of women reported ever watching pornography (1).

A study published in 2012 by researchers at Indiana University found that nearly two-thirds of college students (64%) reported watching pornography in the previous year, with men more likely than women to report watching (73% versus 37%) (2).

Some unrealistic expectations that college-age individuals may have as a result of watching porn could include:

• Expecting that sexual encounters will always be perfectly choreographed and without any awkwardness or discomfort.
• Expecting that partners will always be willing and eager to engage in a wide variety of sexual acts, regardless of their own preferences or comfort levels.
• Expecting that sexual encounters will always be easy, exciting and satisfying.
• Expecting that partners will always be attractive, fit, and youthful.
• Expecting that sexual partners will always be available and willing to engage in sexual activity on demand.
• Expecting a partner’s penis or genitals size is similar to porn.
• Expecting a man’s ejaculate to have a similar semen volume as porn.
• Expecting that one’s own body will always look and perform like that of a professional adult actor/actress.

Are sex toys and sexual enhancement supplements the issue?

To avoid some of these pitfalls, it’s good to know why and how these professionals attain these seemingly superhuman erections, ejaculate volumes, and more. For example, it’s common for male porn actors to take prescription medications for erections, like Viagra and Cialis. The same male porn actors often take a semen enhancement supplement like Load Boost to increase their semen volume, to make a more spectacular ejaculation for the camera. On the other end, it’s not uncommon for women to have breast and butt implants. Sometimes pornographic actors will even use sex toys in place of their own genitals to appear to have larger or more “perfect” genitals.

Many women admit to using vibrators and other sex toys, so it’s not exactly an obvious culprit. Also, the fact that most men masturbate as well. The issue could arise if a woman has a better sexual experience with her sex toys than with a human man or woman.

Sex can be awkward in general, especially if the partners are unfamiliar with each other. Professional pornography can move quickly, which is unrealistic for most college aged people that would have a much better time if they moved more slowly or avoided sex altogether until they’re more acquainted.

Knowing that there are so many methods of movie magic in porn, it’s safe to assume that the average person cannot live up to these standards. It’s comparable to blockbuster movies. It’s not reasonable to compare oneself to superhero movies in the same way it’s unrealistic to compare one’s self to professional pornography.