Does porn affect people’s feelings about sexual organs?

According to the study, up to a third of women and half of men feel bad about their genitals. Dissatisfied men usually say their penis is too small. Dissatisfied women usually say that the inner vaginal lips (Labia minora) protrude well beyond the outer lips (Labia majora).

Reproductive dissatisfaction is psychologically painful. It makes people feel abnormal and uneasy. Self-esteem suffer. Some people avoid public changing rooms. Others reduce from partner sex, especially oral sex. anxiety. Or, their lovers don’t see their genitals as they insist on sex in the dark. Furthermore, genital dissatisfaction prevents erotic arousal, orgasmand sexual satisfaction.

Psychologists argue that most people who complain of genital dissatisfaction have a completely normal vulva or penis. Robust literature shows that most of the genitals of people are in normal range due to their size and appearance.

Nevertheless, in 2021, approximately 19,000 American women underwent lip formation, surgical minimization, and over 50,000 American men underwent surgery to increase penis length and/or girth. Today, these operations rank among the fastest growing cosmetic surgery procedures in the country.

Where does genital dissatisfaction come from?

Traditional wisdom Condemnation Porno Due to genital dissatisfaction. Commercial porn is chosen for men with unusually large penis and for women whose inner lips are neatly tucked into the outer lips. Perhaps people compare themselves to porn actors. If their genitals look different, they feel lacking.

However, this explanation is controversial. Some studies support that, but others do not. Recently, Swedish researchers have seen this issue again.

the study

Investigators at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (a university that awards the Nobel Prize) used the internet to recruit 3,503 adults. The site included detailed instructions for measuring your own genitals.

After measurements, most women reported that their inner lips had a slightly protruding protruding. The amount has varied from a quarter to a third inch.

After measurement, the average penis extended relaxation length was measured to be 4.9 inches. The researchers noted that the stretchy length provides a reasonable approximation of the erection length.

Also, study participants were asked how they felt about their genitals. The majority said they felt neutral or satisfied. However, 30% of women and 38% of men recorded complaints. This was serious at 4% and 5% respectively. Of the women, 14% said they felt potentially interested in genital cosmetic surgery. Among men, it was 11%.

As for porn, 57% of women and 94% of men said they saw it in the three months before enrolling in the study. Among the porn watchers, both men and women said they watch an average of 2-3 days a month, but men spent quite a lot of time per visit.

Porn viewing had no significant effect on participants’ feelings about their genitals. The researchers concluded: Self-image. ”

This is the biggest study to date to correlate genital dissatisfaction with porn exposure. Large sample sizes give credibility to the results.

The finding that 4% of women and 5% of men expressed major genital dissatisfaction supports previous studies. However, researchers called this large proportion of people considering surgery “a bit unsettling.” It is 14% of women and 11% of men.

why?

Thus, traditional wisdom considers genital complaints to be a function of porn viewing, but this large, well-designed study shows that this is not the case. What explains this contradiction? Here are some possibilities:

• Before the Internet, that is, before 1996, pornography was available in theaters in a film featuring professional actors, men chosen for jumbo penis, women with big breasts, and the “perfect” labia. But today, decades later, the majority of porn is homemade. It presents a wider variety of genitals. Ascending amateur porn may explain why porn viewing today doesn’t have a major impact on genital self-esteem.
• Regardless of porn, men have always been joking about their penis size and teased men who look small. This may explain the man’s persistent anxiety about penis size.
• Cosmetic surgeons introduced labiaplasty in the 1980s. Since then, it has been the subject of many news reports Social Media Discussion; for example, Reddit — R/Labiaplastyurgery. Porn may have less impact on women’s thoughts than all non-porn coverage of what the labia look like.

This study showed that increasing partner gender reduced genital dissatisfaction. Jokes, teasing, porn, and social media can influence people’s thoughts about genitals, but sexual partners can have a greater impact. As partner sex increases, people may be putting aside doubts about their genitals. My partner seems to work well with my penis/ravia, so why should I worry?

Accept yourself

We humans are self-critical. Compared to the way others see us, most of us are unhappy with our own appearance.

My humble plea: Accept yourself. Most of a person’s genitals are within normal size ranges.

Without surgery, women cannot do anything about their labia, but men can take steps to see the biggest one. See my previous post.