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Researcher calls pornography detrimental to the male-female relationship

“Porn is not sex,” Paul said, but is “at root a negation of the human experience.” Drawing a comparison between Hostess cupcakes and homemade ones, she explained that because porn is “artificial,” it is “not as good” as actual sex.

Paul, the author of “Pornified: How Pornography Is Damaging Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families,” spoke about what she uncovered while writing her book and challenged her critics in a candid lecture on Thursday in McCosh 46.

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Paul first began researching pornography when she wrote the article “Behavior: The Porn Factor” for Time magazine, which was published in 2004.

In conducting “qualitative” research for her book, Paul gathered the opinions of about 100 people with diverse viewpoints on pornography. She emphasized that there is not a “type” of person who watches porn.

Some men, for instance, have “found themselves getting into stuff they never thought they’d get into” because of the accessibility of pornography on the Internet, she explained.

Dave, an anonymous source in Paul’s book, was a single, Harvard-educated investment banker who considered himself a feminist. He found it surprising that he sought out increasingly “carnal, vivid, direct and hardcore’” content, Paul said.

Paul said she thought compulsive porn-watching has changed male-female relationships and undermines “intimacy.” Both sexes noted that some men felt it necessary to have porn playing in the background as they were having sex.

“It affects the women who know what their men are looking at in terms of their own confidence,” she said, adding that “they [feel like they are] permanently unshaven and wearing granny underpants.”

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Paul also said that being a porn critic did not make her “a right-wing nutjob” or an advocate for censorship.

“I am a journalist, so I’m kind of a fan of the First Amendment,” she said.

Michael Skiles ’12 attended the lecture and said that he disapproved of pornography.

“I expected her probably to talk more about how it influenced people psychologically,” he explained. “She didn’t really talk about why she thought it would be better to go out and have actual sex instead of watching porn,” he added.

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Alexis Morin ’12, who has attended previous events sponsored by the student group Let’s Talk Sex — or LeTS — said Paul’s talk could help spark important dialogue on campus.

“I’m really glad that LeTS is promoting this conversation on campus,” she said. “I thought it was funny [Paul] mentioned that this speaker series wouldn’t have been controversial at Brown and Wesleyan.”

“Why Porn is Anti-Sex” was the first of two talks in a spring speaker series sponsored by LeTS.

The pornographer Tristan Taormino will give the second lecture, which will include short film clips, a method Paul did not use.

“Unlike Tristan, I am not showing a film; I am not showing pictures,” Paul said. “I will let you fantasize freestyle.”

The lecture was also sponsored by the Program in the Study of Women and Gender, the Women’s Center and SHARE — Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education.