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Are Women Watching Porn?
People have a common misconception that women do not watch porn, but women watch porn, and it’s a fact. The stats that follow explain this.
Due to social stigma, women are not supposed to seek sexual pleasure.
People are reluctant to talk about pornography and masturbation. Taking up topics with partners, as well as close friends, can be challenging enough because society does not like the idea of people talking about sexuality and sexual pleasure.
This may explain why many women look to erotica instead of pornography. It is much more socially accepted; you can find interesting storylines with awakening and shattering orgasms that are written by women. The same is not true for pornography, but I think we can make that change.
Women watch porn for the same reasons men do, they enjoy it in similar ways.
Recently, there seems to be a growing awareness that women watch porn these days. But still, the conversation is limited and most people are hush-hush about it.
Read more: Does Female Masturbation Cause Hormonal Imbalance?
How Many Women Watch Porn?
Pornhub (PH) has been publishing a ‘Year in Review’ since 2014, an analysis of all the data collected from searches, videos watched, time spent on the site, and more. These stats can give us an idea of what kind of porn people consume and understand patterns of sexuality between men and women.
These statistics produced by the biggest porn producers like Pornhub show that about 30% of the viewers are women! This is a huge chunk of the viewership and most people are unaware that women watch porn.
Women surprisingly watch varied categories of porn and do not just stick to one kind. The Pornhub insights even indicate who are the biggest consumers of porn throughout the world.
The Philippines has the highest percentage of female consumers by country, reportedly accounting for 52% of total visitors in 2021 to the Pornhub website. Interestingly, the number of female consumers from other countries such as Ukraine is skyrocketing, with a 10% increase in female website visitors.
Over the last few years, “lesbian” porn has reportedly been the most popular searched-for category among women on Pornhub, but that’s not all—women are also reportedly proportionately 86% more likely to search for “BDSM” content when compared to men, according to the site.
What Kind of Porn Do Women Search For?
According to research, in recent years “lesbian” porn has been reported to be the most popular search category among women, but it’s not the only one. According to the site, women are 86% more likely to search for “BDSM” content than men.
The most popular category among women is lesbian porn and this is soon followed by Japanese and threesome videos.
For example, in 2016, “lesbian” searches increased by 168% and “female-friendly” searches increased by 218%. In 2018, it was the most searched term for women. In 2019, women were 104% more likely to search for “lesbian” content. In 2020, Pornhub reported that women were 163% more likely to search for “gay BDSM” than men.
Men, on the other hand, have consistently stuck to searching MILF, “Japanese,” and “hentai” categories. In 2019, there was a change and “Japanese” and “amateur” replaced MILF in the top three top searches for men. In 2017, “cheerleader” also increased in popularity among men, searches of the term increasing by almost 400%.
Men, on the other hand, consistently stick to the “MILF”, “Japanese” and “amateur” categories. There was a change in 2019, with “Japanese” and “amateur” replacing the “MILF” category in the top three searches for men.
So now we have figured out the fact that straight women often prefer lesbian pornography, or that women are far more likely to seek out BDSM or group sex in pornography than men, has been covered before.
Read more: Female Masturbation Addiction: Everything you should know
Why Do Women Prefer Lesbian Porn?
From the stats, we know that many women watch porn. Instead of acting out on certain risqué fantasies, people tend to watch porn. Out of all the fantasies being with the same gender seems to be one among them.
Of course, lesbian women make up a percentage of this. However, the data suggest that many straight women also click on it.
According to a recent Gallup survey, only 5% of women are aware that they are part of the LGBTQ, and we believe that many heterosexuals are obsessed with girl-on-girl action.
Straight porn is usually created by men and for men. This makes straight porn completely focused on male pleasure which often involves super-aggressive sexual intercourse with a dominant man.
But often, rough penetration does not look and feel stimulating enough for women. Instead, female pleasure should be more focused on clitoral stimulation, and lesbian porn has a lot of it. Straight porn seems to always end when a guy ejaculates, there is no attempt to pleasure a woman and to help her reach an orgasm. Lesbian porn is all about women hitting that peak.
Does enjoying lesbian porn change my sexuality?
Let’s get one thing straight, watching lesbian porn doesn’t mean that you’re sexually attracted to women. Some women may be, and it’s perfectly okay. The same applies to any type of pornography. What you enjoy online can be completely different from what you enjoy in real life.
Why do straight women watch lesbian porn?
- Most porn, usually straight porn is a performance, it’s an elaborate act.
- Whereas lesbian porn is different, here female pleasure is the main focus. This is due to the fact it is frequently written by women, for women. Plus, hetero porn has a tendency to place a highlight on the penis.
- Lesbian porn feels a lot more relatable to women.
- This is because it’s two women pleasuring each other’s bodies and they seem to be doing what women want in real life from their partners. Another reason why lesbian porn might feel relatable is that the characters seem close to real life, the lovers may be friends or even neighbors.
Whereas in straight porn, the characters feel intimidating and scary. They don’t seem to feel too realistic.
- Female sexuality is a lot more fluid
Culturally, it is more acceptable for women to experiment sexually with women than for men to try things with other men. That does not mean that lesbian women have not been discriminated against. But when a woman engages with another woman, it is often considered sexy. If a man, does it, it is considered strange.
Studies show that women are attracted to a much wider range of things than men, she says. It’s unclear why this happens.
- Realistic bodies
Straight porn usually tends to feature only a certain type of woman. She is petite yet big, she has long hair, a slim waist, and hypersexualized features like big lips and emphasized sexual features. Lesbian porn shows women of different body types and this can feel reassuring to some women.
- Straight porn can be intimidating
This is something that’s commonly observed in straight porn. It usually consists of a lot of thrusting and constantly switching positions. Quite frankly this looks painful and uncomfortable. Thinking of painful and uncomfortable scenarios is not exactly what someone would like to feel when they watch porn.
You might say that a typical session in porn between a man and a woman looks a bit fake and can even be overkill. It’s no exaggeration to say that straight porn can set some unrealistic criteria (fake, perky boobs, and fast orgasms). All of this can add to the intimidation. Here are why women watch porn that is same-sex and how it is checking all the boxes.
- It feels authentic and helps women learn better ways to pleasure themselves and own their sexuality.
Since it is female-focused, women watch lesbian porn to better understand how to pleasure themselves. For most, the journey of self-pleasure can be confusing but with lesbian porn, people feel like they understand what exactly works for their bodies.
This information can even help your partner to pleasure you better.
- Plotlines attract women–something more than just a man sleeping with a woman
Many studies state that women are attracted to pornography with storylines. This suggests that women need stories and dialogues to watch pornography because they require not just visual stimulus but conversation and mental arousal. A straightforward story arc doesn’t necessarily interfere with the process, but the idea that women only like sensual pornography with deep and romantic characters isn’t entirely true either. Some women like rough and hardcore porn (like men), while others want to watch more porn with their own interests in mind. In other words, pornography made by women with the intent to please women.
- It can be a breath of fresh air
Often, the type of porn that people go for is more about realizing fantasy than what we want to do in real life. Even if you identify yourself as heterosexual, watching lesbian porn can help you experiment a bit, even if it’s in your head.
Since it’s considered a little more acceptable for women to experiment with their sexuality, this could be another reason why women watch porn, lesbian porn over other categories..
- Owning your body
Looking at a female body may be a welcome change if you are not quite happy looking at male genitalia. Lesbian porn is focused on women’s bodies, completely. This can come with the acceptance of your own body and learning how to love your body.
- Straight porn can feel degrading
Some women who have watched straight porn remember feeling uncomfortable because of how misogynistic, aggressive, and male-centric it is.
In comparison to heterosexual porn, lesbian porn may feel less degrading, again these are not the feelings that people want to have.
Some start feeling confused about what that means for their sexuality and question if it was something they should share with their partners.
Plenty of online forums proves that there are many other straight women who prefer to watch lesbian porn. The comments on such platforms helped many feels comforted by all of the other straight women who shared that they, too, enjoyed lesbian porn.
- Curiosity or fantasy
Another reason is an interest in the fantasy of lesbian sex. Women may like it because it might be taboo for them and it piques their curiosity. Then, there is the sensuality of it all. Lesbian porn tends to be more sensual and intimate, which many women find sexier.
- Lesbian porn involves a lot more sensuality and romance
It feels like the characters are getting to know each other a lot more. There is a sense of romance and a lot more foreplay involved, that caters to women’s pleasure.
A lot of women prefer subtle stimulation over direct acts of arousal, this can be in the form of foreplay or skin-to-skin contact and even eye contact.
Men respond more to visual stimuli like body shape and face. They want partners who are young and look physically fit, and focus on things that are easily visible. Women, on the other hand, seem more attracted by different stimuli, like touching or speaking. Women want partners who are responsible, who can assist them, and who have the resources to take care of their children. Therefore, women’s criteria for partner selection are not readily apparent.
Watching pornography can be confusing to your sexuality but remember that pornography is made specifically with the intention of arousal.
Understanding more about porn consumption can help to equip us with better information on sexuality and sexual arousal. More open conversations and better sexual education is needed so young people don’t feel they have to turn to porn to learn how to have and enjoy sex.
We just need to equip people with knowledge and access to information so that they can figure out how to be embracing their sexuality in a way that works with them, and having a pleasurable, happy, consensual relationship.
Read more: Porn Addiction Among Females – It’s More Common Than You Think
