Pornography – The Best Form of Safe Sex?
With the rise of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases around the world, there is a growing band of single women who choose to protect themselves from the risk of STDs by pursuing almost entirely sexually isolated lives. Modern sex toys allow for sexual stimulation that, although different from real sex, provides a unique experience for women who would rather be safe than sorry but what about women who seek visual and mental stimulation rather than just simple mechanical satisfaction?
There is considerable evidence emerging that points to a rapid rise in the use of adult films and other forms of erotica by single women in their 20s and 30s and this group is starting to represent a market force that is redefining the boundaries of the adult industry. Whilst the days of dirty old men in rain coats trawling the dusty shelves of seedy sex shops are not exactly gone, there are many options available if you do not wish to be exposed to this stereotypical scenario from a bygone age. Of course one of the primary agents for change in the way we shop for sex is the Internet with its endless ability to supply us with anything imaginable as long as we have our credit card by our side.
Currently it is thought that on a global basis, which unfortunately really only means globally in the sense of liberal, developed countries, around ten percent of all adult DVDs sold are purchased by women. Compare this to the situation ten years ago however and we see a very different picture where not only was there no data on porn use by women, there was very little interest in building a picture of it because it was thought the market was so unimportant that it wasnt worth the effort.
How different it is now, with all the major adult DVD studios competing to promote the latest female or couple friendly porn movies and extolling the virtues of the latest porn star turned director who is wheeled out to deliver increasingly bland and generic speeches about how women in the porn industry are finally striking a blow for womens rights and sexual freedom.
Whilst it is perhaps all too easy to be a little cynical about the motivations behind this perceived shift in power in an age old industry dominated by men, we think anything that allows women to explore their sexuality can only be positive. For years men have happily sat in front of their televisions and masturbated whilst looking at porn films and why should women not have the opportunity to do the same with porn that is made by women for women? Almost everyone likes sex but the needs of women have been overlooked for so long it is refreshing to see that at last the balance is being redressed.