From ‘Horney MILF’ to the ‘Slutty Schoolgirl,’ online porn is rife with gender stereotypes. Why do people find pleasure in these stereotypes? And is this pleasure the same for everyone? Our PORN-TYPES team will research these and other questions during the famous Lowlands Science festival on the 16th, 17th and 18th of August 2024.
Author: Samira van Bohemen
Date: June 15, 2024
Photo: Monkey Business Images and Rizkreativ (via Canva Pro license)
In porn, women are often depicted as submissive to men, while men are portrayed as having an insatiable libido. These stereotypes not only reflect prejudices about gender roles but also contribute to a broader culture of sexual objectification and inequality. The fact that people watch this to achieve orgasm means these stereotypes are deeply ingrained in our bodies, making them challenging to break while simultaneously being sources of pleasure.
Our sex-positive research project ‘Pornfessions’, aims to uncover where these gender stereotypes in pornography come from, how they are part of sexual desires, and how individual gender identity influences how people experience these stereotypes. Previous research from the field, like those published by Pornhub, has shown that women seek different types of porn compared to men. However, both groups are diverse, and it is likely there is variation within these groups regarding which stereotypes individuals find appealing or not. Equally, it is likely that these differences in appeal can be explained by other factors in people’s socialization.
“Our sex-positive research project ‘Pornfessions’, aims to uncover how gender stereotypes in pornography are part of sexual desires”
Through interactive research, we dive into the complex world of pornographic stereotypes, their allure, and their impact on our sexual experiences. Both the researchers and the Lowlands visitors will gain new insights that can promote a healthy, inclusive approach to sexuality. We encourage all festival-goers to participate and share their perspectives, so we can better understand the diversity of experiences within sexuality and gender identity.
In our Boho/Burlesque styled ‘Pornfessions Lab’, visitors of the popular Lowlands festival can choose to participate in one or both interactive sub-projects:
Pornfession Booth
In sub-project A, our ‘Pornfession booths,’ Lowlands visitors can anonymously share their wildest pornographic fantasies and experiences with an invisible interviewer, aka ‘porn-priest,’ who communicates with them via a microphone and noise-cancelling headphones. The booth resembles the hidden porn section of a video store.
“Anonymously confess your wildest pornographic fantasies to our very own ‘porn-priests’!”
Visitors are shown covers of porn DVDs that contain a stereotype. They are asked what appeals to them and why, whether they have specific experiences with watching certain stereotypes, and they will be asked to rank the DVDs in terms of attractiveness. This research method is known as Q-methodology, a mix of quantitative and qualitative research.
Pornfession Sexperiment
Sub-project B, our ‘Pornfession sexperiment,’ visualizes how pornographic stereotypes are part of the physical pleasure people experience when watching porn. In a separate research room, Lowlands visitors are shown short porn-clips that differ in terms of stereotypicality while their heart rate and eye movements are measured.
Participants are then asked to rate their subjective arousal on a scale from 0 to 100. By comparing both objective and subjective arousal, we can investigate whether arousal is triggered by the stereotype, the sex regardless of the stereotype, or the combination of both.
Research on pornography and sexuality often attracts a specific group of participants who are already engaged with these themes, leading to a highly selective research population. Lowlands is the perfect place to conduct this research, reaching participants who might not typically volunteer for such studies.
Do you happen to be at Lowlands this year? Please join us in our Pornfessions Lab in the Lowlands Science section! We look forward to seeing you there!
Are you Dutch-speaking and want to learn more about this research? Dr. Samira van Bohemen explained the reasons behind the research further as guest on the podcast De Sociologie Show. The podcast is an initiative of the Journal of Social Issues (Sociale Vraagstukken) and the Dutch Sociological Association (NSV).
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