Much of U.S. society's (and feminist) objection to pornography focuses upon the dehumanizing effect being a video sex worker allegedly has on those who do it for pay. Unlike prostitution, in which there is a greater risk of violence, contracting STDs, or being abused by pimps or police, porn stars work in a more controlled environment. But even if physical risks are less, what about psychological risks? Do porn stars feel humiliated, degraded, less than human? Are they the products of sexual abuse as children? Are they more frequent users of drugs? Is their self-esteem irreparably damaged?
A new study claims to put the lie to such stereotypes, suggesting in fact that "there's a good chance many [porn stars] have better self esteem ~ not to mention more enjoyable sex lives, better body images, and more positive outlooks on life".
177 porn actresses ranging in age from 18-50 years old were surveyed on "a variety of behavioral, social, and psychological dimensions", including demographic information, sexual behaviors and attitudes, self-esteem, quality of life, and drug use. Their self-reports were compared to those of a control group of women matched for age, ethnicity, and marital status.
The results? "Porn actresses were more likely to identify as bisexual, first had sex at an earlier age, had more sexual partners, were more concerned about contracting an STD, and enjoyed sex more than the matched sample .... there were no differences in the incidence of childhood sexual abuse .... Porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction, and spirituality compared to the matched group."
You can click here to view samples of the questions asked, as well as a chart showing the numerical results. If the test results surprise you, consider that in countries where sex workers operate legally and safely, self-esteem ranks as high or higher. Criminalizing a natural behavior is itself problematical. But then, we've always been a nation of internal contradictions.
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