The following post is the beginning of a weekly blog series called “Cultural Commentaries” by Family Council Communications Director Josh Mesker.
Pornography has been problematic for modern society ever since Playboy magazine began mainstreaming it for men in 1953. Since then, pornography use and addiction has skyrocketed—especially since the advent of the internet, which has made it much easier to access explicit content discretely. It’s no secret that men are the heaviest users at an alarming rate of 72%, but if the novel 50 Shades of Grey and the movie Magic Mike are any indication, women are now a market to be mined.
Focusing on internet pornography usage from a 2006 study, it has been found that 28% of women—or over one-fourth—have visited pornographic websites, and 17% of women have indicated that they are struggling with addiction. There’s a high probability, considering trending data on this subject, that use and addiction among women is even higher today. Media producers have seen these statistics, and they’ve responded by trying to mainstream erotic material for women—with 50 Shades of Grey and Magic Mike leading the charge into this new and disturbing era. Their popularity have established a cultural marker that should not be taken lightly.
A friend of mine recently expressed his concern about this trend.
I’m really upset about this obsession with 50 Shades of Grey and Magic Mike. Men have been disgusted by and addicted to pornography for years; the only limiting factor on the destruction of our culture was that most women weren’t looking at porn. If women get addicted to pornographic literature and imagery, our culture will be irreparably broken.
He’s right. With more women today finding pornography use acceptable, both sexes could eventually be trapped by what Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough is Enough, calls “the drug of the millennium and more addictive than crack cocaine.” Pornography use and addiction has already done incredible harm to individuals and families, and it’s going to continue spreading spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical destruction if men and women don’t fight it together.
An organization called XXXchurch is taking an uncompromising approach to fighting pornography. It’s a recommended resource for men and women alike who want to break free from pornography’s harmful hold on their lives. Click here to visit the XXXchurch website for more information.
Jon Stevens