Photo: Courtesy of new line cinema.
Thanks to an endless parade of chiseled bodies, hours upon hours of continuous coitus, and extravagant backdrops that make our bedroom look like a squatter's den, pornography can place absurdly unrealistic expectations on people and the way they perceive their sex lives. Some women feel that in order to satisfy a man, they have to look and behave like the actresses that men have become accustomed to watching. But, it turns out, men also feel the unrealistic expectations placed on them by porn.
For instance, a man's "size" is always emphasized in porn, which makes a lot of men feel inadequate if they don't quite measure up. But, most men don't realize that a variety of camera tricks, lighting techniques, and even makeup are used to help enhance the size of male genitalia. Even the everlasting erection is another myth that pornography helps perpetuate. What men should know is that a lot of porn stars use Caverject, a drug that's injected into the penis to help prolong erections.
Men are also taught that the best way to have sex with a woman is fast and hard, which couldn't be further from the truth. Although that can be called for at times, different women like different things, so contrary to what porn will have us believe, having sex fast enough to break the sound barrier isn't the only way to do it. And, although you may never see it on screen, it's more than okay to sweat. In fact, it's kind of freaky, in a cyborgian way, if you don't.
If porn is to be believed, men are also expected to be fully manscaped, from the eyebrows down. This is one porn-perpetuated myth that affects both men and women, and we should work to squash it together, because, well, a little hair never hurt anyone. It's the getting it removed part that hurts. (Salon)
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