Do Women Prefer Hardcore Porn?

According to neuroscientists Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam, who co-wrote A Billion Wicked Thoughts, their research showed that women do indeed watch less porn than men, but what turns a woman on isn’t as different as what you would expect would turn a man on. What is interesting isn’t the debate, it is that female-oriented, female fantasy-based porn may actually be the last thing that turns a woman on, according to the aforementioned researchers.

“There is a real interesting phenomenon in women’s sexuality—not seen in men’s—and that is this divide between what eroticashouldbe and what actually turns women on,” Ogas told AlterNet. “Studies show that what turns women on is different to what they wish turned them on or how they politically feel about it. There is a paradox in the brain that women have to wrestle with. Men like what they like sexually. But with women, we see political manifestos embedded in their sexuality, with just as much emphasis on whether or not we’re discriminating on any particular gender or race. Whereas, for a man that just doesn’t occur.”

So the question is why have we been so wrong about what women want? Why not feminist-friendly, made-by-women pornography?

Ogas weighs in on the big picture. “There is definitely an audience for feminist-friendly porn, just a small audience and a small fraction of women overall. What is fascinating is that women commonly promote the idea of feminist porn and socially want to believe in it. Activists argue that there needs to be more of it, women support it in public and I see women start erotic websites all the time. But when it comes down to it, that is just not what they are interested in looking at,” he said.

And yes, both Ogas and Gaddam are men, and though they’re brilliant scientists, what does the ‘other side’ think of their little study? Angie Rowntree, who founded Sssh.com - an erotic website for and by women – has a different theory of why women turn to ‘male-focused’ porn.

“If the vast majority of porn on the market is made by and for men—and it is—is it any wonder that a relatively small portion of women wants to watch it? To me, that number just speaks to the opportunity on the market for porn made with a female viewership in mind. It’s just a function of the numbers and what has been available on the market, historically speaking,” she told AlterNet.

So what porn turns a woman on? Which side is right? The debate continues.