Could watching porn make you bisexual? That seems to be the takeaway from a recent report released by xHamster. Dubbed the xHamster “Report on Digital Sexuality,” the survey of 11,000 users compiled data on porn users' age, gender, sexuality, relationship status and political views, to what porn they viewed and more, to try to understand just who watches what and why. The report purports that the more porn you watch, the more likely you are to be bi – over 22.3% of all U.S.-based xHamster visitors think they are bisexual. It’s important to keep in mind that this is a non-scientific study; only a survey of one website's internal information. That said, it hasn't stopped people from making the connection and suggesting that watching porn causes bisexuality.
To be fair, a growing number of people say they are bisexual, according to the latest national surveyby the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, researchers at Boise State University found that in a group of heterosexual women, 60 percent were physically interested in other women, 45 percent had swapped spit with a woman in the past and 50 percent had same-sex fantasies.
So, is there a direct correlation between the amount of time a person spends watching porn, and whether or not they identified as bisexual? Or is that just a correlation that can be chalked up to some other factor?
Read: I'm Bi-Curious ... Now What?
“Watching porn (excessively or a little) does not ‘make’ someone bisexual,” says Kayla Lords, writer, and sexpert for JackandJillAdult.com. “However, watching sex in different ways, viewing different types of bodies and sex acts, and exposing (pardon the pun) yourself to a variety of sex could help someone discover more of what they enjoy and what turns them on,” Lords said. While Lords doesn’t recommend porn as a replacement for sex education, it has been and can be used to discover desires you may not have known you had.
As a female-identifying human, I’ve always had an inclination for other female-identifying people. Sure, it was a slow, clumsy ride in my formative years. I knew what I felt, but I didn't have the words or confidence to explore or explain it. It wasn't until I went to college and had my first legit, same-sex experience and subsequent relationship that I was certain of my bisexuality. Still, this foray into same-sex dynamics was an isolated situation; I didn't have a whole lot of experience.
Fast forward a decade. Craigslist, or maybe MediaBistro, first connected me with AVN.com. At the time, it was the world's largest consolidator of adult entertainment news, content and information. I was hired as the website’s first female porn reviewer and adopted the pseudonym “Nathalie Katz.” Fully aware that this gig could conflict with the children’s books I was penning at the time, I made sure my two editorial worlds did not collide. It worked swimmingly, as I reviewed upwards of 25 porn videos a month, sometimes as many as 50, and expanded my vocabulary in ways I never imagined possible. (To this day, I cannot look at an ATM machine without thinking “ass to mouth.”) "Nathalie" made lots of money channeling my smutty alter-ego online. That contract generated far more income than the kids’ books, as well as major props from my UPS guy, who was the recipient of many gently used DVDs. Go figure.
But did this gig make me bisexual? I highly doubt it. All the tendencies were already in place. However, watching an abundance of porn did make it easier for me to pinpoint what scenarios turned me on. With a wide variety of material at my fingertips and in my mental spank bank, I was able to dial in on the dynamics that got me hot and bothered. And a lot of the time, it involved girl-on-girl action.
I still watch a lot of porn, although now, my taste is a little more ethical and refined. I crave authenticity, a quality that’s hard to come by in a lot of mainstream porn. I also appreciate the current wave of kickass feminist porn directors that go the extra mile to create a thoughtful, quality product for vulva-havers. I’m looking at you, Erika Lust, Joanna Angel, Bree Mills and Lucie Blush.
I’ve always been attracted to women. And although it took me some time to get comfortable with my sexuality, I think that more open-minded people may be more at ease consuming porn. (And talking about it.) I don’t think the act of watching porn itself is going to shift anyone’s sexual identity, but it sure can be a useful tool in exploring a wide world of scenarios in a safe manner. And if that enables someone to pseudo-secondarily experience the thrill of same-sex feelings and attractions, that’s a great starting point to understanding your sexuality.
