There has long been division between those who feel that
depictions of nudity and intercourse are perverted, and those who feel that
they are ‘art’ and therefore entirely allowable in the public domain – media
news, museums, even classrooms. In law, there are fine distinctions between
obscenity, pornography, and erotica, with the former often being banned or
subject to extreme disapproval, while the latter is generally considered almost
family-friendly. Pornography falls somewhere in the middle, garnering some
disapproval and some acceptance.
Obscenity usually indicates that there are issues with the
content of the art, be it literature, film or paintings, and can include
paedophilia, bestiality, and rape – acts that are illegal and non-consensual.
It is right that these topics are, and remain, taboo.
Erotica is more usually sensual, rather than sexual – so intercourse might be hinted at rather than overtly shown as in pornography. Looking at a piece of erotica can arouse sexual feelings (horniness), but it can also just create a feeling of emotional gratification – in the same way that beautiful views, cute animals and attractive people (of either gender or somewhere in between) can make us feel happy when we look at them.
Watching people having sex makes us want to have sex for the same reason that watching someone eating something delicious makes us want to eat too – we have, in our brains, mirror neurons that trigger when we see a basic need being fulfilled. These mirror neurons come into play as an, if you like, extreme form of slightly selfish empathy. We see someone getting off, and we want that for ourselves, we insert ourselves into the scenario. Mirror neurons are not only triggered for sex, think of every time you’ve seen someone enjoying the satisfaction of a basic need. It can be something as simple as seeing someone snuggling down into a warm, cosy bed for a good night’s sleep, someone chugging a bottle of water on a hot, sweaty day – anything that we need in our lives in order to be happy, healthy and fulfilled.
We enjoy, most of us, looking at beautiful body shapes. We
find them attractive because we are designed by nature to find them so. Nudity
catches the eye in mature adults as the primitive parts of our brains is always
looking for an opportunity to procreate. This base carnal desire can work at
the same time as the above-mentioned emotional reaction – and when this occurs,
watching porn becomes less guilty perversion, and more artistic gratification.
So which is porn? Art or perversion? The truth is, as with so many things, neither one nor the other. There are perverted aspects to porn, and there are artistic aspects there too. High-class porn is more likely to boast artistic elements, while cheap and cheerful porn tends to get right down to action, without any finesse or artistic elements. How you feel about any one piece of porn is reliant on your own perceptions and tastes: one man’s porn may be another person’s perversion!