2017 belonged to women in more ways than one. For starters, it appears that a lot of women watched porn in 2017 than in any past years. Like PornHub and xHamster established from their annual reviews, women seem to be getting their rocks off to saucy online clips than ever before, more than anyone would have thought. If you are shocked by that, it’s probably because you are not a woman. In fact, PornHub revealed that “porn for women” was the most popular search term on their site. Compared to others, the search term, shot up a whopping 1400%. It would be safe to assume that porn is not only rising in popularity but also raising curiosity in women.
Women openly expressing their desires
Interestingly, the searches were not only conducted by women. Men were not also left behind. It is perhaps indicative of the fact that there is a substantial increase in the number of people looking to watch more ethical or feminist-minded porn, which I would interpret as people trying to remove perceived ‘violence’ against women in porn. For the longest time, porn has been perceived as violent and only made by men, for men. It appears people are moving away from that notion and embracing more ‘positive’ porn.
In connection, it seems 2017 was the year that women came out openly to express their desires. This could be down to a feeling of women empowerment according to Dr. Laurie Betito, a sex therapist, and director of the PornHub Sexual Wellness Centre. Prominent women like Hilary Clinton dominated the global stage and encouraged a lot of women. So what were we all watching? Older women apparently. In the United Kingdom alone, there was a 43% in traffic leading to mature categories.
Women made up for 26% of users on PornHub with India (130 percent), Japan (56 percent) and the Philippines (32 percent) witnessing the highest rise in women visits.
Rise in female users
Another porn streaming site, xHamster, also witnessed a rise in female viewership in 2017. There was a 2.4% increase globally in women viewership in 2017 on their website as women made an even larger viewing community. While this is a trend that has been witnessed in the last few years, it is only in 2017 where women started coming online at a greater rate (surpassing men in the process). It explains why porn for women was so popular.
This could be for three reasons:
The first is the rise in amateur porn (together with the availability of upload sites). That in itself means that more women are producing porn that would have been imagined, say, ten years ago. This in itself means that women are producing porn that resonates more with women, which also explains why lesbian porn was also very popular in 2017. Like you may or may not know, lesbian porn gives women a chance to explore their sexuality without taking risks.
The other reason is the easy access to adult content. Free sites like PornHub have given more women the chance to enjoy porn without facing stigma. They don’t have to go to the store to buy videos or to the bookstore to purchase erotica novels. It’s all readily available online. While there is still a misconception that women do not enjoy adult content, it appears that it was practically shattered in 2017.
Also, there has been increased sexual freedom and more permissiveness for gender equality in the last couple of years compared to a few decades ago. Subsequently, this has meant that women are not afraid to get entertained by watching smut, with lesbian porn topping the list in popularity with women (and men).
Women consume porn differently
Perhaps for fear of ridicule and the obvious stigma, women refrain from watching porn from their computers. According to research, 80% of female porn viewers do so use their handheld devices (smartphones and tablets) with smartphones taking 71%. In comparison, only 69% of men watch porn from their handheld devices. With the steady increase of women watching porn, it confirms what we already knew; that porn is a universal language.
Porn easiest way for women to orgasm
Porn is healthy. I presume we all know this. But according to Fran Walfish, a relationship psychotherapist based in Beverly Hills, porn is best when shared with a partner as it adds on to the excitement. When one member of a couple is watching porn alone, the other is left out of the experience and learning process, and it becomes very ‘solo.’
For people who lack partners, porn can be a good substitute to human touch, especially for women. According to a survey, 73% of women watch porn because it’s the easiest and quickest way to orgasm. Imagine that? This is a clear indication that men need to raise their game a notch or two higher.
PornDude’s final words
2017 must-have been full of untold (sweet) miseries for women. Well, am hoping the number of women watching porn will continue to increase even in 2018, possibly double. As we get the hang of watching porn as couples. Like I always say porn is a universal language, it could be what you are both missing or what you deny each other.
