Every time I divulge to a young man that I enjoy watching pornography from time to time, it is regarded as highly unpopular. I’m greeted with remarks that hint to the fact that I’m a pretty freaky girl or at the very least that it is rather unpopular to find a girl who doesn’t have a problem with porn, let alone one that watches it.

3orjATo be absolutely frank, I’ve been watching porn from a very young age. Even now, I can vividly recall my childhood neighbor and I glued in front of my parents television watching the flickering scrambled clips of coitus at the top right hand corner of theTV. We had an old-school dish back then, and we had to remind ourselves to change it back G14 or F23 or whatever station it was on before they left. Now-a-days, there’s no sneaking around. In fact I’ve had a monthly subscription to Brazzers for just about 3 years or so. Before then, perhaps in my teens, I’d divulge in Cinemax’s soft porn and eventually graduate to Youporn and Pornhub. I know as some read this they may cringe, and to be honest, I’m not sure why. I think it is entirely normal and in many ways can be quite educational to divulge in other’s nudity in one’s formative years.

What’s all the more odd, is how perplexing it may be some, on the sole grounds that I’m a woman. A young man cataloging Hustler and Playboy magazines throughout his adolescent years and later pleasuring himself to whatever means of pornography he explores is completely natural. But God forbid a single woman have a porn subscription. It immediately renders thoughts of perversity. Gaps are filled in with fantasies or ideas of what one may be doing with this subscription. An idea that because I would so boldly acquire a paid subscription, that I must spend all my waking moments pleasuring myself to the views of the sites latest clips. The idea that because I may in fact watch porn from time to time and have no qualms about sharing that truth that I’d be eager to watch with someone else. There are a plethora of unfounded ideas.

In constant pursuit to assess what others have to say about subjects I plan to publish, I visited Google to research articles about the topic. I came across an article by a Huffington Post author sharing her take on why women don’t watch porn. She remarked on the cheesy beginnings and poor acting in these films. Items, that are at the very least pure bullocks. I can attest to having hardly ever (I’m inclined to saying never) watched the beginning of any pornography film and I assure you no man or woman watches pornography for their compelling, thought-provoking performances. It is in all essence a simple means of gratification. Some people like cupcakes, some don’t. Doesn’t mean that person thinks about cupcakes all day or spends everyday at the local bakery. It’s just not that serious.

So why do women watch porn? You’d have to ask them? I can share with you the most unlikely reasons they do. It’s not because their vile or freakier than most. It’s not because they’re sex-crazed or think about sex any more than any other woman does. In fact,  it’s perhaps most often a simple precursor to masturbation. Fantasy and thought is a major part of turning a woman on and for the most part a half-naked picture of a man on a calendar or magazine, just isn’t enough to get most women’s juices flowing.

If you really want to know if a woman watches porn, ask her. And if you’d like to know why, ask that as well.

The reason many things remain taboo is not because they’re not happening as frequently as one can imagine, but because societal pressures make it hard for many person’s to fess up to their most trivial of preferences. Call it a hunch but I’m sure women watch pornography far more than they may feel comfortable admitting. For those who’d rather not, I hardly doubt that the idea of it is as appalling to them as the let off to their friends and/or colleagues.

Are you a woman who watches pornography? Do you know a woman who does? What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about this stigma?