We live in a day and age when pornographic content is readily available with the click of a button. What used to be a hush-hush industry is turning into a booming mainstream business. Porn is no longer primarily targeted toward men either but is targeted at women, teens, and even children.
The sad reality is, if you have any of the following devices, you’ve probably been (or will be) exposed to some form of porn:
- Social media accounts
- A phone with internet
- A TV in your room
- A laptop with internet access
- OR – you hang out with friends who have any of the above.
As tantalizing as pornography may seem, it leads down a path of lust-filled, habitual sin that ends in unfulfillment, shame, and a warped view of sexuality.
Porn distorts God’s beautiful, sacred, and holy design for sex. It tramples on the most intimate celebration of love that God created exclusively for a husband and wife.
Whether you have been exposed to porn or not, you need to be aware of the many lies and dangers it hides. Porn may appear “harmless,” but will totally warp your understanding of your identity as a woman and your view of God’s design for sexuality.
Here are 3 lies that porn teaches women about their sexual design.
1. A Woman is Only as Valuable as Her Body.
Porn is a thriving business built upon the images and videos of airbrushed and physically enhanced women. These women are often not the real deal, and they’re not going to last. The moment a porn actress is deemed “unattractive” she’s out of a job.
The porn industry is nothing more than a revolving door of perfectly ideal females coming in, and less than ideal females going out.
When a young woman (you) sees images and videos of these “perfect” women, you will instantly form a false view of feminine beauty. You will be tempted to compare your body to these “perfect” women. And 99% of the time, you’re not going to measure up to this false standard of perfection. Within a matter of seconds, your view of feminine beauty and worth has been warped.
2. A Woman’s Nakedness isn’t Sacred.
You may have grown up hearing your parents say things like, “those are your private parts,” or “that area of your body isn’t for the public.” Then, the moment you’re exposed to porn, everything changes. Suddenly, a woman’s nakedness isn’t private or special anymore. It’s public.
Porn teaches you that showing off your body for strangers is considered beautiful and hot.
You’re taught that allowing others to see you without clothes on is normal and appropriate. Porn wrecks a woman’s view of sexuality and femininity…and it wrecks quickly.
3. A Woman is Empowered by Being Objectified.
Lastly, and most importantly, porn teaches us that it’s empowering to be objectified. This is one of the biggest and most dangerous lies out there. Being viewed as an “object” is a horrible and demeaning thing for a female. Sadly though, the porn industry has done a brilliant job of objectifying women and then convincing them that it’s glamorous and empowering.
Porn instantly teaches us the message that it’s empowering to become eye candy for others. We’re fed the lie that our sexuality is a consumable commodity. As a result of buying into this lie, we begin to view our bodies as an object and wonder how much we would be worth.
There is nothing more demeaning to a female than objectifying her. I wrote an entire article to address this lie called, 4 Reasons Modesty Empowers Women and Nudity Doesn’t. I encourage you to read it.
Porn always leads down a toxic and deadly path, and will totally distort your view of sexuality.
This world is full of seductive lies. Don’t buy into them naively. Porn is not beautiful and it does not place true value and worth on us, as women. God’s design for your womanhood is so much more than your body. Your sexual design is a sacred and holy gift that God wants you to preserve for a covenant marriage. Instead of falling prey to the lies of pornography, choose to fill your mind with God’s truth about your beautiful, God-defined identity as a woman.
And if you’re struggling with a porn addiction, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this book and reading it with a mentor immediately: Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace
Let’s chat more about this below.
- In what ways has our porn-saturated culture influenced your view of yourself and your sexuality?
- When you look in the mirror, do you see a beautiful female handcrafted by God, or do you view yourself with critical eyes, wishing you were prettier?
