#1 25-02-21 05:16:44

MS2020

Member

Registered: 06-11-20

Posts: 199

Are men more turned by visuals than women?

So this is something I've speculated about for a long time. It's been widely noted the most pornography is geared to the interest of heterosexual males. As are most sexual forms of sexual media. However it's sometimes been argued that romance novel and soap operas have pornographic overtones and their primary audience of heterosexual women.

Much has been written about how much of this is psychological or sociological. Which goes back to the larger nature v Nurture debate. I don't to dig too much on that larger more complicated subject here. What I wonder about is how much of this can be consider consistent among individuals.

Obviously this site has female subscribers, but I assume them are male. Even though when seen contributors masturbation to visuals as well as text, I wonder many would say the prefer the later.

The are a number of factors to be consider here. I might get into some of them myself later on, but right now I want to leave it open.

Male, female, or somewhere in-between. Straight, gay, or somewhere in-between. Do you get turned on more by words or images? Any reasons why?

_redbird_

Member

Registered: 22-04-16

Posts: 388

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

Personally I think that women were more likely to prefer erotic fiction rather than experiencing it in a visual medium simply because back in the days of porn being in videos and magazines, it was almost exclusively targeted towards straight men. I don't think it's necessarily a matter of "women prefer erotica in the written form" but rather that there just wasn't much for us to enjoy back then, and if there was, we weren't "supposed" to like it so romance novels and the like were our porn. I can remember seeing some porn videos from the 70's and 80's at my friend's house when I was a teenager and being turned on by the nudity but then immediately turned off once I saw the way the men would just roughly plow away at the women. I don't think it really applies to modern times though, as in general I'd say it's a fairly equal amount of men and women that watch porn (I'm sure it's probably still higher on the side of men though).

It's been in more recent years when I've seen more passionate and less male-gazey lesbian porn that I've properly enjoyed it. Prior to easy internet access and better quality videos, I was very much a fan of sex scenes in mainstream films, and would often have an awkward fondle to scenes like the ones in Bound with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly rather than trying to get off on the couple of porn dvds I owned (the early 2000's was....not great when it came to mainstream porn).

JAMMYMAN

Member

Registered: 15-05-18

Posts: 80

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

Back when my wife and I first shared porn, it was mainly available in magazines, where there was a mixture of text (stories, readers' letters etc.) and sexually explicit photographs.. We noticed that she headed first for the text, and I to the pictures. We both used both, but it was a matter of preference. She said she was turned on by pictures of nudity, but using her imagination while reading was even more arousing.

There is also a difference now between porn that is shared and that which is used separately. If we use porn together, my wife prefers to watch video clips and movies with me, whereas when she masturbates alone she almost always uses a sexy book.

_hyperballad_

Member

Registered: 04-08-16

Posts: 556

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

I've read a really interesting study on this.

It was shown that women in the study, experienced physical arousal to visual stimuli just as much as men, but reported it/weren't aware of their arousal response less often.

It was hypothesized that for many women without emotional or mental stimuli pure physical arousal went unnoticed. Especially to material that would be deemed 'unappealing' for example they showed a clip of monkeys having sex & almost even numbers of women & men registered a physical response, but far less women hit their arousal buzzer (self reporting tool).

----

Personally, as I get older, it's much more difficult to find things that do it for me visually - my internal thoughts, fantasies, touch & breath are far more effective tools. Also, I've been in this industry off & on a looooooong time, so I imagine I'm not a great case study!

maurice_B

Member

Registered: 02-01-17

Posts: 138

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

It was shown that women in the study, experienced physical arousal to visual stimuli just as much as men, but reported it/weren't aware of their arousal response less often.

This is interesting as my guess would have been that while both women and men respond to visual stimuli with physical arousal there's a difference, at least on average, in how strongly they respond. It also still leaves open the question whether both sexes respond to the same kind of visual stimuli in the same way. The fact that pornography geared towards female viewers tends to be rather more mood-oriented and imagination-fueling than dominated by overly explicit sex scenes seems to point in that direction.

Personally speaking, although most of mainstream porn doesn't arouse me at all, I am certainly and easily turned on by visual stimuli, but not more than by audio stimuli (yay to the couple next door!) or by erotic texts, though I rarely actively seek these out.

MS2020

Member

Registered: 06-11-20

Posts: 199

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

Personally I think that women were more likely to prefer erotic fiction rather than experiencing it in a visual medium simply because back in the days of porn being in videos and magazines, it was almost exclusively targeted towards straight men. I don't think it's necessarily a matter of "women prefer erotica in the written form" but rather that there just wasn't much for us to enjoy back then, and if there was, we weren't "supposed" to like it so romance novels and the like were our porn. I can remember seeing some porn videos from the 70's and 80's at my friend's house when I was a teenager and being turned on by the nudity but then immediately turned off once I saw the way the men would just roughly plow away at the women. I don't think it really applies to modern times though, as in general I'd say it's a fairly equal amount of men and women that watch porn (I'm sure it's probably still higher on the side of men though).

It's been in more recent years when I've seen more passionate and less male-gazey lesbian porn that I've properly enjoyed it. Prior to easy internet access and better quality videos, I was very much a fan of sex scenes in mainstream films, and would often have an awkward fondle to scenes like the ones in Bound with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly rather than trying to get off on the couple of porn dvds I owned (the early 2000's was....not great when it came to mainstream porn).

Thanks Redbird.

When it comes to moving pictures that allow for outright "sex scenes" it will certainly make a difference if there is only focus on pleasure for the male spectator. Even if is they try to suggest the women is enjoying if through a lot of verbalization, that same rough plowing you describe will no doubt make it less believable and lessen the appeal for women who are still left as performative objects. One needs to show genuine enjoyment from the female performers in cases where they stand to play genuine roles.

When it comes to still photos of models not engaged in any explicit or implied action with a partner, the question of the male gaze seems much blurrier to me. One penis or breast looks pretty much like another from a distance. So it's hard to tell sometimes if the intended audience is male or female. I see how you might note the difference in lesbian porn that actually show case the gaze of the female performers and not just presenting two women as something to be looked upon by the spectators (all body flaunting, no facial expression for example). Yet even as male I too get turned on by nudity only to be turned off by actions that feels forced and unfeeling.

What I'm trying to ask in a long winded sort of why is this: How do feel about still photos of naked women and does it seem to matter if they're mainly geared to a male audience? Also might it make a difference if they a illustrated still when one doesn't have to question the experience of real people before the camera? I can understand who so prefer cartoon porn movies to live action for that reason?

Last edited by MS2020 (28-02-21 00:57:51)

MS2020

Member

Registered: 06-11-20

Posts: 199

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

I've read a really interesting study on this.

It was shown that women in the study, experienced physical arousal to visual stimuli just as much as men, but reported it/weren't aware of their arousal response less often.

It was hypothesized that for many women without emotional or mental stimuli pure physical arousal went unnoticed. Especially to material that would be deemed 'unappealing' for example they showed a clip of monkeys having sex & almost even numbers of women & men registered a physical response, but far less women hit their arousal buzzer (self reporting tool).

So what I think you're saying is: The response of physical arousal isn't that different for men and women. It's the ability to recognize or express arousal that is often harder for women because of mental/emotional barriers. Especially if there isn't the accompanying emotional or mental excitement. Is that right? Because that seems a pretty solid notion.

_hyperballad_

Member

Registered: 04-08-16

Posts: 556

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

I've read a really interesting study on this.

It was shown that women in the study, experienced physical arousal to visual stimuli just as much as men, but reported it/weren't aware of their arousal response less often.

It was hypothesized that for many women without emotional or mental stimuli pure physical arousal went unnoticed. Especially to material that would be deemed 'unappealing' for example they showed a clip of monkeys having sex & almost even numbers of women & men registered a physical response, but far less women hit their arousal buzzer (self reporting tool).

So what I think you're saying is: The response of physical arousal isn't that different for men and women. It's the ability to recognize or express arousal that is often harder for women because of mental/emotional barriers. Especially if there isn't the accompanying emotional or mental excitement. Is that right? Because that seems a pretty solid notion.

I definitely wouldn't call them barriers, I'd call them differences & when you think about it, it makes sense as we socialise girls + boys completely differently in regards to their bodies & sexualities.

But ultimately yes, in a lab setting it was shown that out of the men & women they tested that the physiological arousal response -as we define it- was almost equal in numbers between the 2 genders in the study.

Talking from a purely personal perspective I do notice myself physically responding to a bunch of things I don't find hot, it's interesting to observe & I typically don't express it or 'follow through', because there's a disconnect between me & the response I'm having. I accept it, I certainly don't feel bad about it, but it's a very nuetral thing - I guess a good comparison might be the way men feel when they get random boners over nothing? It doesn't feel like anything much.

Oh, except for when I'm pre-menstraul. But that's a different story entirely haha!

viva

pretty pretty princess

Registered: 14-05-10

Posts: 4,113

Website

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

I think part of all this for me is that I've rarely seen visual porn that can take me where I want to go... or like, show me what I want to see. Anime sometimes can do it. The exaggeration of hentai can be extremely arousing. But then, it can also be.. too much. A lot of porn is either too much or not enough. In addition, I'm not generally attracted to the styles - like I dont like hairlessness, super buff people, bright lights, shrieky moans, perky vibes. I like tension, suspense, intimacy, extremely subtle but effective force, attention, depth. 

If they made porn in the style of The Dreamers, Virgin Suicides, or like old Italian films you better believe I'd be watching that rather than pouring over my same old literotica tags, reading porny porn written by men.

More than anything what I need is not visual or textual. It's story. I need story up to a certain point to focus my attention, and then once I'm really turned on I can depend on just sensation or a repeated visual in my head, but before that I need story/tension/drama, and visual porn simply doesn't offer it.

MS2020

Member

Registered: 06-11-20

Posts: 199

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

I've read a really interesting study on this.

It was shown that women in the study, experienced physical arousal to visual stimuli just as much as men, but reported it/weren't aware of their arousal response less often.

It was hypothesized that for many women without emotional or mental stimuli pure physical arousal went unnoticed. Especially to material that would be deemed 'unappealing' for example they showed a clip of monkeys having sex & almost even numbers of women & men registered a physical response, but far less women hit their arousal buzzer (self reporting tool).

So what I think you're saying is: The response of physical arousal isn't that different for men and women. It's the ability to recognize or express arousal that is often harder for women because of mental/emotional barriers. Especially if there isn't the accompanying emotional or mental excitement. Is that right? Because that seems a pretty solid notion.

I definitely wouldn't call them barriers, I'd call them differences & when you think about it, it makes sense as we socialise girls + boys completely differently in regards to their bodies & sexualities.

But ultimately yes, in a lab setting it was shown that out of the men & women they tested that the physiological arousal response -as we define it- was almost equal in numbers between the 2 genders in the study.

It's does make sense. Although that different socializing of girls + boys leaves open the possibility these differences are more to do with nurture than nature.

Last edited by MS2020 (02-03-21 03:34:58)

TZO2K16

Member

Registered: 22-03-16

Posts: 34

Re: Are men more turned by visuals than women?

Also, there are two types of visual stimuli for people that love adult media, first is the more commonly catered to in the industry, the vicarious viewer; the type that views porn vicariously with varying genders having sex with one another... then there is the more uncommonly mentioned voyeuristic viewer; the one that watches as a third person, somewhat detached from the act of people having sex/masturbating on the screen.

And this is why I keep coming back, as there are equal respect and representation for both viewers here at IFM!