Statistics Suggest Our Porn Tastes Are Getting Less Kinky

According to a recent xHamster trend report, interest in kinky porn in the U.S. is lessening – at least in terms of how often we're searching for it online.

Given the cultural shaming that's happened around porn this past year, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Pornography has always been a touchy topic in our society. Even as we move toward a state of more open-mindedness, the subject still comes under fire.

Even so, the statistics are kind of surprising. After all, people like what they like, right? Why would they switch to something more vanilla when what they really get off on is something much different? What exactly is going on here? We reached out to some experts to get their thoughts.

Politics and Porn

Carol Queen, Ph.D. and Good Vibrations staff sexologist, thinks the discourse about porn in the sociopolitical world affects people’s viewing habits to some degree. It may also affect the way they feel about accessing porn. In other words, many people carry internalized shame or fear that others will discover their taste in sexy material. “This is one reason the way we talk and write, not to mention legislate, about porn matters – because it can affect the sexual self-image of real people,” she says.

Legislatures across the country have declared porn a public health crisis, while religious and conservative groups hotly oppose the consumption of porn (although research has shown this attitude isn’t always mirrored in their, ahem, private lives).

“Pornography is not a public health crisis,” says Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics. “Alcoholism is. Drug abuse is. Sex addiction is. Polluted water is. Air pollution is. Pornography is an outlet for people to understand how to use their bodies for pleasure and how to bring pleasure to their partners in more exciting or interesting ways.”

A Back-to-Basics Mindset

When it comes to porn, maybe we’re simply in a back-to-basics mindset at the moment. Interest in subjects like BDSM, anal sex and other previously taboo topics spiked before our recent administration. You know, before the U.S. president promised to crack down on pornography if elected (but reportedly paid $130,000 to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels from disclosing sexual relations) right before the 2016 election.

Porn Fills a Gap for Many People

Keep in mind that porn viewers search for topics that turn them on, as well as information on subjects they’re curious about.

Courtney Watson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, thinks part of porn’s purpose is to allow access to sexual spaces that people can't experience in real life. “Someone might not know how to access granny sex in person (whether to watch it or engage in it), so porn fills that gap,” she says.

Plus, sex education in the United States is mediocre at best, so porn has become the primary source of information for too many. Queen wonders if “basic” porn is spiking because people are using it to try to learn more about sex.

“In conservative times, sex education gets worse,” she notes. Not to mention, a lot of porn (but not all*) portrays gender inequality, unrealistic expectations, and verbal and physical hostility. And that’s the short list of its shortcomings. It’s like learning to drive by watching a chase scene from "The Fast and the Furious." “We know porn is often turned to to pick up the slack," says Queen. "Whether it should be used this way or not."

We've Improved Our Talks about Consent and Assault

On a more positive note, 2017 was also the year in which we engaged in an amazing national conversation around consent and assault.