I am thoroughly enjoying the process of interviewing women for my first book on women's experiences and meaning around sex and sexuality. One of the questions I ask is whether women enjoy pornography and the reasons why or why not. If you're a woman, how do you feel about this? Can you articulate what you think about pornography or erotica? If you're a man who enjoys pornography, do you know the various perspectives that women have on this?

Pornography is a controversial topic for many women which elicits strong reactions – sometimes positive and sometimes negative. The responses from women run the gamut from those who find mainstream pornography very arousing and love using it to kick start an evening with their partner, to the other end of the spectrum with interviewees who find the portrayal of women and intimacy offensive and degrading. And for some of the women I interviewed, they experience an ambiguous relationship with pornography that they find troubling. They experience a visceral arousal when watching some pornography, but at the same time find it offensive, intellectually and/or morally.

I love that I get to dig at these topics that we don't often discuss with a mix of intellectualism and emotions. If this topic interests you, and you live in the San Diego area, come on out Monday night (May 19) at 7pm to discuss pornography and erotica at the monthly Coed Coffee Chat.

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Relationship & Intimacy Doctor
www.drjennsden.com