Less Interest in Real Women?

27.01.2010 | By: T. P.

Perfect female bodies in pornography and other film industry lead to unrealistic expectations in connection with real women.

You probably think your wife isn't that attractive just because of the ubiquity of Playboy bunnies. (jlp)

It would seem that porn and films in general would make men even hungrier for sex, by presenting almost perfect women. However, research shows that in reality things are different. The image of a thin woman with full and perfect breasts, without any body fat and always having her private parts trimmed raises great expectations in men. This has been verified in the scientific world, where it is known as the "contrast effect".

Real women are underappreciated nowadays. (jlp)

Psychologists Sara Gutierres and Douglas Kenrick conducted research on men's reactions to beautiful women. The results were always similar. If men are exposed to "unreal" women in pornographic or other films - undressed or dressed beauties - their expectations with regard to real women from their environment will be increasingly higher.

Perhaps men should be more critical towards their own looks, too, what do you say, ladies? (jlp)

In the 1970s, in their early research work, they made men watch an episode of the then popular TV series Charlie's Angels before these went on a blind date. On average, these men assessed the appearance of women much more critically as opposed to those who didn't watch the series. Another research has shown that if men look at the girl of the month in Playboy, they feel less in love with their partners, who also seem less beautiful to them. Women seem much more down to earth in this respect. Perhaps it's time they raise their expectations too.

There's a gap between fiction and reality. Beware of falling into the crevice. Embrace what you have.

In a number of relationships, the major problem are oversensitivity, too demanding partners and completely unrealistic expectations. Throughout the history, erotic images were a copy and reflection of reality. Today, modern film production shows the image of a woman who doesn't exist outside the lights of film cameras, while real women are becoming a synonym for bad porn.