WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsStudy: Women buying more porn

Study: Women buying more porn

(NBC) - Pornography is an $8-billion per year industry in the United States, and new research is showing that millions of women are part of its growing audience.

"I think women are more open with their sexuality," said Monica Cintron, who admits to buying pornography. "I watch it alone. It gives you different positions and lets you be more creative with your loved one, helps keep the relationship spiced up."

She's not alone. According to Nielsen/Net ratings, about 1-in-3 visitors to adult entertainment websites are female, with nearly 13 million American women checking out porn online once a month.

Sexologist Marilyn Volker said the history of adult films dates back to the 1920s. Those films were called "smokers" and only men could watch them.

"Part of this, in women's history, is just like the right to vote," Volker commented. "Many women are saying 'I want to be able to watch.'"

Studies also show that women are watching for the creative storyline and videography. Others use it as a tool for their own relationships.

"A lot of women who've been suppressed about getting sexual information are finding that there is an educational element to a number of adult films," Volker explained.

Critics say porn exploits and discriminates against women and sometimes encourages violence, while the erotic models on screen present impossible body image standards.

Volker said where it could be destructive is when someone forces the other to view the video.

"If the video itself is demeaning to women, if the video itself is violent to women - and there are different types of material - then she might feel, of course, very demeaned in being forced to watch," she noted.

Adult films bring about a lot of emotional opinions, offensive to some while embraced by others. Nonetheless, Volker said it can be a positive experience.

The vice president of marketing for Hustler Video said women account for 56 percent of business at the company's video store.

Meanwhile, women aren't only buying porn, they're also creating videos made specifically for female viewers.

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