A prescription for porn: Sexology, sex therapy and the promotion of pornified sex

This chapter explores the material connections between sexology, sex therapy and pornography. It considers how research, training and treatment options in sexology and sex therapy have historically integrated pornography and how this connection continues into contemporary practice. It is argued that the use of pornography in these contexts is outdated and that the current endorsement of pornography within sexology does not account for either the ubiquity of pornography or its changing content. Furthermore, the use of pornography in sex therapy gives medical weight to the pornographic sexual ideal and reduces the opportunities for women to exercise sexual autonomy outside hetero-patriarchal norms.