Skip to main content

Entry
Reader's guide
Entries A-Z
Subject index

Return to Entries

Pornography, Magazines

By:
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett
In:Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media
Chapter DOI:https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412952606.n343
Subject:Sociology of Adolescence, Lifespan & Developmental Psychology (general), Mass Communication
Keywords:pornographic magazines; pornography

Request Permissions

Show page numbers Hide page numbers

Although written and pictorial depictions of sexually explicit behavior date back at least as far as recorded history, the roots of contemporary pornographic magazines can be found in the 1950s. Scholars have examined numerous dimensions of the content of pornographic magazines and have also studied the effects of exposure to and consumption of such publications. According to some surveys, nearly all adolescent males and the majority of females older than 16 years of age have seen some form of pornographic magazine content, and younger teens are also frequently exposed to such materials.

History of Pornographic Magazines

Numerous historians have noted that drawings of people engaged in hetero- and homosexual behavior adorned cave walls, statues, Grecian urns, and a multitude of ancient artwork. Short tomes of a sexual nature became increasingly common in the 18th century. For example, historians have noted that erotic stories were widely circulated among Civil War soldiers in the 1860s, as were early nude photographs of [Page 659]women. In short, as the means to produce media developed, content of a sexual nature soon followed.

Magazines depicting all manner of sexual behavior were available prior to the mid-20th century, although not on a mass market scale. Instead, small-scale publications were typically distributed “under the counter,” from traveling salesmen out of the trunks of cars, or via equally clandestine means. Many observers credit the success of Playboy magazine with legitimizing so-called gentlemen's magazines when it began publication in 1953. Relaxed social mores and legal restrictions resulted in a burgeoning of more sexually explicit magazines beginning in the late 1960s. Magazines such as Penthouse and Hustler soon began publication and featured increasingly graphic depictions of nude females.

Sexually explicit magazines enjoyed continued success through the next two decades, with some of the largest magazines reporting peak circulation figures in the millions. However, most reported significant declines in circulation in the late 1990s due to the growth of freely available Internet pornography. Some magazines responded by continuing to increase the sexual explicitness of their photographs, as well as by focusing on various paraphilias (nontraditional sexual activities). A number of publishers, including the publisher of Penthouse, were forced to file bankruptcy to cope with declining sales. Nonetheless, other mainstays of the adult magazine industry, such as Playboy, were more successful in translating their success in print to the online environment.

Content of Pornographic Magazines

By definition, contemporary pornographic magazines contain pictorial depictions of sexual content representing varying degrees of explicitness. However, examination of most of these magazines reveals an abundance of content in addition to these pictorials, such as cartoons, fiction of an erotic and nonerotic nature, viewer comments, and articles addressing an array of topics. This format is hardly coincidence: It helps provide constitutional protection under current obscenity laws.

Some surveys of pornographic magazines have identified thousands of unique titles available in major metropolitan cities in the United States. Despite the abundance of these magazines (or perhaps because of it), social scientists have failed to conduct systematic, comprehensive, baseline assessments of the content of sexually explicit magazines. Nonetheless, some general conclusions may be drawn. Studies have demonstrated that the majority of sexually explicit magazines are intended for heterosexual male consumption. The majority of sexual content consists of photographs of nude females alone or of two or more people engaged in heterosexual activities such as oral sex and intercourse. Nonetheless, pornographic magazines catering to a variety of sexual interests, fetishes, and orientations are common.

...

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
Read modern, diverse business cases
Explore hundreds of books and reference titles