How do you feel about "Barely Legal" pornography?

For me, it's not my thing but it doesn't bother me if others like it. As stated above, there are plenty of people who are in their mid to late 20's who look like teenagers...and if that body type is your thing, be it small breasts/hairless or whatever, then who's to judge. What I have a problem with is how some of this material is marketed. To me there is a difference between someone who is made to look more youthful or wearing clothing normally attributed to youth (i.e., cheerleader outfits, stockings ect) and porn or sites that use marketing with the specific purpose of suggesting "barely legal" participants.

I guess if the models are about the legal age then it's really not an issue.

Honestly even if the porn is specifically made to cater to ephebophiles or hebephiles (those attracted to post-pubescent teens under 18 and those attracted to younger pubescent teens, respectively) I think it's GOOD for them to have a legal outlet. Anything that will appease their sexual frustration and keep them from interacting with real youngsters is a positive move.

Getting rid of "barely legal" porn, drawings, and computer animated material isn't going to stop people from having attractions outside of a socially accepted age range, it's just limiting their options for exercising those fantasies safely. Even if you find it creepy, it has its place.

kinda creepy

In hind sight, my comment would open a crapstorm so I've removed it.

I do find it quite creepy when they try to market these girls as seeming as young as they possibly can. Sometimes when I come across barely legal porn, I have to click away from it because I honestly don't know whether or not the actress is 18+. But at the same time, I don't think it's that weird to be attracted to it. Men are often attracted to teenagers - why else would the schoolgirl, cheerleader, etc. fantasies be so popular? The age of consent in most states is 16 or 17 anyway. So I don't think "barely legal" porn featuring consenting adults, while sometimes creepy, is that big of a deal.

So long as everyone involved is actually of the age of consent, I see nothing wrong with it. If nothing else, it's better to have a legal outlet for taboo interests than to go and do something that might be harmful to a teen/child and land you in prison.

On a side note, I remember seeing late-night ads for a phone sex line called "We Are 18" or something like that. All the ladies looked to be in their mid-20s, at least. You're not fooling anyone, girls!

its creepy and nasty. I dnt think its ok what so ever. cuz its for the ones tht like lil girls....but they are doing it legal. so just in tht makes it wrong in my eyes. i also think maybe make girls over 21...when ur 18 ur still young and making childish decisions (most girls anyways)

to each his own, yes. but we shouldn't be encouraging pedophilia, even if the girl is actually 18.

I once asked a group of men about this attraction. One of them made a good point. He noted that the consenting age of 18 is a relatively new law in the United States and the age of consent is still even age 7 or the onset of puberty in some regions of the globe. In the US, the age of consent was raised from 10-12 (1800s) to 16-17 (1895) and was finally raised to 18 in 1920.

So given the fact that girls have historically been seen as sexual beings shortly after puberty, it would follow that many men are still attracted to a much younger girl (From an evolutionary standpoint). The guys noted that the legality of having sex with a child under 18, keeps majority of their sexual desire for younger girls at bay and they settle for a 'barely legal'.

It made sense to me. But please note I do not condone sex with a minor. The attraction makes sense though.

Thanks sexiskewt and Owl Identified for your very detailed responses to this question.

I have no idea whether 'barely legal' pornography is an outlet to people who would like to have sex with minors, or causes our perception as a society to view minors as sexual objects for fantasy. I would like to see some hard research on the topic. I think this is related to other conundrums I've run across, such as, 'do violent videogames cause violence, or are they a safe outlet for violence in a fantasy world?' Many people will argue both ways and even produce convincing evidence for both opinions.

I have no real experience with 'barely legal' porn, but I could try to draw a parallel perhaps with, say my desire to watch lesbian porn. Does watching lesbian porn immerse me in a sexual fantasy that I find erotic and appealing? Yes. Does watching lesbian porn make me think an actual lesbian would want to have sex with me? Nope. Does it make me feel that the lesbians I know in real life would like me to participate, or watch in on their love life (or even give me a desire to do so)? No, not at all. Does it give me rape urges towards lesbians because I have seen such pornography and feel more immersed in the fantasy? Absolutely not. Even though immersion in the fantasy might make it seem more possible for some male viewers to suddenly fulfill s lesbian or a 'barely legal' fantasy with reality, most viewers will realize it for what it is: a fantasy.

MIGHT it give rape urges to someone else watching, someone who is perhaps more obsessed with the fantasy? I believe so, in extreme situations. In that sense, watching lesbian porn might goad someone who is already unstable towards justifying a monstrous act of rape, but it was someone already with a predisposition towards the act, and not the general audience of that form of pornography. I believe it would be the same for 'barely legal' pornography.

In my opinion, a prime candidate to watch 'barely legal' pornography would be someone who likes looking at younger girls, not necessarily minors, and not per-pubescent girls. If you like younger looking girls I think you have a right to like younger looking girls as long as they are 18+. I don’t think any pedophiles would go for ‘barely legal’ pornography because almost no one over 18 is going to look pre-pubescent, even if they do have small breasts and braces, and pedophilia by definition is the desire for pre-pubescent children.

Some people have a desire to harshly whip their partners in BSDM fantasies, which I feel can be degrading, and in the same sense desensitize viewers who watch this regularly, making the recipient look little more than a violent sex object than a person. Yet do I think this type of pornography should be banned? No, not if two willing adults are consensually participating in the fantasy. I recognize the difference between my sexual views and would is a right of free and willing individuals. Even though in the big picture it could be argued that some individuals are inappropriately responding to this type pornography and committing illegal acts after watching it, I would not blame the pornographic content of the fantasy itself, rather the individuals who take it beyond the bounds of law.

Even if you enjoy what is (or might be) implied in a fantasy, the fantasy does not necessitate a desire for the reality behind it. In the same sense that I might watch a lesbian scene in pornography with no desire to have sex with a lesbian in real life, I think a 'barely legal' pornographic viewer is most likely NOT to want to have sex with a minor, and is probably relieved to see that all actresses in the film are 18+, not disappointed by it.

In my own opinion I still do find some forms of pornography reprehensible and degrading, such as a fake ‘snuff’ film and some BSDM. I think it is important for a society to continually look at its values and go to extra lengths in particular to protect its innocents. However I also feel that individuals need freedom, especially sexual freedom, because repressing sex only drives it underground, as Victorian England brothels will testify. There are better ways to change the way people view sex than by simply making things illegal; such as education, social programs, respecting one another through example, etc. I think the laws we have in place in the United States are working well, with 18+ as the age for pornography, and the age of consent ranging from 16 to 18 years old. Does this mean everyone is emotionally ready at 16 or 18? No, it is an arbitrary number for adulthood but we have agreed to it as a society and can re-evaluate it, and change it as we see fit.

I really hope I've worded my thoughts with sensitivity; I'm male and have had no experience with rape and would detest it if I hurt anyone's feelings, but I wanted to give voice to my opinion as well. Thanks again to you both for providing the detailed responses you did, reading them was informative and education is liberating.

i don't care either way.

The older I get the weirder it feels to watch it. XD I don't find it creepy if they aren't doing anything that particularly highlights how young they look but I remember seeing one video where the girls were on a bed with teddy bears and stuff so it just looked... Wrong. I look very young myself so I'm glad there are people who would find that attractive, but I don't really like when it's played up that they're supposed to be playing teenagers or something instead of just looking "barely legal."

I dont see how guys like the flat chested inexperienced type