Today, when we’re all connected to the world wide web even when we’re sleeping, it’s hard not to come upon porn. Even if you never had an affinity towards watching pornography, curiosity can lead you onto some very interesting sites. This is all fine and dandy if you’re single, but what happens when you’re in a committed relationship? Can watching porn really be classified as cheating? This question is a tough one, and it all depends on who you’re in a relationship with, and how you define infidelity.
Why would Porn be considered cheating?
When you’re watching porn, you’re simply devoting some of your free time to a few clips on the internet until you reach that wonderful climax. Being in a relationship and watching porn is nothing to worry about unless some lines are crossed. Here’s an example – your significant other went to study abroad, and you’re left there all alone without any outlet that lets you release all that pent up stress and energy. Finding a different man or woman to have sex with while your beloved is away is a seriously bad move, but what happens if your significant other believes that watching porn is the same as cheating?
You can try telling them why that’s a completely different thing. There’s no actual person you’ve cheated your partner on with, for starters. You’re not doing that because you dislike them, it’s just a simple way to help yourself when they are not there, or not in the mood. However, your partner may consider the act of just looking at people that are not them and orgasming while doing so a really bad move. Your partner might find porn disgusting, they might think that it’s abusive and much more, and they have no way of telling you except banning you from porn altogether. Maybe your partner believes that sharing your sexual energy outside the relationship is bad, and they want to be the only ones to satisfy you. Sometimes people believe that anything erotic their partner does without their knowledge is cheating, and if you’re hiding your porn habit from them, they will believe you’re cheating. A person that has watched porn throughout their life will never think of it as cheating, it’s always the people who are uncomfortable with that idea. This is not a bad thing, and if you’re in a good, healthy relationship, all you have to do is sit down and talk to them, and establish boundaries together.
Can watching Porn cross a line?
As mentioned above, if you’re simply watching porn when your partner is not there to satisfy you, or they are not in the mood, and you both agreed that watching porn is okay, then this does not cross the line. However, there are ways you can seriously hurt your partner by watching porn.
If you constantly choose porn over having sex with your partner, you have a problem. Your significant other will feel hurt because they are not enough to satisfy you, so you must turn to other outlets. People in dead bedrooms often experience this – I’ve combed through Reddit long enough to see married people complaining how they haven’t had sex with their spouse in ages, only to hear them watch porn every night. Usually, this means that sex itself is problematic.
If your partner constantly chooses porn over you, you will again have to sit down and talk to them. If they refuse to tell you the problem, then you ill always feel hurt and a relationship such as that one is not worth saving. Good communication is key, and if this simply does not exist in your relationship, you will have plenty of problems. Why would your partner feel like sex with you is a problem? Making love with you might be boring or frustrating to them. Maybe they are bored, maybe they have body image issues, or maybe they don’t feel close enough with you and instead choose porn. There’s a million reasons why your partner might “cheat” on you with porn, and you will be none the wiser if you don’t ask them directly.
So, is watching Porn like cheating?
To sum it all up, watching porn can be considered cheating if your partner defines infidelity like that, or if you believe that pornography is cheating. However, there’s nothing a healthy conversation can’t solve, and a problematic bedroom should not be solved with porn. When watching porn, there’s not an actual person there together with you, yet some people might feel hurt just by seeing you reach an orgasm that way, yet you do it hardly with them. This is a really tricky question, and the answer depends on who you’re sharing your life with.
