Article by Cameron Spink

The argument that romance books and movies are female pornography has been used many a time by Christians and indeed, on occasion, by myself. An article appeared on the Boundless website (a Christian website for young adults) has deserted this way of thinking and suggests that chick flicks are not pornographic. For the purposes of this article I'm treating pornography as a male issue and romance literature/cinema as specifically a female phenomenon. This is generally the case and for the purposes of cohesive arguments I will divide them as such.

The writer, Ted Slater, contends that:

“It seems to be the "in" thing nowadays to compare the genre of "chick flicks" or "chick lit" with pornography. They are not the same, even in the sense that one may be visual and the other emotional. Pornography is about trivializing the sacred and lust and adultery -- clearly things God hates. Chick flicks (as a genre) are about emotions and matters of the heart and a longing for love -- things God clearly affirms.”

I would tend to agree with this statement. Chick flicks provide women with the fulfillment that they are born longing for. A fulfillment that can only be found in God. This longing is endorsed in the Bible and particularly in the Psalms. For example Psalms 119:20 says “my soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times”.

Compare this to the lust that a person feels when they look at naked women. This is condemned in the Bible “for out of the heart come...adultery, sexual immorality... These are what defile a person” (Matt 15:19-20) and leads to visual addiction to supply a selfish need. Therefore, as Christians we must wholeheartedly try to avoid the temptation of lusting inanimate people on our screens.

What is more Slater points out that comparing the two “ultimately diminishes the dangers of real pornography by comparing it with chick flicks”. Pornography is addictive, very addictive and the way it can diminish relationships and affect social outlooks for an individual make it very dangerous. Particularly for us young men because it preys on us in our fallen, sexually-desiring state and can provide us with perceived intimacy where none actually exists. Chick flicks, are not, by themselves, addictive nor do they supply the stimulation that is provided by pornography. A bloke, for instance, could have a similar emotional feeling when watching an action movie, or a sports game and let his mind wander to the question of what if...?

There is, however, a particular effect that can result from viewing either pornography or chick flicks. Both forms of “entertainment” can lead to misconstrued views of what could but will never be. For a male, pornography provides the viewer with a chance to get a physically perfect woman who is willing to fill their head with any sexual fantasy they could dream of. For a woman, chick flicks can provide her with a chance to get lost in a world where she ends up with her prince and they both live happily ever after.

These are both dangerous impressions as they try to satisfy a love that doesn't, in reality, exist. Furthermore, they undermine the viewer's relationships and, in particular, actual or future partners. No woman can fulfill the viewer's needs like the girl on the screen does. This raises physical bar that will leave the viewer unsatisfied with a partner who cannot and/or will not provide him with the same stimulation. In a similar way chick flicks can leave the viewer unsatisfied with real world relationships. However, those viewing pornography will invariably become desensitized to the carnal acts on the screen and will be overcome with lust.

It is easy to mix these consequences up yet sometimes we do. Let me outline the differences for you. It is dangerous for a female to gain an impression from a movie about her perfect partner. It is devastating for a man to get caught up in the tangle of pornography. Porn will lead to lust and will lead to dissatisfaction. Chick flicks may lead dissatisfaction but without onscreen stimulation should not, by themselves, be attributed to lust.

Romance books and movies are not pornography in and of themselves. Still a woman should be aware of the discontentment that can occur if comparing the relationship on the screen to her own relationship in real life. However, it is imperative that a man knows that by looking at pornography he is objectifying women, he is corrupting his mind and he is disobeying God's decrees. Either way, don't buy into society's lies. Pornography is lustful and corrupts the heart. And chick flicks don't provide the answer to the desires of the heart. The only completely fulfilling love is the love God holds for us.

Click here to go to the article on the Boundless website.