Greater Frequency of Pornography Consumption is Associated with Decreased Self-Esteem and Increased Body Image Issues in Indian Cisgender Men

Background: The hypermasculine body ideals presented in pornography are often considered templates for individual body image and may affect the self-esteem of men. Gay men experience greater body image issues, higher dissatisfaction with their bodies, and more interest in body modification than straight men. However, there is an evident lack of relevant data in the Indian context, particularly for the gay population. Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the impact of frequency of pornography consumption on self-esteem (SE), social physique anxiety (SPA), and drive for muscularity (DM) in gay and straight Indian men. Methods: Indian college students (all cisgender men; n = 105) aged 18-25 years and self-identifying as gay (n = 55) or straight (n = 50) participated in this study. Using standardized measures for SE, SPA, DM, and qualitative measures for sexuality and time spent watching pornography, we explored the following parameters: the relationship between SE, SPA, and DM and time spent watching pornography; the differences in SE, SPA, and DM between gay and straight men; and the difference in time spent watching pornography between gay and straight men. An independent sample t-test, a Mann-Whitney U test, and a correlational matrix were used for analysis. Results: We found that gay men spent more time watching pornography than straight men. Though gay men had higher SPA than straight men, SE and DM were not significantly different between the two. Further, there was a strong positive correlation between time spent watching pornography and SPA, a significant negative correlation between the DM and SE, a strong negative correlation between SE and SPA, and a strong positive correlation between SPA and the DM. Conclusion: The frequency of pornography consumption has a direct impact on body image and self-esteem issues in both gay and straight men. Gay men consume more pornography than straight men and are thus at a higher risk of developing these issues.