Masturbating To Erotic Imagery (Part 2)

The process of using sensual or sexual imagery as an aid to masturbation--a process that is in no way an intrinsic part of self-pleasuring [1]--is often misunderstood on a moral and functional level.  Absolutely nothing about the process is inherently degrading or objectifying to either the one stimulating himself/herself or the person being masturbated to (nor is it Biblically sinful [2]), but this is only one of the more common myths about the process.  An unspoken but implied premise is that masturbating to the sight, memory, or thought of someone of the opposite gender signifies sexual attraction to them.

As one can easily learn from reason, masturbating to someone of the opposite gender in no way means that there is a desire to have sex with them.  Sexual attraction is merely the experience of sexual feelings as they are drawn to a particular person, and is separate from the desire to sleep with someone.  Masturbation to imagery does not necessarily mean that the one masturbating is experiencing sexual attraction to the other person.  It might simply mean that the sight or thought of that person produces physiological arousal whether or not it is accompanied by the psychological state of sexual attraction.  The two phenomena are completely distinct, after all, although they might appear together in some circumstances.

The image or thought of the person may or may not be sexual, as physical arousal of the genitals could be triggered in either case.  Thus, erotic and nonsexual imagery alike can be used for the same purpose during masturbation--not that the human body, clothed or unclothed to any extent, is sexual (only the perceptions of it and intent behind it can be sexual).  For example, a woman might masturbate to a shirtless man or a man engaged in some sexual behavior, even though the former is nonsexual, because the emphasis is first and foremost on her own arousal, not on the metaphysical nature of the man she is looking at or thinking of.

Similarly, a man might masturbate to a woman in a bikini or a woman engaged in a sexual behavior, even though the former is nonsexual, because the emphasis is on whether or not his genitalia are aroused, not on whether the imagery is genuinely sexual.  Just as there is nothing sexual about a man forgoing a shirt, there is nothing sexual about a woman wearing a bikini, even though the man or woman might be exposing their bodies for sexual reasons.  This distinction is simply not relevant to the impact a thought or image has on a particular person, and the goal may be nothing more than to facilitate physical sensations of sexual pleasure.

A man or woman who masturbates to mental or sensual imagery involving someone of the opposite gender might be sexually attracted to that person, but not by default.  This is only one of the manifestations of the potential complexity of sexuality even when the focus is on oneself and not on the experiences of another person.  One person's motivation may differ quite sharply from that of another, as is the case with other examples of sexual expression.  Myths about the motivations behind sexual activities are often part of the reason why openness about sexuality is feared, and thus these myths need to be deconstructed if their power over society is to be broken.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2019/11/masturbating-to-erotic-imagery-part-1.html

[2].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/masturbating-to-mental-imagery.html