Are "50 Shades of Grey" and "Magic Mike" considered Mommy Porn?

Like many of you, I first heard of the movie "Magic Mike" from watching movie previews on my television (I never even heard of 50 Shades of Grey until it blew up on Facebook).  I kind of got the gist of what this movie was about simply from the previews.  I shrugged (maybe threw up a little in my mouth), and then didn't think anything of it.  It wasn't until the movie was released that it entered my mind again. Again, like many of you, I check my social media accounts on a daily basis.  I couldn't help but to notice the positive attention this movie was getting, and from GROWN WOMEN!  The status updates made it seem as if they had just discovered their sexuality and this was the first time they'd ever seen the male body (chiseled out of course).  It seemed like a teenage response to me.  That was my first thought.  My second thought was that this would be extremely unacceptable in most cases if men acted this way toward the female version of this movie.  Take a second to note that these were my first thoughts; I apologize if they came off as judgmental. 

As the weeks pass, there are still many people raving about these works.  However, now I am seeing more and more comments and posts, mainly from women, opposing these productions.  One I recently read is called "50 Shades of Magic Mike".  In this article, the author points out that these works are being referred to as "Mommy Porn."  I will tell you my stance right off the bat so you don't think I am one of those therapists that can't have an opinion.  I am not fond of these types of productions for personal, professional, relational and spiritual reasons.  However, the point of this article isn't to justify or bash these productions.  The point is to ask one question, "Are men and women held to different standards when it comes sexuality, exploitation, and objectification?"

In my practice, it is not uncommon for me to work with male clients who are facing some kind of sexual addiction. Pornography addiction seems to be at the top of the list simply because it is so widely available, accessible, affordable, and the viewer maintains the illusion of anonymity.  However, there are plenty of women out there who are sex addicts as well.  What might surprise you is that there are a growing number of women who are "okay" with their men viewing pornography or they themself view pornography.  It has become common knowledge that men are more visually stimulated than their female counterparts; therefore, in my opinion, I would be hard-pressed to think that a male who views porn on a regular basis wouldn't eventually become addicted. But what about women?  Are women more protected against the visual forms of sexual addiction? I mean, I don't have an abundance of women banging down my door to work on their problem with pornography or voyerism.   If women are, therefore, less likely to become addicted, does that justify the viewing (and raving) of highly sexual material?  If addiction isn't present, does such behavior pose any kind of harm on a personal, relational, and/or spiritual level?

I would like you to note that all I am utilizing on this subject are my inclinations and professional experiences.  I am not posing these question from research as the purpose of this article isn't to throw a bunch of statistics at you; rather, I am genuinely interested in your own thoughts on this matter.  The question I posed in the beginning was "Are men and women held to different standards when it comes sexuality, exploitation, and objectification?"  However, feel free to respond to any part of this article. 

(More blog posts by Josh can viewed at www.joshnicholscounseling.com)