Compared to two decades ago, the question of whether young people view pornography no longer exists. Permeating into every pocket of social culture, porn has already invoked calls to be introduced into classrooms in order for children and young adults to be properly educated on the realities behind the screen.

But for the vast majority of Ireland’s young adults, who make up 12 per cent of the population, fictitious elements of hardcore pornography have already been manifested in a variety of ways.

Last year, universities in Ireland and the UK experienced a record-high in sexual harassment allegations. Oxford reported the highest number of allegations made against staff; the Trinity College Students’ Union found that a quarter of female students had at some point experienced non-consensual sexual relations.

The fact that these experiences happened in spite of women’s opposition shows there’s either a gross misinterpretation of the notion of consent or a deliberate attempt to impose one’s will over another.

Elements of this behaviour can be identified in the role-play of hardcore pornography: where women are shown in predominantly submissive roles, playing either a willing victim of sexual domination or a reluctant participant lured into intercourse.

In both, despite their reluctance, women are shown to be clearly stimulated by the physical use of force. This is an aspect which, in its basic form, popularises an infamous misconception otherwise known as ‘rape fantasy’.

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