Recently, I overheard a man who was angry that his girlfriend was upset at him for watching porn.

I mean, you read those porn books. It’s basically the same thing.

The sentiment that erotic literature or smut books, books containing copious explicit scenes, are equivalent to pornography is not new. It’s a quick “gotcha” moment that (predominantly male) porn-watchers pull out when confronted with moral backlash over porn. For me, there’s an easy and obvious distinction between the two.

Porn is inherently exploitative. Smut is not. Porn uses real people’s bodies and permanently puts those images on the internet. Smut books are completely from the author’s imagination and don’t rely on exploiting real people.

However, smut is frowned upon by the general public because of its connection to women’s sexuality. Smut is not solely for women, but is generally viewed as female-dominated in terms of its creators and audience. Smut is disliked both due to the consistent hatred of anything women show interest in and the expression of women’s sexuality.

In TV shows and movies that I watched growing up, I always saw sex portrayed as something much more enjoyable for the man. It’s a common punchline in sitcoms that men only want sex and women only want emotional intimacy. This narrative is not only a sexist portrayal of an uneven relationship dynamic, but it also discourages young women from embracing their sexuality. Smut allows women to have the freedom to learn what could be enjoyable to them.

In the 2010s, approximately 83% of romance books were written by women. Porn is an industry that is portrayed as “by men, for men.” Romance novels and, by extension, smut, are the opposite. In the smut industry, women are able to create the narrative and storylines that focus on women’s pleasure.

Just like with porn, smut can have any combination of themes and genres. It also allows women space to explore desires that could be pleasurable to them, in contrast with pornography, which typically has male pleasure at its center.

A 2010 study found that, from a sample of the most popular adult films, 88% included physical violence. Almost all of this violence is directed at women.

The violent images are especially dangerous, taking into account the prevalence of porn among young men. A study by the American Psychological Association found that, of the sample, the average age of first exposure was around 13 years old. Additionally, almost half of the men studied reported that they were first exposed to porn accidentally. Their findings indicated that earlier exposure correlated with a stronger desire for power over women.

The longer form of smut also gives the characters time to grow an emotional bond in addition to a physical one. Porn addiction alters people’s brain chemistry due to the constant dopamine rush. Constantly scrolling through scenes of detached, unreal bodies with no acknowledgement of their humanity is desensitizing, especially to younger men. Focusing on the fact that participants in a sexual fantasy are people as well could rectify this.

The negative effects of pornography go beyond the individual. Many porn websites are lax on their verification of age and consent. Pornhub is especially dangerous because users are able to upload videos, and it’s extremely difficult for moderators to determine someone’s age or whether the recording and posting was consented to. Additionally, viewers are able to download videos, immortalizing them even if they’ve been taken down for violating guidelines.

Professional production companies that adhere more strongly to these guidelines can’t compete with online streaming platforms. Porn sites like porn hub with lax regulations have grown exponentially while strictly legal companies have stayed stagnant, increasing the availability of unregulated content.

Porn, especially digital, haunts victims of assault and trafficking. Its victims also include the viewers themselves, who can easily become addicted and have their brains physically altered. It is exploitative, dangerous, and unethical.

Smut isn’t all good; just like porn, it can also make real sexual encounters less exciting and create unfair standards that can’t or shouldn’t be lived up to.

However, smut lives in the imagination, not in the bodies of real humans. It gives readers a safe space to explore in a world still determined to shut their sexuality off. Everyone deserves that, but the negative impact porn has had on its victims, men and women alike, is indefensible.

So, if you’re looking to explore your sexuality but want to avoid the exploitation of porn, smut is a safe, welcoming space to turn to.