Hi Nyxyx,

That’s a very short but also very interesting question. My short answer is yes, it’s okay. As for the long answer, here it goes.

First of all, it needs to be said that pornography isn’t universally considered to be a bad thing, both in what science has to say about it and in what people think of it. Some people are dead set against it and will say it’s evil and deviant, but others will point out its positive aspects. Somewhere in between these two positions, there is nuance to consider.

Secondly, I feel it’s important to state the obvious but important part: pornography is fiction. It shows an exaggerated and fantasy driven view of people and sexual interactions. The scripts (what people do) are most of the time oriented towards the spectacle and have nothing or very little to do with reality. Romance and intimacy are too often non-existent or ignored. Realism isn’t mandatory. If you’re asking this question, I assume the possibility that you have seen some (in a form or another) and I think it’s important to start with this initial element of porn literacy: it’s fake, it’s a show and one shouldn’t base their view of real sexuality on it. People don’t watch superhero movies and (reasonably) start thinking they can fly and punch through walls, right? Well, pornography is often no more realistic than those movies, in the ways that matter. It’s a fantasy made to entertain people, among many motivations for having interest in it.

With this said, I want to do a “small dive” into arguments for and against pornography. Those that seem to be at least a bit relevant to your question. 

So, what are the bad aspects of pornography? There is, of course, the moral position that sees any form of sexuality as bad, except for reproduction. This view being sex negative, that is to say it views sexuality as fundamentally bad or evil, I personally respond to it with sexual positivity, which accepts different ways of thinking and living one’s sexuality, promoting a positive view of one’s feeling and interests about it. With regards to your questioning, your own beliefs are what really matters here, since this question is about you. Do you think of sexuality as a bad thing in itself, or do you think that maybe things are more nuanced than that? I think that if you draw or are thinking of drawing pornography, you might at least be leaning toward a somewhat positive view, but that will be for you to determine.

Another common criticism of pornography is that it’s misogynistic. That’s true, in part. Male characters acting and speaking in disrespectful ways to women and sexual acts treating women like objects made to provide pleasure instead of human beings are pretty much on top of the list here. 

There are also positive aspects to pornography. For starters, for many people it serves as a way to learn about sexuality1. I would much rather people learn from a well thought out educational curriculum, but the fact is that learning is often named as the reason for looking at pornography2. 

Pornography can also serve as a way to explore sexual interests and fantasies without necessarily having to take action. It’s a safer way to explore one’s thoughts and desires. Exploring does not mean doing, and some exploration will lead to discovering one isn’t all that into a thing. And sometimes it will validate a feeling, and then the person knows more about themself. 

And, finally, pornography can be an art form. It can be written, drawn, photographed, filmed and acted and, in all cases, carry ideas, feelings and fantasies with it. Creating pornography, which is what you’re talking about, can therefore be an artistic act of expression. Through it, you can explore your own interests, express your fantasies, create inspiring works and more. As long as you avoid the problematic aspects of it, I would say that pornography isn’t problematic in and of itself. 

Examples of how drawing pornography could be problematic would be if you used the likeness of someone in a recognizable way without their consent, if you depicted something that carries objectifying ideas in a non-consensual way or if the discourse between characters (assuming it exists) was filled with degrading and disrespectful things. As long as you avoid that kind of thing, I think it’s possible to draw pornography without doing a “bad thing”.

I assumed your question was a moral one, but in case it was a legal one, I will add that as long as you do not publish anything, your drawings are your own and your self expression. Don’t depict others likeness and you should be okay. I’m not a lawyer and therefore I will not venture into the hypotheticals of what happens if you publish something pornographic as a minor.

I hope this long-winded explanation gave you elements to help answer your question. The choice really is yours to make, according to your own values (which you may still be figuring out at your age). If you take away anything from my response, it should be that pornography is not inherently bad.

Sophie (elle/she), volunteer for AlterHéros

1 Scarcelli, C. M. (2015). “It is disgusting, but…”: Adolescent girls’ relationship to internet pornography as gender  performance. Porn Studies, 2(2-3), 237–249.

2 Tzankova, V. (2015). Watching porn in Turkey : Women, sex, and paradigm shifts. Porn Studies, 2(2-3), 208-221.