Empirical knowledge on pornography and W. McElroy's concept

The article analyzes the state of contemporary empirical knowledge on pornography, drawing on the intellectual impulse of Wendy McElroy. The author emphasizes the need for a change in methodological approach: moving away from treating performers as presumed victims toward recognizing their agency and right to self-determination. A key conclusion is the statement regarding the immense heterogeneity of the phenomenon—pornography is not a uniform stimulus, but a collection of diverse social practices and content (from amateur works to deepfakes). Consequently, it is impossible to assign one consistent psychological or social effect to the entire category. The text advocates for the decomposition of the phenomenon in scientific research and the separation of the neutral description of sexual representation from its subsequent axiological evaluation.