Jada Pinkett Smith is incredibly candid about her past struggle with pornography.
On the latest episode of Red Table Talk -- the Facebook Watch series Jada co-hosts with her daughter, Willow Smith, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones -- the 47-year-old actress reveals that she had "an unhealthy relationship to porn" at a point in her life when she "was trying to practice abstinence."
"It was actually, like, filling, like, an emptiness. At least you think it is, but it's actually not," Jada explained, before delving into the affect porn has on sexual intimacy.
"Actually reading, like, some of the effects of pornography, like the idea that it gives you false expectations as far as sexual interactions, I can definitely see that with men," Jada said. "How a woman should always be willing and ready. She should be ready to have sex however he wants, in any position, anywhere, and you should enjoy it no matter what. And it shouldn't just be joy, but it should be exhilaration. In pornography you’re never tired. There's never a 'no,' so I can definitely see how that can create an unrealistic expectation."
Adrienne agreed with her daughter about the unrealistic expectations that come from porn, but revealed that watching porn has been "beneficial" for her.
"I grew up in a household that just created a lot of shame, which is so interesting because it wasn't like that with [Jada], but it definitely was like that for me," Adrienne explained. "... There's something about it that was freeing."
Jada also spoke to the positive impact porn can have on women, specifically using it as a tool to discover one's sexual preferences.
"I don’t really think we know culturally what women like in regards to sex, because women have not been allowed to explore in the same way as men," Jada said. "... We’re just getting to the point where we’re even giving ourselves the opportunity to explore, so we need years of that before we even know."
While Willow, 18, agreed with her family about both the positive and negative effects of adult entertainment, she lamented that watching it will often get women labeled as "a slut and a ho."
"That structure that will label a woman as a slut and a ho when she expresses her sexuality and finds joy in sexual pleasure, that's the same structure that is upholding this porn industry," Willow said.
Smith Family secrets are revealed as Jada, Gammy and Willow discuss their feelings about pornography - including Gammy's...
Posted by Red Table Talk on Monday, May 20, 2019
While porn may not be the usual topic of conversation for a grandma, mom and daughter, when ET's Nischelle Turner caught up with the three Red Table Talk ladies earlier this month they discussed how virtually no topic is off the table.
"I don't know if there's a topic that we say that we're never going to touch," Jada shared.
"I think we kinda decided that we kinda want to stay away from politics and religion," Adrienne chimed in.
No matter the topic, for Jada, Red Table Talk is simply about having "real conversations."
"We're sharing our stories. We're sharing our experiences... We're just communing together," she said. "... It's a safe space for vulnerability."
Watch the video below for more of ET's sit-down with the ladies.
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