It was something to be done in secret: Reflecting on the materiality of pornography in the family home

This article examines the place of pornography within the family home, exploring how pornographic materials are hidden, found, and managed as part of everyday domestic life. Drawing on personal accounts from a large-scale study of individuals’ histories with pornography, it traces how secrecy, curiosity, and discovery shape familial and intergenerational relationships. Rather than viewing early encounters with pornography as harmful exposure, the article situates them within the emotional and material cultures of home, where sexuality is negotiated through concealment and revelation. In doing so, it reveals pornography as an intimate medium that both reflects and unsettles social norms around privacy, morality, and desire.