Sexual Agency
When women write about sex, especially in a raw, honest, or emotionally complex way, it often gets dismissed as "porn" or "smut" because it threatens the traditional boundaries that have long defined acceptable female expression. There's a cultural discomfort—especially in male-dominated literary criticism—with women owning their sexual narratives without shame, without permission, and without softening the edges.
When men write about sex, especially in literary or philosophical contexts, it's often framed as "exploration," "social commentary," or "a study of the human condition." Why? Because the literary canon has historically been shaped by men, for men, through a male gaze. So when men write about sex, it's seen as serious. When women do it, it's seen as indulgent.