Women's erotica: Difference between revisions

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Women’s erotica can be defined as any sexually explicit or pornographic material that caters specifically to women. It encompasses a variety of media including websites, books, short stories, films, photography, magazines and audio. The content may cover all aspects of sexuality, from relationships to fetishes; the main idea is to convey sex from a woman’s perspective, or to feature female sexual fantasies. ^[1]

Recent history of the genre

Websites
Thanks to the privacy and anonymity offered by the internet, women have increasingly embraced erotic material online. In 2003 Neilsen Netratings noted that more than a quarter of all porn surfers were female^[2]. The first women’s erotica subscription-based website, Purve, was launched in 1998. The site featured photos of nude men culled from gay sites, articles and sex advice. The first women’s adult directory was Ladylynx which featured links to galleries and site reviews. Kara's Links, a similar directory site, began operating soon after. Other women's erotic sites that exist online today include OystersandChocolate.com[1], Sex-Kitten.net, and Tit-Elation.com.

Fiction
Erotic fiction for women has seen explosive growth over the last two years. Publishers report that women’s erotica novels consistently sell well^[3].

The first publishing imprint of erotic fiction for women was Black Lace, launched in Britain in 1992. It remained unique in publishing for over a decade and was only recently joined in the marketplace by big-name publishers Harlequin, Kensington and Avon who have released their own “black label” lines for female readers.

The first series of books to feature erotic short stories for women was Herotica, first published by Down There Press in 1996. Author and sex activist Susie Bright founded the series and edited the first three volumes. A similar series is Best Women’s Erotica from Cleis Press which has appeared annually since 2001.

Internet-based publisher Ellora's Cave produces what it calls "romantica" - romance novels with explicit sex scenes. The company originally produced e-books but has now moved into printed publishing.

Film
Women were not acknowledged as a potential audience by pornographic filmmakers until 1985 when former adult star Candida Royalle created her first adult movie for women, Femme. The movie featured explicit sex but focused on the woman’s pleasure and refused to include “pop shots” (external ejaculation scenes). Since then she has made 16 adult films for women. In April 2007 she launched a new line of films, Femme Chocolat, which depicts the sexual fantasies of women of color.

For many years Candida Royalle was the sole producer of erotic films for straight women. In the 21st century a number of other women have stepped in and created their own vision of women’s erotica. These include:

Independent filmmaker Estelle Joseph, who used her own money to fund the City of Flesh series, set in New York.
UK based director and producer Petra Joy who's created four films, Sexual Sushi, Female Fantasies, Sensual Seduction (an 18c version of previous two) and Feeling It!
Spanish filmmaker Erika Lust whose short film "The Good Girl" was well received and whose feature film "Cinco Historias Para Ellas" (Five Stories For Women) is due to be released soon.
Nina Lennox, who has produced the Inpulse line of films. These focus mainly on good looking male talent.

In 2006 Playgirl in partnership with adult company Wicked produced and released their own line of adult films for women.

Magazines
Cosmopolitan was the first magazine to include a nude male centrefold – Burt Reynolds bared all in April 1972. Australia’s Cleo magazine followed suit in November 1972 with a spread of actor Jack Thompson.

Playgirl magazine, an answer to Hugh Hefner’s Playboy, first appeared in 1973 and offered a full-nude centrefold with its second issue. The magazine regularly features nude male models, erotic fiction and sex advice. While ostensibly aimed at women, former editor Michelle Zipp has said that around 30% of the readership is gay men ^[4].

Other women’s erotica magazines include:

Australian Women’s Forum which ran from 1993 to 2001.
For Women, a now-defunct British women’s mag
Scarlet, a UK-based magazine which primarily features erotic fiction for women
Sweet Action, an independently-produced US magazine that prides itself on featuring non-stereotypical male models
Gluck, a German-language independent erotica magazine
Blam! Blam! magazine

References

^ Ms Naughty, A History of Porn for Women 2006
^ Mireya Navarro, “Women tailor sex industry to their eyes,” New York Times, 20 February 2004
^ Bethanne Kelly Patrick, “It’s not just you, it’s really hot in here,” Publisher’s Weekly, 24 July 2006
^ Michael Rowe, "Great Scott: After years of struggling with his sexuality, Playgirl centerfold Scott Merritt is coming all the way out. To his surprise, so is Playgirl," The Advocate, Issue 895, August 19, 2003

External links

Porn Movies Directed by Women
Oysters and Chocolate Erotica Erotic fiction, poetry, articles and art.
The Erotic Woman Erotic fiction, product reviews, discussion forum for women.
Jane's Guide Reviews of adult-oriented web sites

[1] Ms Naughty, A History of Porn for Women 2006

[2] Mireya Navarro, “Women tailor sex industry to their eyes,” New York Times, 20 February 2004

[3] Bethanne Kelly Patrick, “It’s not just you, it’s really hot in here,” Publisher’s Weekly, 24 July 2006

[4] Michael Rowe, "Great Scott: After years of struggling with his sexuality, Playgirl centerfold Scott Merritt is coming all the way out. To his surprise, so is Playgirl," The Advocate, Issue 895, August 19, 2003

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 '''Women’s erotica''' can be defined as any sexually explicit or pornographic material that caters specifically to women. It encompasses a variety of media including websites, books, short stories, films, photography, magazines and audio. The content may cover all aspects of sexuality, from relationships to [[fetishes]]; the main idea is to convey sex from a woman’s perspective, or to feature female [[sexual fantasies]]. <ref> Ms Naughty, [http://www.msnaughty.com/pornforwomen/ A History of Porn for Women ] 2006</ref>
-==The importance of narrative==
-If one categorizes [[lesbian]] erotica as a separate form, then erotica designed for women must by definition reflect those needs and values which are specific to [[heterosexual]] females. Clearly in this sense women's erotica must also have a context that distinguishes it from heterosexual male or gay erotica. It is therefore important to consider just what is unique about heterosexual female requirements.
-Since a woman's sexual organs are held internally, it is correspondingly difficult to capture and convey a sexual message to females by means of visual representation. For example, the so-called "pop shots" or "[[money shot]]s" of male ejaculation are of very limited value to women, since they display a gratification that only males (whether heterosexual or gay) can identify with. Over the years women's erotica has therefore been obliged to seek other ways of exploring female sexual arousal. The power of [[narrative]] has proven to be fundamental in this development.
-==The printed word==
-Whereas men can be satisfied with visual images that cross a spectrum of explicitness, women cannot receive visual gratification so easily. Instead, a developing '''narrative context''' will underpin female-oriented erotica, which  is perhaps most easily constructed in a written form. This has found expression in the enormous market for so-called "[[chick lit]]" and the modern [[romantic novel]], as well as more explicit texts that are specifically marketed to women as being of erotic quality (see [[erotic romance]]).
-The imagery of the written word has allowed women to participate in a fantasy of idealized male behavior that leads gradually (if somewhat inexorably) towards seduction. Gratification for the female reader is obtained by being witness to this process. This gratification may be derived partly by empathizing with the sexual fulfillment of the female character(s), and partly by fantasizing about equivalent encounters in which the reader can imagine herself as being involved. The level of explicitness in such texts can be fairly extreme; even mainstream "romantic" female literature will frequently contain descriptions of penetrative sex.
-==Erotica in visual media==
-[[image:male_nude_study_cb0-0_720_960.jpg|thumb|right|170px|The erotic male. An intensity of sexual arousal is captured which still leaves room for fantasy. Erotic novels also allow women to fantasize.]]
-Although the opportunities for female erotic expression in visual media have proven to be elusive, magazines and films have been made albeit with varying degrees of success (see [[#Recent history of the genre|Recent history]], below).
-It should be noted that a sense of narrative continues to be important even in the case of static representations such as photographs. A successful erotic image will allow room for narrative construction in the female imagination. For example, the picture on the right conveys a subdued quality which allows women sufficient room to fantasize for themselves, and to construct an erotic narrative on their own terms. Such a narrative may begin in a conventionally romantic mold - for example a woman might imagine the context in which the subject might have been met; whether the encounter is accidental or pre-arranged, and the kind of conversations that were held. The narrative might only then tend towards the sexual - kissing and foreplay, her own moistening and swelling, the burgeoning of his erection as proof of her desirability, the feeling of his entering inside her, the rubbing against her thighs, the increasing pressure and rapidity of his thrusts, and the rush to climax. As such, erotic photography can offer value to women by providing a visual reference point to which certain narrative qualities that the woman finds desirable can be further attached.
-It can therefore be seen that women's erotica can (at least in visual form) be expected to take a less explicit direction than is generally the case for men. In this sense the appetite for explicit pornography by women will be limited, whereas the market for more generally erotic material that allows a narrative to develop will remain relatively high.
 ==Recent history of the genre==
 '''Websites'''<br />
 Thanks to the privacy and anonymity offered by the internet, women have increasingly embraced erotic material online. In 2003 Neilsen Netratings noted that more than a quarter of all porn surfers were female<ref>Mireya Navarro, “Women tailor sex industry to their eyes,” New York Times, 20 February 2004</ref>. The first women’s erotica subscription-based website, Purve, was launched in 1998. The site featured photos of nude men culled from gay sites, articles and sex advice. The first women’s adult directory was Ladylynx which featured links to galleries and site reviews. Kara's Links, a similar directory site, began operating soon after. Other women's erotic sites that exist online today include OystersandChocolate.com[http://www.OystersandChocolate.com], Sex-Kitten.net, and Tit-Elation.com.
 '''Fiction'''<br />