Portal:Erotica and pornography

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Welcome to the Erotica and pornography Portal

Before the Deluge by Cornelis van Haarlem, 1615

Introduction

P:XXX

Pornography (colloquially known as porn or porno) is sexual subject material such as a picture, video, text, or audio that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to modern virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adults-only sexual content is made-classifying it as pornography or erotica.

The oldest artifacts considered pornographic were discovered in Germany in 2008 and are dated to be at least 35,000 years old. Throughout the history of erotic depictions, various people made attempts to suppress them under obscenity laws, censor, or make them illegal. Such grounds and even the definition of pornography have differed in various historical, cultural, and national contexts. The Indian Sanskrit text Kama Sutra (3rd century CE) contained prose, poetry, and illustrations regarding sexual behavior, and the book was celebrated; while the British English text Fanny Hill (1748), considered "the first original English prose pornography," has been one of the most prosecuted and banned books. In the late 19th century, a film by Thomas Edison that depicted a kiss was denounced as obscene in the United States, whereas Eugène Pirou's 1896 film Bedtime for the Bride was received very favorably in France. Starting from the mid-twentieth century on, societal attitudes towards sexuality became more lenient in the Western world where legal definitions of obscenity were made limited. In 1969, Blue Movie by Andy Warhol became the first film to depict unsimulated sex that received a wide theatrical release in the United States. This was followed by the "Golden Age of Porn" (1969–1984). The introduction of home video and the World Wide Web in the late 20th century led to global growth in the pornography business. Beginning in the 21st century, greater access to the Internet and affordable smartphones made pornography more mainstream. (Full article...)

Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use any artistic form to depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, drama, film or music. Erotic literature and erotic photography have become genres in their own right. Erotica also exists in a number of subgenres including gay, lesbian, women's, monster, tentacle erotica and bondage erotica.

The term erotica is derived from the feminine form of the ancient Greek adjective: ἐρωτικός (erōtikós), from ἔρως (érōs)—words used to indicate lust, and sexual love. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected article

The JC's Girls booth at the 2007 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo

JC's Girls (short for Jesus Christ's Girls, also called the JC's Girls Girls Girls Ministry) is an evangelical Christian women's organization in the United States whose members evangelize to female workers in the sex industry. The organization supports women wishing to leave the industry, but does not try to persuade them to do so. The group does not focus upon conversion but rather on communicating its message that Christians exist who are not judging female sex workers and are willing to accept them. The organization also helps both women and men seeking to overcome pornography addiction.

The organization was founded by Heather Veitch, who worked as a stripper for four years before becoming a Christian and leaving the sex industry in 1999. She founded JC's Girls on Good Friday in March 2005; it was based at Sandals Church in Riverside, California, with the support of the California Southern Baptist Convention. In January 2006, JC's Girls went to Las Vegas to operate a booth at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo that received much traffic and news coverage. By 2008, Veitch had moved to Las Vegas and based the organization at Central Christian Church in nearby Henderson, Nevada. The former stripper and call girl Theresa Scher and the social worker Sheri Brown founded the San Diego chapter of JC's Girls at the Rock Church in 2007. Veitch, Scher, and Brown resigned from JC's Girls in 2011, 2012, and 2014 respectively, leaving the leadership of the organization to Laura Bonde. As of 2014^[update], the sole chapter of JC's Girls is in San Diego.

Terry Barone, spokesperson for the California Southern Baptist Convention, said that JC's Girls members "are doing what Jesus did ... He ministered to prostitutes and tax collectors." JC's Girls members have been criticized for dressing like sex workers, a look that Veitch said is intended to help women in the sex industry identify with the group. A Baptist minister from San Bernardino, California, criticized JC's Girls for not explicitly encouraging women in the sex industry to quit, and quoted Matthew 6:24, a Bible verse that states that a person cannot serve two masters. In response to the idea that strippers should quit their jobs before attending a church, Veitch said, "Do we ask gluttons to stop eating too much before they come to church?" Philip Sherwell of the Calgary Herald called the evangelism of JC's Girls "America's most unusual Christian outreach operation". (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected work of erotic literature

Sex is a 1992 coffee table book written by American singer Madonna, with photography by Steven Meisel Studio and Fabien Baron. It was edited by Glenn O'Brien and published by Warner Books, Maverick and Callaway. The book features adult content including softcore pornography and simulations of sexual acts including sadomasochism.

Madonna developed Sex after Judith Regan of Simon & Schuster publishers suggested a book of erotic photographs. She wrote it as a character named "Mistress Dita", inspired by 1930s film actress Dita Parlo. It was influenced by punk rock and fashion figures including Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton and Robert Mapplethorpe. The photos were shot in early 1992 in New York City and Miami, in locations including hotels, burlesque theaters, and city streets. The book includes cameos by actress Isabella Rossellini, rappers Big Daddy Kane and Vanilla Ice, model Naomi Campbell, gay porn star Joey Stefano, actor Udo Kier, and socialite Princess Tatiana von Fürstenberg. The cover is made of aluminium, spiral bound and wrapped in a Mylar sheet.

Madonna's publishers were apprehensive about the release and the book's commercial potential. It was released on October 21, 1992, the day after Madonna's fifth studio album Erotica. A CD single was also packaged with the book which contained the song "Erotic", a song similar in composition to her similarly named single "Erotica". It sold over 150,000 copies on its first day in the United States, and topped the New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks. In a matter of days, Sex went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and remains the best and fastest-selling coffee table book. It also remains as one of the most in-demand out-of-print publications of all time. (Full article...)

List of selected works
The Autobiography of a Flea Fifty Shades of Grey Story of the Eye Story of O Fanny Hill Jin Ping Mei Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle Lady Chatterley's Lover The Songs of Bilitis The 120 Days of Sodom Kama Sutra Lolita Tropic of Cancer (novel) Josephine Mutzenbacher Tijuana bible Emmanuelle (novel)

Slideshow of selected contemporary images

Image 1Erotic actress and public health advocate Sharon Mitchell.
Image 2Pornographic actor and director Miles Long (submitted by self)
Image 3Figure 12 in Zillmann, Dolf: "Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography", included in the Report of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Pornography and Public Health, United States Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, August 4, 1986
Image 4The COLT Studio Group, San Francisco
Image 5Dana DeArmond
Image 6Playmate of the_Year Corinna Harney
Image 7Pornographic DVDs, Japan, "Kawaii" section
Image 8A Fluffer hands gay porn performers Jake Starr (seated) and Erik Grant (lying) items needed for a scene in the 2008 Lucas Entertainment production Pounding the Pavement.
Image 9Pierre Woodman filming in Australia
Image 10Jenna Jameson
Image 11Jessie Andrews
Image 12Michael Lucas, Nonie, Rafael Alencar, David Shankbone, and Ernesta Alamirano in Fire Island Pines
Image 13Swedish/Tanzanian Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist
Image 14Valentina Nappi at the AVN Awards Show, Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 January 2017
Image 15Tila Tequila
Image 16Shy Love at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012
Image 17Louise Glover
Image 18Transsexual pornographic actress Erica Andrews
Image 19Silvia Saint, wearing a Bomis tee-shirt (a site previously run by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia).
Image 20Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Dasha Astafieva, and Kristina Shannon
Image 21Xaviera Hollander, author and former Sex worker
Image 22American pornographic actor Ron Jeremy. One of top Porn Stars of All Time.
Image 23Carmen Luvana, Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 24Hentai style of art, originally from Japan
Image 25Pornographic actress and cosplayer Tanya Tate as She-Ra
Image 26Michele_Merkin - Glamour photography
Image 27Hentai Manga, Japan
Image 28Penthouse Pet Dani Daniels, wearing Penthouse key necklace
Image 29Example of Erotic photography
Image 30Sean Michaels - pornographic actor.
Image 31Audrey Hollander - American porn star
Image 32Daisy Marie posing with a fan at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 33Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair
Image 34Pornographic film set. Pictured from left to right: Cali Chase, Mikey Butders, and a photographer identified as "Nicole."
Image 35Karen McDougal
Image 36Playmate of the Year and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Pamela Anderson, signing DVDs at the USS Halsey
Image 37Lisa Ann
Image 38Lupe Fuentes
Image 39Francois Sagat, Folsom Street Fair
Image 40World map showing laws of general pornography
Image 41Rocco Siffredi
Image 42Joanna Jet - transsexual pornographic actress and director
Image 43Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood
Image 44Raylene
Image 45Bondage pornography, showing classic "wrist to ankle" rope hogtie. Other bondage methods depicted are breast bondage, elbow bondage, head to ankle tie, knees tied, and a crotch rope. Model is also wearing a muzzle gag.
Image 46Playboy Playmate Alison Waite
Image 47Katsuni - French pornographic actress.
Image 48Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway

Image 48Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway
Image 49Rebeca Linares at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2009
Image 50Dean Flynn and Chi Chi LaRue
Image 51Cindy Margolis

Slideshow of selected historical images

Image 1Johann Nepomuk Geiger, watercolor, 1840
Image 2Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho
Image 3Erotic art, India, 18th century
Image 4Erotic engraving supposedly after Agostino Carracci (1557–1602)
Image 5Erotic art, 18th century India
Image 6Erotic scene. Rim of an Attic red-figure kylix, c. 510 BC., ancient Greece
Image 7The Venus of Willendorf prehistoric sculpture
Image 8Illustration from Juliette by the Marquis de Sade.
Image 9Hokusai, Untamed Lion, From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
Image 10Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 11Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 12Katsushika Hokusai, "The Adonis Plant (Fukujusô)" Woodblock, ca. 1815, Japan Shunga
Image 13The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, an erotic woodcut made circa 1820 by Hokusai.
Image 14Roman oil lamp portraying intercourse
Image 15Illustration from La Grande Danse macabre des vifs, Martin van Maële (1905)
Image 16Traditional pederastic courtship scene on an Athenian black-figure amphora from the 5th century B.C.
Image 17Erotic detail from the Vishwanath temple at the Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Image 18Two Lovers, by Reza Abbasi.
Image 19Hokusai, Untitled (Plate No. 4) From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
Image 20Nights of Horror, panel by Joe Shuster (public domain)
Image 21Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 22Hadrian engaging in anal sex with Antinous in Egypt, portrayed by Édouard-Henri Avril.
Image 23Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho, India, taken by User:Ggia
Image 24Classical Greek Bas Relief showing "Cowgirl" position
Image 25Cunnilingus portrayed at Pompeii - Source: John R. Clarke: Ars Erotica. Darmstadt: Primus 2009
Image 26Shunga, Japan (ca 1750)
Image 27A rape scene by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (ca.1797-1861).
Image 28Silenus and maenad. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, ca. 480 BC. From Vulci, ancient Greece
Image 29Indian Princess, by Richard Borrmeister [de] (1888?)
Image 30Nineteenth century nude photograph.
Image 31Miniature from 15th century Persian book
Image 32A Mercury Priapus figure from Pompeii, ancient Rome

Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

... that later pressings of the soundtrack of the soft porn film The Stud replaced Manfred Mann's Earth Band's "Davy's on the Road Again" after a journalist blabbed its presence to the band's keyboardist?
... that the 1983 pink film Beautiful Mystery was one of the earliest commercially produced gay pornographic films in Japan?
... that the Japanese male–male romance magazine June was originally pitched to its publisher as a "mildly pornographic magazine for women"?
... that John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut was the bestselling pornographic film of 1994 and had the most rentals that year in the United States?
... that Nickelodeon storyboard artists created a book with hundreds of pornographic drawings of SpongeBob SquarePants characters?
... that a pornographic screenplay about Jesus led to papal and royal condemnations, a firebombing, the writer's ban from the UK, and thousands of letters per week demanding the ban of a non-existent gay Jesus film?
... that before being restored as a Broadway theater, the Ritz Theatre was used as a television studio, pornographic theater, vaudeville house, children's theater, and poster warehouse?
... that Aroha Bridge changed its name from Hook Ups because fans searching for the show often found pornography instead?