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) has been defined as sexual subject material "such as a picture, video, or text" that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for the consumption by adults, pornography depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adult content is made classifying it as pornography or erotica.

The oldest artifacts considered pornographic were discovered in Germany in 2008 CE 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 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 literature or art 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, bondage, monster and tentacle 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...)

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Selected article

Sexual objectification is the act of treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire. Objectification more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object without regard to their personality or dignity. Objectification is most commonly examined at the level of a society, but can also refer to the behavior of individuals and is a type of dehumanization.

Although both men and women can be sexually objectified, the concept is mainly associated with the objectification of women, and is an important idea in many feminist theories and psychological theories derived from them. Many feminists argue that sexual objectification of girls and women contributes to gender inequality, and many psychologists associate objectification with a range of physical and mental health risks in women. Research suggests that the psychological effects of objectification of men are similar to those of women, leading to negative body image among men.

The concept of sexual objectification is controversial, and some feminists and psychologists have argued that at least some degree of objectification is a normal part of human sexuality. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected work of erotic literature

Final page of the Tijuana bible *Chris Crusty*, drawn by "Mr. Prolific", which borrowed the syndicated comic strip character Chris Crusty created by Bill Conselman and Charles Plumb for a topper strip which ran above their *Ella Cinders*

Tijuana bibles (also known as eight-pagers, Tillie-and-Mac books, Jiggs-and-Maggie books, Jo-Jo books, bluesies, blue-bibles, gray-backs, and two-by-fours) were palm-sized erotic comics produced in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1960s. Their popularity peaked during the Great Depression era.

Most Tijuana bibles were obscene parodies of popular newspaper comic strips at the time, such as "Blondie", "Barney Google", "Moon Mullins", "Popeye", "Tillie the Toiler", "The Katzenjammer Kids", "Dick Tracy", "Little Orphan Annie", and "Bringing Up Father". Others made use of characters based on popular movie and sports stars of the day such as Mae West, W.C. Fields, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, The Marx Brothers, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe Louis, sometimes with names only subtly changed. Before World War II, almost all the stories were humorous, cartoon versions of well-known dirty jokes that had been making the rounds for decades.

The artists, writers, and publishers of these booklets generally remained anonymous as their publication was illegal and clandestine. The quality of the artwork varied widely. The subjects consisted of explicit sexual escapades, usually featuring well-known newspaper comic strip characters, movie stars, and (rarely) political figures, invariably used without respect for either copyright or libel law and without permission. Tijuana bibles featured ethnic stereotypes found in popular culture at the time, although one Tijuana bible ("You Nazi Man") concluded on a serious note with a brief message from the publisher pleading for greater tolerance in Germany for the Jews. (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 Emmanuelle (novel) Sex (book)

Slideshow of selected contemporary images

Image 1Rocco Siffredi
Image 2Francois Sagat, Folsom Street Fair
Image 3Carmen Luvana, Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 4Hentai Manga, Japan
Image 5Raylene
Image 6Katsuni - French pornographic actress.
Image 7Bondage 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 8Playmate of the_Year Corinna Harney
Image 9Shy Love at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012
Image 10Dana DeArmond
Image 11Pornographic actor and director Miles Long (submitted by self)
Image 12Audrey Hollander - American porn star
Image 13Jessie Andrews
Image 14Jenna Jameson
Image 15Transsexual pornographic actress Erica Andrews
Image 16Cindy Margolis
Image 17Tila Tequila
Image 18Figure 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 19Erotic actress and public health advocate Sharon Mitchell.
Image 20Playboy Playmate Alison Waite
Image 21Pornographic actress and cosplayer Tanya Tate as She-Ra
Image 22Rebeca Linares at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2009
Image 23Playmate of the Year and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Pamela Anderson, signing DVDs at the USS Halsey
Image 24Pierre Woodman filming in Australia
Image 25Daisy Marie posing with a fan at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 26Lisa Ann
Image 27Example of Erotic photography
Image 28Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood
Image 29Michael Lucas, Nonie, Rafael Alencar, David Shankbone, and Ernesta Alamirano in Fire Island Pines
Image 30Karen McDougal
Image 31Silvia Saint, wearing a Bomis tee-shirt (a site previously run by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia).
Image 32Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair
Image 33Lupe Fuentes
Image 34World map showing laws of general pornography
Image 35Pornographic DVDs, Japan, "Kawaii" section
Image 36Hentai style of art, originally from Japan
Image 37Pornographic film set. Pictured from left to right: Cali Chase, Mikey Butders, and a photographer identified as "Nicole."
Image 38A 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 39The COLT Studio Group, San Francisco
Image 40Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway

Image 40Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway
Image 41Sean Michaels - pornographic actor.
Image 42Penthouse Pet Dani Daniels, wearing Penthouse key necklace
Image 43Joanna Jet - transsexual pornographic actress and director
Image 44Dean Flynn and Chi Chi LaRue
Image 45American pornographic actor Ron Jeremy. One of top Porn Stars of All Time.
Image 46Xaviera Hollander, author and former Sex worker
Image 47Louise Glover
Image 48Valentina Nappi at the AVN Awards Show, Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 January 2017
Image 49Michele_Merkin - Glamour photography
Image 50Swedish/Tanzanian Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist
Image 51Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Dasha Astafieva, and Kristina Shannon

Slideshow of selected historical images

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

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

... that the verse novel Songs of a Mormon Woman by Sidonie Grünwald-Zerkowitz was banned as pornographic in Austria?
... that the 1980s were the "age of hole-discovery" in yaoi erotica?
... that Lewes Road in Brighton has a gyratory named after a pornographic cinema?
... that Aroha Bridge changed its name from Hook Ups because fans searching for the show often found pornography instead?
... that zombie pornography emerged in the 1980s during a rise in the Italian sexploitation film industry?
... that Jan Kochanowski's Fraszki is a 16th-century collection of almost 300 poems, ranging from anecdotes and epitaphs to obscenities and erotica?
... that a pornographic video service once offered NFL quarterback Gardner Minshew a one-million-dollar endorsement deal based on his habit of exercising in nothing but a jockstrap?
... that Koh Masaki was one of the first gay pornographic film actors in Japan to openly appear in adult films without obscuring his identity?