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, text, or audio that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for 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 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...)

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Selected article

A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style. American-style strip clubs began to appear outside North America after World War II, arriving in Asia in the late 1980s and Europe in 1978, where they competed against the local English and French styles of striptease and erotic performances.

As of 2005,^[update] the size of the global strip club industry was estimated to be US$75 billion. In 2019, the size of the U.S. strip club industry was estimated to be US$8 billion, generating 19% of the total gross revenue in legal adult entertainment. SEC filings and state liquor control records available at that time indicated that there were at least 3,862 strip clubs in the United States, and since that time, the number of clubs in the U.S. has grown. Profitability of strip clubs, as with other service-oriented businesses, is largely driven by location and customer spending habits. The better appointed a club is, in terms of its quality of facilities, equipment, furniture, and other elements, the more likely customers are to encounter cover charges and fees for premium features such as VIP rooms.

The strip club as an outlet for salacious entertainment is a recurrent theme in popular culture. In some media, these clubs are portrayed primarily as gathering places of vice and ill repute. Clubs themselves and various aspects of the business are highlighted in these references. "Top Strip Club" lists in some media have demonstrated that U.S.-style striptease is a global phenomenon and that it has also become a culturally accepted form of entertainment, despite its scrutiny in legal circles and popular media. Popular Internet sites for strip club enthusiasts also have lists calculated from the inputs of site visitors. The legal status of strip clubs has evolved over the course of time, with national and local laws becoming progressively more liberal on the issue around the world, although some countries (such as Iceland) have implemented strict limits and bans. Strip clubs are frequent targets of litigation around the world, and the sex industry, which includes strip clubs, is a contentious issue in popular culture and politics. Some clubs have been linked to organized crime. (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 1Pornographic film set. Pictured from left to right: Cali Chase, Mikey Butders, and a photographer identified as "Nicole."
Image 2Erotic actress and public health advocate Sharon Mitchell.
Image 3Playboy Playmate Alison Waite
Image 4Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway

Image 4Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway
Image 5Silvia Saint, wearing a Bomis tee-shirt (a site previously run by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia).
Image 6Sean Michaels - pornographic actor.
Image 7Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair
Image 8Swedish/Tanzanian Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist
Image 9Pierre Woodman filming in Australia
Image 10Bondage 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 11Example of Erotic photography
Image 12Valentina Nappi at the AVN Awards Show, Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 January 2017
Image 13Hentai style of art, originally from Japan
Image 14American pornographic actor Ron Jeremy. One of top Porn Stars of All Time.
Image 15Jessie Andrews
Image 16Audrey Hollander - American porn star
Image 17Hentai Manga, Japan
Image 18Karen McDougal
Image 19Michael Lucas, Nonie, Rafael Alencar, David Shankbone, and Ernesta Alamirano in Fire Island Pines
Image 20Transsexual pornographic actress Erica Andrews
Image 21Rebeca Linares at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2009
Image 22Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Dasha Astafieva, and Kristina Shannon
Image 23Dean Flynn and Chi Chi LaRue
Image 24Dana DeArmond
Image 25Daisy Marie posing with a fan at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 26Playmate of the Year and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Pamela Anderson, signing DVDs at the USS Halsey
Image 27Pornographic DVDs, Japan, "Kawaii" section
Image 28Michele_Merkin - Glamour photography
Image 29Tila Tequila
Image 30Raylene
Image 31Louise Glover
Image 32Lupe Fuentes
Image 33Jenna Jameson
Image 34Pornographic actress and cosplayer Tanya Tate as She-Ra
Image 35Lisa Ann
Image 36Penthouse Pet Dani Daniels, wearing Penthouse key necklace
Image 37Rocco Siffredi
Image 38Francois Sagat, Folsom Street Fair
Image 39A 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 40Cindy Margolis
Image 41Playmate of the_Year Corinna Harney
Image 42Katsuni - French pornographic actress.
Image 43Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood
Image 44Carmen Luvana, Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 45The COLT Studio Group, San Francisco
Image 46Joanna Jet - transsexual pornographic actress and director
Image 47Shy Love at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012
Image 48Xaviera Hollander, author and former Sex worker
Image 49Pornographic actor and director Miles Long (submitted by self)
Image 50World map showing laws of general pornography
Image 51Figure 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

Slideshow of selected historical images

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

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

... that Money Shot: The Pornhub Story was described by multiple reviewers as unsalacious?
... that Koh Masaki was one of the first gay pornographic film actors in Japan to openly appear in adult films without obscuring his identity?
... that the 1980s were the "age of hole-discovery" in yaoi erotica?
... that the 1983 pink film Beautiful Mystery was one of the earliest commercially produced gay pornographic films in Japan?
... 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 some viewers of an Arizona TV station saw hardcore pornography instead of the Super Bowl?
... 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 Philipp Tanzer has been an army medic, artist, firefighter, hairdresser, massage therapist, festival organiser, political candidate and gay porn star?