Posted by Sharon on June 12, 1998 at 05:43:25:
In Reply to: visual erotica and gender posted by Brad Chisholm on May 17, 1998 at 15:05:47:
Brad,
To answer both of your first questions together, I would suggest that where mainstream (as opposed to hardcore) erotic imagery often fails to appeal to women is the lack of touching. Even the depiction of apparent foreplay is often at best perfuntory and at worst, brusque. The attitude behind this seems to be along the lines of "Let's get the boring necessities out of the way and get on with the nitty gritty." The focus is, I suppose, on sex rather than sensuality and I would imagine that a greater amount of the latter added to the former would appeal to more women.
I think the lack of imagery including penises has two origins - firstly, so many men are, sadly, insecure about their penises. This must affect the number of actors and models willing to reveal all and cause some conflicting feelings in the photographers and film-makers. There is also, of course, the fact that I believe I'm right in saying that in most countries it is illegal to show an erect penis. Therefore, even if a man's genitals are visible, the imagery lacks the sense of real desire which is an important aspect of true eroticism.
By the way, the erection taboo doesn't seem to be applied to internet pornography, presumably due to the difficulty in doing anything about it. As long as the participants are 18 or over anything goes.
I hope this is of help.
Sharon.