When I first envisioned an erotica issue, my ideas were pretty romanticized and idealistic. I wanted to present a female perspective to erotic art. I wanted to illustrate my belief that erotic impulses are natural and innate, and not necessarily so different between men and women. I wanted to solicit erotic material from male and female artists who have an interest in this genre. And I’ve done that. But as I began putting the pieces together and having conversations with people about this controversial and not-well-defined topic, my perspective of erotica and of the purpose of this issue has morphed into something I didn’t expect.
As submissions trickled in, I began to wonder about the thin line between erotica and pornography. The material that we received, and even that we created, differed radically where it fell on the scale of explicitness. Some pieces were more romantic than lusty. Others were somewhat raunchy. Others were extremely graphic.. Initially I believed that erotica was somehow more genuine, the natural expression of feelings and desires. And pornography, in my mind, was intended to simply “get one off”. But then I began to read submissions that were obviously very personal and real that would likely turn on any porn-lover.
While immersing myself in all this erotic art, I began to wonder what constituted erotica, and what constituted pornography. Is pornography devoid of the intimacy that exists in erotica? Is pornography intended for commercial purposes and erotica intended for artistic purposes? Does erotica become pornography if it involves the exchange of money? Is pornography trashy and low-quality and erotica somehow classier? Does pornography always objectify its subjects?
I certainly don’t want to be a proponent of something negative, violent, or addictive in an unhealthy way. At the same time I don’t want to scorn something natural just because it’s exploited in our society. I believe that we all occasionally want to objectify ourselves and others to fulfill the carnal appetite that exists within. And I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong or disrespectful to do so. I’m not saying we all secretly want to be strippers, but I do believe that even within the confines of a committed, monogamous relationship, people enjoy lingerie, role-playing, identity bending, using X-rated videos to inspire their love-making. Yet we become extremely judgmental about these practices because of the contradictory messages our society teaches us about sex.
Perhaps pornography would be labeled as something different, something less evil, if it existed in an equal playing field and were not male-dominated. Instead the majority of pornography is created for men, exploiting women and homoerotic expressions by turning lesbianism into something that’s somehow intended for male enjoyment. In this sexist, patriarchal expression of sex in our society, females grow up bombarded with images of themselves as sex objects, and they learn to tie their self-worth into expectations based on their sexuality. This is not only damaging to the female self-esteem, but hurts everyone by turning sexuality into a dark and evil expectation. In this way, the more carnal aspects of sexuality become scorned and categorized as improper. Sex becomes polarized between what’s considered dirty and what’s considered acceptable, and we lose the ability to trust our instincts.
And I can’t overlook the other negative consequences of a sexist society: sex addiction. Men and women who have been sexually abused, sexually misguided, or even simply overexposed to the manipulative sexuality of commercialism often develop unhealthy sexual behaviors that range from addiction to internet porn and serial conquest to total sexual avoidance. In all of this we lose our connection to the power and beauty of our erotic influence on the world. Sex becomes something shame-based, an act to fear or abuse. It becomes the meter by which we judge ourselves and it becomes a tool that we use to control others.
In my mind the answer is not to erase or ignore sexuality or to sugar-coat it. I believe we should celebrate it as realistically as we can, try to find sexual equality amongst each other, try to understand and recover from abusive sexual practices, and experiment with what our true sexual selves desire.
As this issue has grown and changed, its creation has been a very emotionally challenging and educating experience for me. No matter how you feel about erotica, I hope that we have produced an end product that is artistic, inspiring, thought provoking, and balanced.
---Brooke Palmer, Content Editor