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 .
64-489: The Sexual Freedom Awards is an annual British event that honours achievement in the sexuality and erotica industries worldwide. Founded in 1994 by campaigner Tuppy Owens , the awards were first called the "Erotic Oscars", until the name had to be changed for legal reasons. They were called the "Erotic Awards" from 2002 until 2013 when they become what is now known as the Sexual Freedom Awards. The awards ceremony
128-498: A Pew Research Center and the Columbia Journalism Review survey, "About one-quarter of the local and national journalists say they have purposely avoided newsworthy stories, while nearly as many acknowledge they have softened the tone of stories to benefit the interests of their news organizations. Fully four-in-ten (41%) admit they have engaged in either or both of these practices." Threats to media freedom have shown
192-516: A London's magistrate court in 2015 for being "indecent" and their copies had been removed from the online Tate gallery . A 1980 Israeli law forbade banned artwork composed of the four colours of the Palestinian flag , and Palestinians were arrested for displaying such artwork or even for carrying sliced melons with the same pattern. Moath al-Alwi is a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who creates model ships as an expression of art. Alwi does so with
256-429: A greater risk of casualties among one's own forces and could possibly lead to loss of the overall conflict. During World War I letters written by British soldiers would have to go through censorship. This consisted of officers going through letters with a black marker and crossing out anything which might compromise operational secrecy before the letter was sent. The World War II catchphrase " Loose lips sink ships "
320-508: A higher chance of collective action. It is not important whether the criticism is supportive or unsupportive of the states' leaders, the main priority of censoring certain social media posts is to make sure that no big actions are being made due to something that was said on the internet. Posts that challenge the Party's political leading role in the Chinese government are more likely to be censored due to
384-453: A more plausible depiction of human sexuality than in pornography. Additionally, works considered degrading or exploitative tend to be classified by those who see them as such, as "porn" rather than as "erotica" and consequently, pornography is often described as exploitative or degrading. Many countries have laws banning or at least regulating what is considered pornographic material, a situation that generally does not apply to erotica. For
448-545: A significant increase in Europe in recent years, according to a study published in April 2017 by the Council of Europe . This results in a fear of physical or psychological violence, and the ultimate result is self-censorship by journalists. Copy approval is the right to read and amend an article, usually an interview, before publication. Many publications refuse to give copy approval but it
512-455: A study to determine what caused social media posts to be censored and found that posts mentioning the government were not more or less likely to be deleted if they were supportive or critical of the government. Posts mentioning collective action were more likely to be deleted than those that had not mentioned collective action. Currently, social media censorship appears primarily as a way to restrict Internet users' ability to organize protests. For
576-677: A topic that is hotly debated. Pornography is often far less regulated than sex work and has fewer legal barriers to production, though it is still a morally controversial profession to some. In the United Kingdom, the Obscene Publications Act of 1857 made the selling of "obscene" materials a statutory offense. This act has been criticized heavily, not just in retrospect, but at the time of enacting. Topics of erotic media have been brought to U.S. state and federal courts for centuries. Some notable cases include People v. Freeman , in which
640-415: A woman and as an artist was foundational for modern-day feminist erotic media. A distinction is often made between erotica and pornography , although some viewers may not distinguish between them. A key distinction, some have argued, is that pornography's objective is the graphic depiction of sexually explicit scenes. At the same time, erotica "seeks to tell a story that involves sexual themes" that include
704-416: Is Playboy , a men's magazine founded in the 1950s that helped to shape the modern Western perception on sex and sexuality in the media. Pornographic magazines could also include boudoir photography or pin-up models , though pin-up models are not definitively sexual by nature. Erotic film has evolved greatly with modern filmmaking capabilities, including developing a large subgenre of cartoon pornography ,
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#1732875685460768-480: Is also caused by market forces which privatize and establish commodification of certain information that is not accessible by the general public, primarily because of the cost associated with commodified information such as academic journals, industry reports and pay to use repositories. The concept was illustrated as a censorship pyramid that was conceptualized by primarily Julian Assange , along with Andy Müller-Maguhn , Jacob Appelbaum and Jérémie Zimmermann , in
832-532: Is an annual event in London with a semi-finals event and the finals held at the "Sex Maniacs Ball", but now is a fully fledged award night in its own right. The Leydig Trust organise these events which raise funds for the "Outsiders Club", a charity that supports disabled people to find partners. The Erotic Awards had twenty-one award categories including "Campaigner", " Sex Worker ", " Striptease Artist", "Fashion", "Academic", "Writer", and "Film". Nominations come from
896-451: Is carried out with the intent of preventing the release of information that might be useful to an enemy. Typically it involves keeping times or locations secret, or delaying the release of information (e.g., an operational objective) until it is of no possible use to enemy forces. The moral issues here are often seen as somewhat different, as the proponents of this form of censorship argue that the release of tactical information usually presents
960-763: Is extremely controversial, as in the case of the Holocaust (or Holocaust denial ), Bombing of Dresden , the Nanking Massacre as found with Japanese history textbook controversies , the Armenian genocide , the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 , and the Winter Soldier Investigation of the Vietnam War . In the context of secondary school education, the way facts and history are presented greatly influences
1024-429: Is from pain." Steinem's argument hinges on the distinction between reciprocity versus domination, as she writes: "Blatant or subtle, pornography involves no equal power or mutuality. In fact, much of the tension and drama comes from the clear idea that one person is dominating the other." Censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech , public communication, or other information . This may be done on
1088-410: Is increasingly becoming common practice when dealing with publicity anxious celebrities. Picture approval is the right given to an individual to choose which photos will be published and which will not. Robert Redford is well known for insisting upon picture approval. Writer approval is when writers are chosen based on whether they will write flattering articles or not. Hollywood publicist Pat Kingsley
1152-436: Is known for banning certain writers who wrote undesirably about one of her clients from interviewing any of her other clients. Flooding the public, often through online social networks , with false or misleading information is sometimes called "reverse censorship". American legal scholar Tim Wu has explained that this type of information control, sometimes by state actors , can "distort or drown out disfavored speech through
1216-414: Is often taboo in modern culture, especially in media. Censorship is an issue often faced by creators of erotic work, be it art, film, or literature. The legality of creating and publishing erotic works differs in different parts of the word, but it is not uncommon to see heavy regulations placed on the publication of erotic or pornographic media. The legality of cartoon pornography or animated erotic films
1280-452: Is one of the most controversial aspects of erotic censorship. This is because of the gray area surrounding the portrayal of animated, fictional minors engaging in erotic or sexual acts. The legality of pornography with non-animated individuals is only slightly more definitive. Legal and moral issues regarding pornography and erotica can tie into arguments regarding the legalization or decriminalization of prostitution and sex work at large,
1344-497: Is that national borders are more permeable online: residents of a country that bans certain information can find it on websites hosted outside the country. Thus censors must work to prevent access to information even though they lack physical or legal control over the websites themselves. This in turn requires the use of technical censorship methods that are unique to the Internet, such as site blocking and content filtering. Furthermore,
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#17328756854601408-468: Is the still withdrawn " Censored Eleven " series of animated cartoons, which may have been innocent then, but are "incorrect" now. Film censorship is carried out by various countries. Film censorship is achieved by censoring the producer or restricting a state citizen. For example, in China the film industry censors LGBT-related films . Filmmakers must resort to finding funds from international investors such as
1472-665: The Arab Spring uprisings , starting in 2010. In response to the use of social media in these protests, the Tunisian government began a hack of Tunisian citizens' Facebook accounts, and reports arose of accounts being deleted. Automated systems can be used to censor social media posts, and therefore limit what citizens can say online. This most notably occurs in China , where social media posts are automatically censored depending on content. In 2013, Harvard political science professor Gary King led
1536-572: The Cypherpunks (book) . Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority. Self-censorship is often practiced by film producers , film directors , publishers , news anchors , journalists , musicians , and other kinds of authors including individuals who use social media . According to
1600-529: The Domain Name System (DNS) a critical component of the Internet is dominated by centralized and few entities. The most widely used DNS root is administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). As an administrator they have rights to shut down and seize domain names when they deem necessary to do so and at most times the direction is from governments. This has been
1664-552: The Federal Bureau of Investigation on the Hunter Biden laptop controversy . On the platform TikTok, certain hashtags have been categorized by the platform's code and determines how viewers can or cannot interact with the content or hashtag specifically. Some shadowbanned tags include: #acab, #GayArab, #gej due to their referencing of certain social movements and LGBTQ identity. As TikTok guidelines are becoming more localized around
1728-875: The antiquarian book trade, pornographic works are often listed under "curiosa", "erotica" or " facetiae ". Erotica exists in many different forms, both modern and ancient. Erotic art dates back to the Paleolithic times, with cave paintings and carvings of female genitalia being a point of immense interest to prehistorians. Ancient Greek and Roman art depicted erotic acts or figures, often using phallic or erotic imagery to convey ideas of fertility. Modern depictions of erotic art are often intertwined with erotic photography , including boudoir photography , and erotic film . Discussions of modern erotic art are also often merged with discussions on pornography . More specifically, erotic photography found its mass-market roots in pornographic magazines . The most iconic of these magazines
1792-414: The "Ford Foundations" and or produce through an independent film company. Music censorship has been implemented by states, religions, educational systems, families, retailers and lobbying groups – and in most cases they violate international conventions of human rights. Censorship of maps is often employed for military purposes. For example, the technique was used in former East Germany , especially for
1856-488: The Athenian state to censor his philosophical teachings, was accused of collateral charges related to the corruption of Athenian youth and sentenced to death by drinking a poison, hemlock . The details of Socrates's conviction are recorded by Plato as follows. In 399 BC, Socrates went on trial and was subsequently found guilty of both corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety ( asebeia , "not believing in
1920-404: The Chinese government, seeing citizens unhappy with local governance is beneficial as state and national leaders can replace unpopular officials. King and his researchers were able to predict when certain officials would be removed based on the number of unfavorable social media posts. Research has proved that criticism is tolerable on social media sites, therefore it is not censored unless it has
1984-603: The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) does not support these DNS root providers. Unless the censor has total control over all Internet-connected computers, such as in North Korea or Cuba , total censorship of information is very difficult or impossible to achieve due to the underlying distributed technology of the Internet. Pseudonymity and data havens (such as Freenet ) protect free speech using technologies that guarantee material cannot be removed and prevents
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2048-524: The Islamic figure Muhammad are also regularly censored. In some secular countries, this is sometimes done to prevent hurting religious sentiments. The content of school textbooks is often an issue of debate, since their target audiences are young people. The term whitewashing is commonly used to refer to revisionism aimed at glossing over difficult or questionable historical events, or a biased presentation thereof. The reporting of military atrocities in history
2112-570: The Japanese and PAL Versions of No More Heroes , blood splatter and gore is removed from the gameplay. Decapitation scenes are implied, but not shown. Scenes of missing body parts after having been cut off, are replaced with the same scene, but showing the body parts fully intact. Surveillance and censorship are different. Surveillance can be performed without censorship, but it is harder to engage in censorship without some form of surveillance. Even when surveillance does not lead directly to censorship,
2176-424: The anti-pornography activist Andrea Dworkin , "Erotica is simply high-class pornography; better produced, better conceived, better executed, better packaged, designed for a better class of consumer." Feminist writer Gloria Steinem distinguishes erotica from pornography, writing: "Erotica is as different from pornography as love is from rape, as dignity is from humiliation, as partnership is from slavery, as pleasure
2240-501: The areas near the border to West Germany in order to make attempts of defection more difficult. Censorship of maps is also applied by Google Maps , where certain areas are grayed out or blacked or areas are purposely left outdated with old imagery. Art is loved and feared because of its evocative power. Destroying or oppressing art can potentially justify its meaning even more. British photographer and visual artist Graham Ovenden 's photos and paintings were ordered to be destroyed by
2304-520: The basis of the teachings of the religion . This form of censorship has a long history and is practiced in many societies and by many religions. Examples include the Galileo affair , Edict of Compiègne , the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (list of prohibited books) and the condemnation of Salman Rushdie 's novel The Satanic Verses by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini . Images of
2368-431: The basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments , private institutions. When an individual such as an author or other creator engages in censorship of their own works or speech, it is referred to as self-censorship . General censorship occurs in a variety of different media, including speech, books, music, films, and other arts,
2432-614: The case with Wikileaks shutdowns and name seizure events such as the ones executed by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) managed by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). This makes it easy for internet censorship by authorities as they have control over what should or should not be on the Internet. Some activists and researchers have started opting for alternative DNS roots , though
2496-669: The censors was punishable by law, even fatal. The Degenerate Art Exhibition was a historical instance of this, the goal of which was to advertise Nazi values and slander others. Internet censorship is control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet . It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of the government or on their own initiative. Individuals and organizations may engage in self-censorship on their own or due to intimidation and fear. The issues associated with Internet censorship are similar to those for offline censorship of more traditional media. One difference
2560-550: The challenges it poses to the Chinese Communist Party. In December 2022 Elon Musk , owner and CEO of Twitter released internal documents from the social media microblogging site to journalists Matt Taibbi , Michael Shellenberger and Bari Weiss . The analysis of these files on Twitter, collectively called, the Twitter Files , explored the content moderation and visibility filtering carried out in collaboration with
2624-445: The creation and dissemination of fake news , the payment of fake commentators, and the deployment of propaganda robots ." Soft, or indirect, censorship is the practice of influencing news coverage by applying financial pressure on media companies that are deemed critical of a government or its policies and rewarding media outlets and individual journalists who are seen as friendly to the government. Book censorship can be enacted at
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2688-595: The development of the Internet and censorship technologies: A BBC World Service poll of 27,973 adults in 26 countries, including 14,306 Internet users, was conducted between 30 November 2009 and 7 February 2010. The head of the polling organization felt, overall, that the poll showed that: The poll found that nearly four in five (78%) Internet users felt that the Internet had brought them greater freedom, that most Internet users (53%) felt that "the internet should never be regulated by any level of government anywhere", and almost four in five Internet users and non-users around
2752-508: The few tools he has at his disposal such as dental floss and shampoo bottles, and he is also allowed to use a small pair of scissors with rounded edges. A few of Alwi's pieces are on display at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. There are also other artworks on display at the College that were created by other inmates. The artwork that is being displayed might be the only way for some of
2816-501: The first country to abolish censorship by law . Censorship has been criticized throughout history for being unfair and hindering progress. In a 1997 essay on Internet censorship, social commentator Michael Landier explains that censorship is counterproductive as it prevents the censored topic from being discussed. Landier expands his argument by claiming that those who impose censorship must consider what they censor to be true, as individuals believing themselves to be correct would welcome
2880-440: The gods of the state"), and as a punishment sentenced to death, caused by the drinking of a mixture containing hemlock. Socrates' student, Plato , is said to have advocated censorship in his essay on The Republic , which opposed the existence of democracy. In contrast to Plato, Greek playwright Euripides (480–406 BC) defended the true liberty of freeborn men, including the right to speak freely. In 1766, Sweden became
2944-468: The idea of the nude female figure from an object of sexual pleasure to a symbol for a woman's sexual liberation. Martha Edelheit was a pioneer of modern women's erotica, flipping the genre on its head by focusing her art on the nude male figure. It was not unusual for a man to be seen as an object of sexual desire in erotic media, but these portrayals were often found in gay pornography , and were often created or published by another man. Edelheit's work as
3008-462: The identification of authors. Technologically savvy users can often find ways to access blocked content . Nevertheless, blocking remains an effective means of limiting access to sensitive information for most users when censors, such as those in China , are able to devote significant resources to building and maintaining a comprehensive censorship system. Views about the feasibility and effectiveness of Internet censorship have evolved in parallel with
3072-621: The inmates to communicate with the outside. Recently things have changed though. The military has come up with a new policy that will not allow the artwork at Guantanamo Bay Military Prison to leave the prison. The artwork created by Alwi and other prisoners is now government property and can be destroyed or disposed of in whatever way the government choose, making it no longer the artist's property. Around 300 artists in Cuba are fighting for their artistic freedom due to new censorship rules Cuba's government has in place for artists. In December 2018, following
3136-486: The interpretation of contemporary thought, opinion and socialization. One argument for censoring the type of information disseminated is based on the inappropriate quality of such material for the younger public. The use of the "inappropriate" distinction is in itself controversial, as it changed heavily. A Ballantine Books version of the book Fahrenheit 451 which is the version used by most school classes contained approximately 75 separate edits, omissions, and changes from
3200-469: The introduction of new rules that would ban music performances and artwork not authorized by the state, performance artist Tania Bruguera was detained upon arriving to Havana and released after four days. An example of extreme state censorship was the Nazis' requirements of using art as propaganda. Art was only allowed to be used as a political instrument to control people and failure to act in accordance with
3264-421: The mid-twentieth century. In the 20th century, a cadre of female artists, authors, and other creatives began to create a new kind of erotica. Women's erotica exists to cater for the sexual gratification of women consuming erotic material. Feminist erotic media often centers female pleasure instead of catering to the male gaze . Feminist erotic art had a boom in the mid-20th century, most iconically transforming
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#17328756854603328-534: The most popular form of which is Japanese hentai . Erotic film is the form of erotica most often seen as interchangeable with pornography due to their similarities in form and function. Erotic literature also dates back to ancient times, though not quite as far. Arguably the most iconic erotic piece of literature, the Kama Sutra is a Sanskrit text largely describing and depicting ideas of sex, sexuality, love, and human emotion. Eroticism in ancient Greece and Rome
3392-542: The national or sub-national level, and can carry legal penalties for their infraction. Books may also be challenged at a local, community level. As a result, books can be removed from schools or libraries, although these bans do not typically extend outside of that area. Aside from the usual justifications of pornography and obscenity , some films are censored due to changing racial attitudes or political correctness in order to avoid ethnic stereotyping and/or ethnic offense despite its historical or artistic value. One example
3456-424: The opportunity to disprove those with opposing views. Censorship is often used to impose moral values on society, as in the censorship of material considered obscene. English novelist E. M. Forster was a staunch opponent of censoring material on the grounds that it was obscene or immoral, raising the issue of moral subjectivity and the constant changing of moral values. When the 1928 novel Lady Chatterley's Lover
3520-502: The original Bradbury manuscript. In February 2006, a National Geographic cover was censored by the Nashravaran Journalistic Institute . The offending cover was about the subject of love and a picture of an embracing couple was hidden beneath a white sticker. Economic induced censorship is a type of censorship enacted by economic markets to favor, and disregard, types of information. Economic induced censorship
3584-495: The press , radio, television, and the Internet for a variety of claimed reasons including national security , to control obscenity , pornography , and hate speech , to protect children or other vulnerable groups, to promote or restrict political or religious views, and to prevent slander and libel . Specific rules and regulations regarding censorship vary between legal jurisdictions and/or private organizations. In 399 BC, Greek philosopher, Socrates , while defying attempts by
3648-426: The public mind is seen as one of the central themes of Stalinism and totalitarianism . Censorship is occasionally carried out to aid authorities or to protect an individual, as with some kidnappings when attention and media coverage of the victim can sometimes be seen as unhelpful. Censorship by religion is a form of censorship where freedom of expression is controlled or limited using religious authority or on
3712-675: The public, and three finalists in each category are then selected by the "Grand Jury of Conspicuous Sensuality". The winners are announced during the ceremony, where the finalists' work is also exhibited and performed. All award winners receive the Erotic Awards’ signature trophy, the "Flying Penis". 2024 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 . Curiosa are curiosities or rarities, especially unusual or erotic books. In
3776-451: The state of California upheld that hiring actors to engage in sexual activity for the sake of creating erotic films was not considered pornography, and Miller v. California , in which the idea of erotic work providing serious artistic or literary value was introduced to the legal sphere. A majority of erotica centers women as the object of sexual desire, demonstrated in the sharp rise of popularity of pornographic magazines centering women in
3840-408: The world felt that access to the Internet was a fundamental right (50% strongly agreed, 29% somewhat agreed, 9% somewhat disagreed, 6% strongly disagreed, and 6% gave no opinion). The rising use of social media in many nations has led to the emergence of citizens organizing protests through social media, sometimes called " Twitter Revolutions ". The most notable of these social media-led protests were
3904-533: The world, some experts believe that this could result in more censorship than before. Since the early 1980s, advocates of video games have emphasized their use as an expressive medium , arguing for their protection under the laws governing freedom of speech and also as an educational tool. Detractors argue that video games are harmful and therefore should be subject to legislative oversight and restrictions . Many video games have certain elements removed or edited due to regional rating standards . For example, in
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#17328756854603968-542: Was put on trial in 1960 , Forster wrote: Lady Chatterley's Lover is a literary work of importance...I do not think that it could be held obscene, but am in a difficulty here, for the reason that I have never been able to follow the legal definition of obscenity. The law tells me that obscenity may deprave and corrupt, but as far as I know, it offers no definition of depravity or corruption. Proponents have sought to justify it using different rationales for various types of information censored: In wartime, explicit censorship
4032-581: Was not contained to only visual art, as poets such as the Greek Sappho and the Roman Catullus and Ovid wrote erotic verse and lyrical poems. Modern erotic literature, often called 'smut', is quite popular, especially among women. In the 21st century, fan fiction erotica has gained popularity. Stories on online websites like Archive of Our Own and FanFiction.Net account for a large percentage of modern erotic fan fiction literature. The topic of sex
4096-520: Was used as a common justification to exercise official wartime censorship and encourage individual restraint when sharing potentially sensitive information. An example of " sanitization " policies comes from the USSR under Joseph Stalin , where publicly used photographs were often altered to remove people whom Stalin had condemned to execution. Though past photographs may have been remembered or kept, this deliberate and systematic alteration to all of history in
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