I believe there is a difference between what some call “porn” and others call “erotica”. For me, erotica is of a higher aesthetic quality.  Without trying to offer a comprehensive definition–that would be more appropriate for a much longer blog post, and I like to keep my posts at a certain manageable length–I believe the aim of erotica, if there is an aim, is to somehow, in someway to depict and portray one of the basic elements of life, eros, or to put it more broadly, the dynamics of human sexuality, but in a way that possesses some sort of artistic and aesthetic merit. It is not merely depicting sexuality for the sake of arousal among the viewer, although arousal is certainly a possibility, and a possibility that is completely legitimate. Rather, erotica tries to capture something of the deeper, even spiritual elements of sexuality, in way that transcends the more primal elements of sexual engagement. It portrays sex, nudity, and sexual interaction in a way that is more meaningful for the viewer. It touches something more basic in the psyche than merely base desires. It leaves one with a better aftertaste in the mind, even if the loins are stirred.

I believe beauty is an essential element of good erotica. Porn too often caters to what is ugly, bizarre, or even disgusting. It appeals to little more than the most base elements of sexual desire, without any redeeming emotional or spiritual qualities at all. In porn, portrayals of people fucking are often little more than barnyard exhibitions of human animals, screaming and grunting and copulating with the grace and elegance of a bovine orgy, the actors often exhibiting as much fleshly artificiality as cows pumped up on growth hormones.

I enjoy good erotic depictions, even very explicit ones. I dislike porn. For instance, here of some of the elements of most porn, elements that I find rather distasteful.

Porn: Close up images of a woman spreading her labia for no other purpose than to turn on the overweight tow truck driver who is guzzling down his ninth Budweiser while he jerks off to such images in his trailer home.

Porn: Close up images of a woman’s gaping anus after she has been triple penetrated.

Porn: Ass to mouth. This is when a man fucks a woman in the ass, and then puts his penis in her mouth so she can, “taste her ass”. This is even too vile for me. I love playing with a woman’s ass, but this is just plain old unhealthy. Why would anyone in their right mind risk dysentery for this? Hepatitis is also a rather nasty condition, even potentially lethal. Intestinal infections are not fun.

Porn: Fake breasts, huge hair, tough looking women, fingernails longer than the a samurai sword, hyperbolic screaming, strung out looking people clearly disintegrating from chronic drug use.

Porn: Too many tatoos and piercings.

Porn: “Cream pie” finishes where the woman then squeezes the semen out of her vagina for the pleasure of the viewers. It is this technical, almost gynecological aspect of most porn, a porn devoid of any true sensuality, that I find completely uninteresting. It is clearly geared to turn on the great majority of such porn viewers: the fat, bald men who have never been with a woman.

Porn: Violent anal sex. Ripping apart someone’s anus and rectum with, most likely, irreparable damage is not appealing to me. A lot of woman enjoy the forbidden nature of anal pleasures when done properly, but I think most women would find this act highly unappealing.

These are just a few example. There are many more, but you get the point.

Now, what I find pleasant in erotica is the pursuit of a natural erotic beauty. Sex is portrayed as something hot, enticing, pleasurable, and mutually gratifying for the couple. The scenes are natural. They seem real. The couples are often beautiful. The women appear healthy, happy and sensual. There are few tatoos, piercings, fake breasts, long fingernails, big hair. The fucking can be hot and heavy and explicit, and I enjoy this, but the atmosphere is imbued with erotic passion, even love. It leaves the mind with a pleasant feeling, like you have savored a good meal, or a fine glass of wine. There is a certain grace, even lyricism to good erotica. It is also rare. You must search quite a bit, and wade through much trash, to find good erotica. It is almost like searching for a hidden treasure amid a wasteland of weeds and broken glass, or searching for fresh food in a dumpster. And again, in the end, there is element of beauty in erotica, an element of beauty which is lacking in porn. I suppose these are all ineffable qualities, and subjective judgements are in the end difficult to define, but I do believe there is a qualitative difference between these two types of mental sexual stimulates.

Many people, especially those of a religious bent, lump both porn and erotica together. If there is any nudity or sexuality depicted in a photograph, or work of art, or even writing, they reject it as being evil and unnatural and harmful. I suppose the preponderance of porn tends to obscure the quality of good erotica, since porn is so ubiquitous and erotica is harder to find, so most people do not understand the difference between the two. This an unfortunate barrier for the enjoyment of good erotica. It is out there, however, and I urge my readers to discover it, especially the female readers. Women should, and do, enjoy good erotica too, whether visual or in writing.

Finally, I would like to point to the image posted above. It has artistic merit. The placement of the figures, the use of shadows, the way the woman’s hair blends in with the dark background, the contrast of shadows with her white shirt and fair skin, the partial exposure of her pleasant looking ass beneath the curve of her back while her panties are being pulled down, appeals to the imagination, while at the same time appealing to what we see as well. We see this image, and we can think, or imagine more. So our minds are appealed to, as well as our bodies. It is hot, sexy, even beautiful, it is sensual and delightful and erotic in the fullest sense. I leave this image feeling good.

I will write more on these things, much more, but for now let me say that I enjoy erotic things. I like erotic nudes. I like explicit erotic depictions of sex. They are beautiful, and I like beautiful things.