Erotic Film Research Articles

A thin line between consent and abuse - Reflections on sexual experiences among Swedish young adults with intellectual disabilities.

Research shows that young adults with intellectual disabilities struggle to understand the social codes embedded in sexual situations. This may lead to an incomprehension of sexual consent, or when consenting to sex may lead to abuse. This qualitative study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of sexual experiences and perceptions about sexual consent among Swedish young adults with intellectual disabilities. The data comprise 22 semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 18-35 with intellectual disabilities, thematically analyzed using sexual script theory as a theoretical framework. Four themes emerged from the analysis: Setting the sexual scene, Sexual self-awareness, Sexual communication and the necessity of clarification and Striving for a balance. The results show that the participants had a variety of sexual experiences and challenges associated with sexual consent, but also an agency that favors sexual situations. Further research is necessary to understand the complexities of sexual consent in this population.

CORPO, NATUREZA E REGENERAÇÃO EM O AMANTE DE LADY CHATTERLEY, DE D. H. LAWRENCE

Defender of the body as the only human power capable of acting against social adversities, D. H. Lawrence was categorized throughout his work as “erotic”, especially in his most robust narrative, Lady Chatterley's Lover. However, the author's ambivalences are confusing due to the moralizing content present in the narrative. Despite the sex scenes, there is a pro-life message of union between lovers, and a belief in the life-death-life cycle of beings. Moreover, there is a social aspect along with psychological aspects of the characters. As we analyze in this work, the construction of a positive and affirmative image of the body and its relationship with nature is not new, but renewed by Lawrence in the 20th century which provides nature with broad meanings beyond representation. In this sense, we seek to trace the relationship between the novel Lady Chatterley's Lover and Spinoza's philosophy, Shakespeare's poetics and Bakhtin's study of the body and nature.

The Female Body and the Body Politic in Sex Scenes of Lou Ye’s Film: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of <i>Summer Palace</i>

This article discusses the body politic of Yu Hong in the postsocialist Chinese film–Summer Palace (2006). Director Lou Ye places Yu Hong’s body in the sex scenes that metaphorically expresses a traumatic and sensitive political event, the “June Fourth Incident.” The portrayal of sexual intercourse, nudity, and this historical event is the unspeakable “secret” in mainland Chinese media. Therefore, the authors raise the question that, when sexual intercourse and the female body enter political discourse, how do we deal with the complex and dynamic power structures behind bodily attributes and the “anachronistic” historical objects that do not fit into the mainstream narrative and epistemological spaces? Drawing on body politic theory, feminist film theory, and a semiotic framework, we adopt multimodal critical discourse analysis to assess power relations and ideologies behind Yu’s body attributes in the sex scenes. The findings indicate that Lou constructs a complex communication system, using her body as a carrier of communication to express self-consciousness, constructing female subjectivity through the writing of feminine discourse, with the political purpose of seeking the freedom of the written word. Sexual liberation is sought by establishing a transgressive body that is not accepted by the mainstream and opposes the inherent power of government. Yu’s bodily pleasure is set up as an expression of narcissistic individualism through love, producing a vision of political ecstasy. Her melancholy body metaphor for the discomfort and confusion that preceded the student movement and the post-traumatic ambivalence. Using the female body as a site of political discourse and sexual liberation offers a new reading strategy for analysing the representation of the female body in film and other forms of media. In making the argument, the study contributes valuable scholarship to the film studies focused on sexual, gender, and political marginalised discourse.

Cinema, censorship, and consumerism: mass culture and discursive transformations in film censorship in late 1970s South Korea

ABSTRACT The emergence of ‘erotic films’ (ero yeonghwa) in the 1980s has generally been discussed in the context of the Chun Doo-hwan regime’s ‘3S Policy,’ a series of policy changes that relaxed the stringent censorship regulations first implemented under Park Chung Hee’s military rule. Rather than a distinct rupture, this article argues that these changes were part of a larger shift in the perception of films that began in the late 1970s – a new conception of films as a commercial product. Whereas film audiences had long been dismissed as faceless masses with ‘vulgar’ tastes by both film personnel and government officials, the growing commercial power of films underscored the importance of the audience as consumers. Through a close reading of various newspapers and Performance Ethics (Gongyeon yulli), the official newsletter of the Public Performance Ethics Committee, this article traces the development of various discourses around film, the public audience, and mass culture. Ultimately, this article argues for a more nuanced approach towards examining censorship practices by looking beyond the state and its regulatory institutions and accounting for an array of continuously shifting discourses around medium-specific characteristics, structural changes in society and economics, and the general public.

Women’s Sexual Agency, Pleasure, and Orgasm in Popular Netflix Series: A Quantitative Content Analysis of Mixed-Gender Scenes

Media representations of sexuality can play a relevant role in the development of gender stereotypes and sexual learning processes. In the current pre-registered study, we examined the representation of sexuality in content on Netflix, a dominant force in global mass media consumption. We coded 271 mixed-gender sexual scenes across seven highly popular Netflix series for orgasm portrayal, depiction of sexual behaviors, including clitoral stimulation, and gendered sexual scripts (i.e., initiation, control, and expression of desires). Our results revealed a nuanced picture of women’s sexual pleasure representation. Women’s orgasms were depicted less frequently than men’s, although orgasm portrayal was generally rare. Sexual behaviors were mostly limited to penile-vaginal intercourse, though cunnilingus was depicted more frequently than fellatio. Regarding gendered sexual scripts, women were portrayed as equally sexually agentic as men, initiating sexual encounters, taking control, and expressing their needs and desires. Our findings indicate that this content simultaneously reinforces and challenges gender stereotypes related to sexual experiences, highlighting the need for sexual educators to critically address the realism of mainstream media portrayals to foster a nuanced understanding of sexuality and pleasure.

Patterns of Heterosexual Sex in Popular Netflix Series: A Content Analysis of Age, Race, Face Attractiveness, and Body Type

AbstractThe portrayal of diverse ages, races, face attractiveness, and body types in sexual media content might impact societal perceptions of sexuality, delineating which individuals are deemed sexually appealing and whose sexuality is normalized. Despite extensive research on demographics within pornography, the representation within mainstream media, particularly on streaming platforms like Netflix, remains underexplored. The current study addresses this gap by employing quantitative content analysis to examine the diversity of characters in sexual contexts within seven highly popular Netflix series. We coded the age, race, face attractiveness, and body type of 91 characters (45 female characters) that appeared in mixed-gender sexual encounters (i.e., sexual encounters between a woman and a man). The study reveals a predominant adherence to stereotypical demographics and conventional beauty standards. The sexual scenes presented mostly younger individuals and revealed a notable underrepresentation of individuals aged 40 +. Racial diversity among characters was more evident. Female characters were predominantly depicted as conventionally attractive and were almost exclusively portrayed with skinny body types, while male characters exhibited a wider range of physical appearances. This study highlights a gap in the media’s inclusivity efforts and suggests a need for more comprehensive representation to reflect a broader spectrum of age and beauty ideals in the portrayals of human sexuality. While our study is limited to analyzing media representations, future research should include longitudinal experimental studies to evaluate their impact on people’s sexualities.

Biting Back at Society

The myth of the lesbian vampire spiked in popularity throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, inspiring erotic horror films, like Roy Ward Baker’s The Vampire Lovers (1970). While the easing censorship regulations allowed the film to depict more overt scenes of sex and violence, it was the second wave of feminism that allowed the film to be as erotic as it was (Baker 556), as the traditional gender role of men was called into question. Protesting for bodily autonomy, the right to express their sexual identities and overall looking for equal opportunities to their male counterparts, the traditionally superior man was under threat by female bonding. Lesbian vampires like Mircalla were unchained to a male figure and were able to liberate other women through their mental strength, physical beauty and by providing deeper emotional connections than men could. The lesbian vampire presented a reality where women could receive everything from a female partner, rendering the male useless.

“Why shouldn’t I Be Wanted, Even loved?”: Eugenics, Reproduction, and the Postcolonial in Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death

ABSTRACT This article focuses on two postcolonial novels, Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death, and argues that through the novels’ explorations of sex, both narratives reconstruct eugenic views that haunt postcolonial societies today. Through sex scenes (and their interruption or absence), the novels illustrate how the characters from India and Sudan respectively experience oppression and discrimination. These experiences are direct outcomes of eugenic views on and practices aimed at selected groups. Through its focus on masturbation and female genital mutilation, as described in the two novels, this article frames the analysis of Animal’s People and Who Fears Death in relation to eugenics, sexual deviance, and sterilization, and foregrounds the ongoing oppression of postcolonial nations. This article carefully examines how eugenics has shaped or further intensified inequality. In particular, it draws parallels between eugenic practices and two kinds of oppression described in Animal’s People and Who Fears Death: the control exercised by the West over postcolonial countries, highlighted through western industrial capitalism’s lack of concern about the genetic health of postcolonial nations and the dysgenic impact of their industries, and patriarchal control of women.

Pleasure’s ascendancy: Against queer youth panic

This article explores both US and European streaming shows that feature a protagonist in scenes of queer youth sex, focusing on how the show treats and frames these scenes as constitutive of a broader representational narrative of queer youth sex(uality). By comparing US and European shows, I argue that queer pleasure supplants panic featured in each show by framing the scenes of queer youth sex as destigmatized and even mundane.

Effects of Group Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy versus Supportive Sex Education on Sexual Concordance and Sexual Response Among Women with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder

ABSTRACT Low interest in sexual activity and impaired sexual response are among women’s most frequent sexual concerns. Mindfulness-based treatments improve low sexual desire and arousal and associated distress. One theorized mechanism of change is the cultivation of increased mind-body awareness via greater concordance between psychological and physiological components of sexual response. We examined sexual psychophysiology data from 148 cisgender women randomized to receive mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MCBT: n = 70) or supportive sex education (STEP: n = 78) over eight weekly group sessions. Women completed in-lab assessments of subjective, affective, and genital sexual responses to an erotic film pre- and post-treatment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Both groups showed positive changes in sexual and affective responses, but these were generally more pronounced for MBCT. MCBT increased sexual concordance to a greater degree, and gains in sexual concordance predicted improvements in sexual distress throughout treatment.

Application of the sexual therapy combined with vacuum negative pressure hydropneumatic/pneumatic bubble massage in primary intravaginal anejaculation.

Primary intravaginal anejaculation (PIAJ) is a relatively uncommon male sexual dysfunction characterized by an inability to achieve intravaginal ejaculation during all sexualintercourse. Effective treatment optionsfor this condition are lacking.We aimed to explore the clinical effect of the sexual therapy combined with vacuum negative pressure hydropneumatic/pneumatic bubble massage (VNPHP/PBM) on primary intravaginal anejaculation, and its possible mechanism. A total of 95 PIAJ patients were randomly divided into three groups, including group A with 32 patients treated with the sexual therapy combined with VNPHP/PBM, group B with 32 patients treated with the sexual therapy and group C with 31 patients treated with VNPHP/PBM. The efficacy of therapeutic regimes, latency of the somatosensory evoked potentials of dorsal nerve (DNSEP), glans penis (GPSEP) and penile shaft sensory threshold (PSST), measures of sexual behavior of patients, as well as the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) sores of patients and their partners, were compared before and after treatment amongthree groups. The total effective rate of group A (84.38%) was higher than those of groups B and C (53.13% and 41.94%), however, no differences were found between groups B and C. The ratios of patients and their partners with anxiety, frequency of observing erotic films of patients, ratios of patients with special self-masturbation and frequency of masturbation decreased significantly in the three groups after the treatment. The decreasein the ratios of patients and their partners with anxiety, frequency of observing erotic films of patients in groups A and B were higher than those of group C, however, no differences were identified between groups A and B. The decreasein the ratios of patients with special self-masturbation and frequency of masturbation in group A were higher than those of group B, however, no differences were found between groups A and C, B and C. There were no differences in the latency of DNSEP, GPSEP, and PSST among the three groups before and after treatment. The sexual therapy combined with VNPHP/PBM has good therapeutic effects on PIAJ, which might be achieved by reducing the anxietylevel of patients and their partners,improving sexual behavioral patterns, rather than increasing the sensitivity of penis including dorsal nerve and glans penis.

(108) Using the YouTube’s Polling Platform to Characterize Viewers' Sexual Practices

Abstract Introduction Research has been limited on the general population's understanding and insight into achievement of orgasm, prevalence and types of non-traditional sex practices and fetishes, masturbation frequency and motivation, erotica use, and knowledge about genital anatomy. Additionally there are research gaps regarding the way people interact with health information on social media. Objective This research aims to close these gaps and provide physicians with information to better address patients’ sexual health and wellness needs. Methods An online social media community was recruited to participate in a survey about sexual practices. The survey was distributed through community posts over two weeks to allow adequate time for respondents to answer. The survey consisted of questions on these topics: demographics, youtube content interactions, masturbation practices, masturbation and partnered sex, sexual practices, safe sexual practices, male external genital anatomy, and female external genital anatomy. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze results. Results Between 670 to 18,000 respondents answered the poll questions. Demographic data indicated that there were a wide range of respondents; 61% of respondents were from North America, 20% from Asia and Australia, 13% from Europe, 3.6% from Africa, and 2.3% from Asia. The age range of participants were split with 18 to 29 year olds making up 24 %, 30 to 44 year olds making up 31 %, 40 to 59 year olds making up 26 %, and those over 60 making up 19 %. Respondents were overwhelmingly male and straight, at 95 % and 91 % respectively. The vast majority of respondents were able to successfully identify basic female and male genital anatomy. Regarding sexual practices, 76 % of respondents masturbated daily or weekly, 90 % did not feel significant shame regarding masturbation, and 69 % used erotic films for masturbation. Most respondents were able to orgasm from masturbation and the primary motivations for masturbation were sexual pleasure, stress relief and lack of a sexual partner. Over 70 % of respondents were able to orgasm from penetrative intercourse; when unable to masturbate the most common barriers were psychologic at 51 %. There was a wide range of times that it took to achieve orgasm during sex, with the most common being 5-10 minutes for 36 % of respondents. Survey takers were split on whether they used YouTube as their primary source of health information, with 46 % using youtube as their primary source. Conclusions Our survey found that YouTube was a primary source of health knowledge for a significant percentage of people, indicating the importance of having high quality health information available on social media. Most participants were able to correctly identify genital anatomy. Data on masturbation practices showed that most participants masturbate relatively frequently, are able to orgasm and use masturbation for sexual pleasure, stress relief and due to lack of a sexual partner. Most respondents were also able to orgasm during penetrative intercourse, and the biggest barrier for those unable to orgasm was psychosocial. This data helps illustrate attitudes and practices among a largely male heterosexual population regarding sexual practices. Disclosure No.

Retracted: The Subject Construction and Role Mental Model Construction of Erotic Movies Based on Lacan's Desire Theory.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/7751995.].

The Ambivalent Vision: The "Crip" Invention of "Blind Vision" in Blind Massage

Blind Massage, a film directed by Lou Ye (2014), depicts disability and sexuality through stories of blind masseurs. It employs “blind vision”, a novel form of cinematography that depicts blindness, assisting the film in unfolding the subjective experience of the blind masseurs in both sexual and non-sexual scenes. With the invention of blind vision, Blind Massage introduced a non-normative cinematic experience that decentres vision, while cinema had previously been perceived as an intrinsically visual-centred art form. This paper, therefore, asks: How does the am­bivalent representation of vision contribute to the cinematic representation of disabled sexuality? Does it reinvent or reinforce the normative understanding of disabled sexuality? As a response, the paper argues that the invention of blind vision destabilises the ableist foundation of cinema that centres on visual experience as the source of pleasure. It mainly grounds the argumentation on criticism of Mulvey’s (1975) gaze theory, which discusses visual pleasure and narrative cinema with the psychoanalytic gaze notion. The notion of blind vision will be elab­orated on, not only in cinematography but also as a cultural implication that touches on disability studies and sexuality studies. Methodologically, this paper will, use crip theory, feminist film theories, and psychoanalysis to understand the representation of disabled sexuality in Blind Massage. The paper will be structured as follows. It will first review previous academic discussions on disabled sexuality in cinema. Then, it will elaborate on the invention of blind vision through scene and cinematography analyses and consider how Blind Massage echoes with a Mulveyian gaze theory in terms of marking the gaze as a normative power. Finally, I argue that blind vision could be regarded as an approach to reverse such power and release the potential resistance towards normativity in cinema, with a Lacanian revisit and reworking of the Mulveyian gaze theory.

Consumption of Sexually Explicit Media and Sexual Conduct of greater Exposure to HIV/AIDS in Brazilians

Introduction: We aimed to analyze the association between the consumption of sexually explicit media (SEM) in the sexual practices of Brazilians and the exposure to HIV infection. Methods: This is an analytical, cross-sectional national study, conducted with 854 participants. Data were collected from September 2021 to January 2022 and analyzed in SPSS.26 software using the Logistic Regression model, with a robust estimator for the covariance matrix. Results: In the results we observed that 558 (65.3%) participants revealed the habit of watching SEM; of these, 58.2% saw up to two scenes per day. The increased chances for involvement in sexual practice of greater exposure to HIV were identified in: being male (ORa=1.36 times); having a homosexual, bisexual, asexual, or pansexual sexual orientation (ORa=1.44); habit of watching SEM or erotic art (ORa=1.47); and being under the age of 12 at the first contact with SEM (ORa=2.74). As such, we can observe that the consumption of sexually explicit media is associated with sexual practices of greater exposure to HIV among Brazilians. Conclusion: Therefore, the development of public policies and strategies to prevent practices aimed at the consumption of sexually explicit media becomes relevant, starting with the demonstration of HIV prevention strategies during the sex scenes.

Postfeminism and contemporary vampire romance: Representations of gender and sexuality in film and televisionBy LeaGerhards, Bloomsbury Academic, 2022.

Postfeminism and contemporary vampire romance: Representations of gender and sexuality in film and televisionBy LeaGerhards, Bloomsbury Academic, 2022.

A Comparative Study of LGBT+ Characters in Indian Cinema with its Latin American counterparts

Latin American countries and India share almost similar history broadly. In fact, the basic characteristics of the structure of Cinema in these countries are quite similar. In this background, this paper deals with a comparative study of LGBT characters in the Cinema of these countries, also tries to study the impact of patriarchy. To study the comparison, many texts, books, and cinema have been referred to. The characters were analysed through the lenses of the socio-political milieu of the time. We must understand a character is not a onedimensional entity, it is a multi-dimensional one. After studying various texts and Cinema, it was found that both societies have a common thread i.e. patriarchy and it depicts in cinema as well. Both societies shied away to portray a positive, all-round portrayal of LGBT character for a long time but after 2000 things are slowly changing. Ultimately one must agree that in the race to portray equality of gender and sexuality in Cinema, Latin American Countries have surpassed India, especially in the recent past. Although there have been few Indian films that portrayed LGBT characters in a more humane light, by and large, it has been caught wanting.

The Role of Transformational Leadership and Communication in Building Good Governance in Indonesia Film Censorship Institution

The Film Censorship Institute (LSF) is an institution that has the authority to determine which films are allowed. LSF authority is contained in Government Regulation No. 18 of 2014, where they play a role in protecting the public from negative films that can affect the cultural perspective of the community. LSF adapts to the social and cultural norms that apply in society, so if we look at film censorship institutions in other countries, the scope of films allowed is also different. For example, in the United States, films featuring sexual scenes are permitted, while in Malaysia, they are not. Likewise, films with sexual nuances and extreme violence are not allowed in Indonesia. LSF has also banned the screening of several films because they are not under social rules and norms. However, the work carried out by LSF is rarely known by the public, ranging from their working methods and institutional leadership to how they carry out their work programs. With this background, the author wants to know and understand the practice of good governance in Indonesia Censorship Film Institution and how the transformative approach is taken to bring about change in the organization. This study will use a qualitative approach with data collection through the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method and literature. The study found that transformative leadership accelerates changes in the LSF by creating innovations for better performance and making an inclusive work culture. This transformative leadership also tremendously affects how LSF implements good governance principles, and all indicators have been fulfilled. The relation and effect of transformative leadership and good governance are also discussed.

(023) The Acute Effect of Caffeine on Genital Arousal in Women: A Pilot Study

Abstract Introduction Genital sexual arousal, a process characterized by increased vaginal lubrication and vasocongestion in females, is facilitated by moderate activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) (for review, see Stanton, Handy, & Meston, 2018). Among the range of factors that impede the female genital arousal response (e.g., disrupted endocrine functioning and vascular and neurological problems), antidepressants have strikingly deleterious effects on genital arousal function that hinder quality of life (Nappi et al., 2016) and jeopardize medication adherence. When patients present with antidepressant-induced sexual side effects, physicians may switch their antidepressant or tack on an additional medication (e.g., bupropion) to counter them. While sometimes effective, this increases patients’ financial burden and often introduces a host of new side effects. Moderate activation of the SNS through exercise has shown promising results for ameliorating antidepressant-induced genital arousal dysfunction (Lorenz & Meston, 2012; 2014). Given that SNS activation prior to sex counteracts the inhibitory effect of antidepressants on genital blood flow, it is feasible that caffeine – an SNS stimulant (Biaggioni et al., 1991; Zahn et al., 1987) – could improve antidepressant-induced genital arousal difficulties if ingested prior to sex. Caffeine could serve as a low-cost, widely accessible intervention with minimal side effects if efficacy is shown. Objective The goal of the present pilot study is to examine whether the acute administration of 300mg of caffeine increases genital arousal (i.e., vaginal pulse amplitude) in women experiencing antidepressant-induced genital arousal difficulties. Methods Women attended two counterbalanced in-laboratory sessions in which they ingested either 300mg caffeine or placebo. Fifteen minutes post-ingestion, they viewed an erotic film while their heart rate and genital sexual arousal were measured. Caffeine consumption was controlled for. Results Preliminary data analyses suggest that compared to placebo, 300mg of caffeine increases vaginal pulse amplitude fifteen minutes post-ingestion among women experiencing antidepressant-induced genital arousal difficulties. Additional pilot subjects are currently being tested; results will be updated with an addendum upon completion. Conclusions If efficacy is demonstrated in our sample, caffeine may serve as a low-cost, widely accessible treatment for women experiencing antidepressant-induced genital arousal dysfunction. While we aim to target genital arousal concerns with caffeine, improvements in genital arousal are likely to positively impact other stages of women’s sexual response given the high degree of overlap between these stages. Disclosure No

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art