Lesbianism in erotica 1819872 223871620 2008-07-06T07:22:55Z Old Bella 7425969 /* Lesbianism in contemporary pornography */ {{dablink|For discussion of women's views on gay pornography, see [[Gay pornography#Audience|Gay pornography: Audience]].}} [[Image:Courbet Sleep.jpg|thumb|375px|right|''Le Sommeil'' (Sleep) by [[Gustave Courbet]] (1866).]] Depictions of [[lesbianism]] have been relatively common in [[erotic art]] and [[pornography]] throughout history. ==Lesbianism in visual arts== Depictions of lesbianism are included among the [[Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum|erotic frescoes of Pompeii]]. Later, a number of European painters, particularly modernists, would include themes of eroticism between women among their work; these artists include [[François Boucher]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:François_Boucher_012.jpg], [[JMW Turner]],<ref>[http://www.ainews.com/Archives/Story383.phtml "Suppressed Erotic Art"], ''Adult Industry News'' (website), March 14, 2000.</ref> [[Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IngresBainTurc.jpg], [[Gustave Courbet]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Courbet_Sleep.jpg], [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec]],<ref>[http://blogs.princeton.edu/wri152-3/f05/kshetty "Toulouse-Lautrec’s Sketches of Lesbians"] by Keerthi Shetty, ''Impressionism & the Making of Modern Art'' (website), Princeton University.</ref><ref>[http://art-history.concordia.ca/cujah/issue01/Dynbort.htm "The Love that Dare not Speak its Name: The Visual Representation of Female Homoerotics in Nineteenth-Century France"] by Sophie Dynbort, [[Concordia University|Concordia]] Undergraduate Journal of Art History #1, June 2005.</ref> [[Gustav Klimt]] [http://www.sappho.com/art/klimt.html], [[Egon Schiele]] [http://www.sappho.com/art/schiele.html], [[Christian Schad]],<ref>[http://www.villagevoice.com/art/0322,saltz,44380,13.html "Lewd Awakening: Rediscovering a German Connoisseur of Sex"] by Jerry Saltz, ''[[Village Voice]]'', May 23, 2003.</ref> [[Albert Marquet]] [http://search.famsf.org:8080/view.shtml?record=43353&=list&=1&=&=And] [[Balthus]] [http://vadym.web.cern.ch/vadym/balthus/images/guitar_lesson.jpg], and [[Leonor Fini]] [http://www.weinstein.com/fini/LeLongduChemin.jpg]. More explicit depictions were an important part of the work of erotic illustrators such as [[Édouard-Henri Avril]] [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:%C3%89douard-Henri_Avril_%2824%29.jpg] [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:%C3%89douard-Henri_Avril_%2827%29.jpg], [[Franz von Bayros]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Franz_von_Bayros_003.jpg], [[Martin van Maële]] [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Martin_Van_Maele_-_La_Grande_Danse_macabre_des_vifs_-_33.jpg], [[Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky|Rojan]], [[Gerda Wegener]] [http://postcards.ameanet.org/index.php?cmd=categories&catid=9], [[Vala Moro]] [http://eroticsunshine69.blogspot.com/2006/01/vala-moro.html], and [[Tom Poulton]] [http://complices.canalblog.com/images/t-Tom_Poulton_plaisir2.jpg]. Explicit depictions of lovemaking between women were also an important theme in Japanese erotic ''[[shunga]]'', including the work of such masters as [[Utamaro]] [http://www.japankunst.de/japanbild/sb61356_gr_e.htm], [[Hokusai]] [http://www.bridgemanartondemand.com/index.cfm?event=catalogue.product&productID=104042] [http://www.akantiek.eu/print/p797.jpg], [[Katsukawa Shunchō]] [http://www.akantiek.nl/bestandenNETSKI/p723ws.gif], [[Utagawa Kunisada]] [http://www.akantiek.eu/print/p798.jpg], [[Utagawa Kuniyoshi]] [http://www.akantiek.eu/shunga/shunga%20p1006.jpg], [[Yanagawa Shigenobu]] [http://www.degener.com/1371-6a.HTM], [[Keisai Eisen]] [http://www.akantiek.eu/shunga/Shunga%20Eisen%20p1026.jpg], [[Kawanabe Kyōsai]], and [[Ikeda Terukata]] [http://www.akantiek.nl/bestandenNETSKI/p741ws.gif]. [[Audrey Kawasaki]] is a contemporary painter for whom erotic depictions of lesbianism form an important segment of her work.[http://www.audrey-kawasaki.com/2007/paintings/i-07-twogirls'.jpg] [http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/dancingteapot/alltherealgirls/hot3a.jpg] [http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/448302332_1e0bd0aafd_o.jpg] [[Image:Lesbian Couple love in bed 01.jpg|right|thumb|Lesbian couple in bed]] The rise of [[photography]] was instrumental in the genesis of modern visual pornography, but erotic themes, including erotic lesbian themes, have been an important genre in [[art photography]]. Erotic and [[fetish photographers]], such as [[Heinz von Perckhammer]] [http://www.artnet.com/Artists/LotDetailPage.aspx?lot_id=D71ABE0D08D9F225], [[David Hamilton (photographer)|David Hamilton]] [http://i.biblio.com/b/034m/50398034-0-m.jpg], [[Steve Diet Goedde]] [http://www.stevedietgoedde.com/gallery07.htm], and [[Bob Carlos Clarke]] frequently have included themes of eros between women in their work. More recently, lesbian and bisexual photographers such as [[Nan Goldin]], [[Tee Corinne]] [http://susiebright.blogs.com/photos/nothing_but_the_girl_test/tee_corinne_sinister_wisdom_poster.html], [[Judy Francesconi]] [http://www.judyfrancesconi.com], and [[Della Grace]] have focused on erotic themes, reclaiming a subject that has traditionally been mainly treated through the eye of male artists. ==Lesbian erotic themes in cinema== Although both lesbian and erotic themes were restrained in early cinema, suggestive scenes of dancing between women were presented in the films ''[[Pandora's Box (film)|Pandora's Box]]'' (1928) and ''[[The Sign of the Cross (film)|The Sign of the Cross]]'' (1932). Although lesbian themes were sometimes found in European movies such as ''[[Mädchen in Uniform]]'' (1931), lesbianism was not treated openly in US cinema until the 1962 release of ''[[Walk on the Wild Side (story)|Walk on the Wild Side]]''. Depictions of lovemaking between women were first shown in several movies of the late 1960s — ''[[The Fox (1967 film)|The Fox]]'' (1967), ''[[The Killing of Sister George]]'' (1968), and ''[[Therese and Isabelle]]'' (1968). During the 1970s, depictions of sex between women were largely restricted to semi-pornographic softcore and sexploitation films, such as ''[[Cherry, Harry & Raquel!]]'' (1970), ''[[Score (film)|Score]]'' (1973), ''[[Emmanuelle]]'' (1974), and ''[[Bilitis (film)|Bilitis]]'' (1977). Although semi-explicit heterosexual sex scenes had been part of mainstream cinema since the late 1960s, equivalent depictions of women having sex only began making their appearance in mainstream film during the 1980s. These were typically in the context of a film that was specifically lesbian-themed, such as ''[[Personal Best]]'' (1982), ''[[Lianna]]'' (1983), and ''[[Desert Hearts]]'' (1985). The vampire film ''[[The Hunger]]'' (1983) also contained a seduction and sex scene between [[Catherine Deneuve]] and [[Susan Sarandon]]. ''[[Henry and June]]'' (1990) had several lesbian scenes, including one that was considered explicit enough to give the film an [[NC-17]] rating. (There was some controversy as to whether the [[MPAA]] had given the film a more restrictive rating than it normally would have because of the lesbian nature of the scene in question.) ''[[Basic Instinct]]'' (1992) contained mild lesbian content, but established lesbianism as a central theme in the [[erotic thriller]] genre. Later in the 1990s, erotic thrillers such as ''[[Wild Side (1995 film)|Wild Side]]'' (1995) and ''[[Bound (film)|Bound]]'' (1996) featured more explicit lesbian scenes.<ref name=sexincinema>[http://www.filmsite.org/sexinfilms.html "Sex in Cinema: The Greatest and Most Influential Erotic/Sexual Films and Scenes"] by Tim Dirks, ''The Best Films of All Time: A Primer of Cinematic History'' (website), 1996–2007. Accessed October 19, 2006.</ref> From the 1990s onward, depictions of sex between women became fairly common in mainstream cinema, in no small part based on its ability to titillate heterosexual male audience members. Lesbian kissing also was increasingly shown in films (as well as television), often as a way to include a sexually arousing element in a movie without actually having the film gain a more restrictive rating by depicting sex or nudity. ==Lesbianism in contemporary pornography== {{Split|lesbian pornography}} [[Image:Cream (Lesbian show V).jpg|right|thumb|upright|"Cream", lesbian show in Granada (Spain)]] Contemporary '''lesbian''' (or '''girl-girl''') '''pornography''', is a prominent genre in mainstream [[hardcore pornography|hardcore]] and [[softcore]] pornography, with many adult video titles and websites devoted entirely to depictions of women engaging in lesbian sex. Many heterosexual adult videos include at least one lesbian scene. In [[Pornography in Japan#Video|Japanese adult video]], however, lesbianism is considered a [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]] and is only occasionally included in mainstream heterosexual videos. ''Rezu'' (lesbian) video is a specialized genre, though a large number of such videos are produced, nevertheless.<ref>[http://www.lezlovevideo.com/help/help_japanese_av.asp "Japanese AV FAQ"] by Tetsuwan Atom, ''Lezlovevideo.com'', 2001. Accessed June 14, 2006.</ref> Most [[porn actor|porn actresses]] perform in lesbian sex scenes at least occasionally. A number of porn actresses, such as [[Jana Cova]], [[Felecia]], [[Justine Joli]] and [[Charlie Laine]], even specialize in this genre and only have sex with other women on camera. Though porn industry publicity tends to portray porn actresses as being [[bisexual]], such on-screen activity does not necessarily reflect real-life sexual orientation. While many actresses who perform in these scenes are bisexual or lesbian in real life, many others are "[[gay for pay]]" and are exclusively heterosexual off-camera. Mainstream pornography depicting sex between women (in both Western countries and Japan) is typically aimed at male consumers (though it also has a large female audience), which is why it is usually grouped with "straight" porn (in contrast to [[gay pornography|gay male pornography]], which is largely segregated from mainstream heterosexual pornography). There is small genre of pornography made by lesbians, such as the magazine ''[[On Our Backs]]'' and videos by [http://www.fatalemedia.com Fatale Media], [http://www.sirvideo.com SIR Video], [http://www.pinkwhite.biz/ Pink and White Productions], and [http://www.bleuproductions.com BLEU Productions]. ==Views about lesbianism in erotica== Historically, the majority of erotica and pornography has been produced by men for a male audience. Lesbian themes have nevertheless been extremely popular because, for many [[heterosexual]] men, the depiction of sexual activity between two women is more arousing than sexual activity between a man and a woman. A study has shown that on average heterosexual men are more aroused by pornography showing lesbian activity than they are by depictions of heterosexual activity.<ref name="Chivers 2004">Chivers ML, Rieger G, Latty E, [[J. Michael Bailey|Bailey JM]]. (2004). [http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/sex_difference.pdf "A sex difference in the specificity of sexual arousal".] ''Psychological Science'' 15: 736–744. ([[PDF]])</ref> This finding corresponds with several earlier studies (summarized in Whitley et al. (1999);<ref name="Whitely 1999">Whitely BE Jr, Wiederman MW, Wryobeck JM. (1999). [http://www.geocities.com/wikispace/whitley_etal.1999.html "Correlates of heterosexual men's eroticization of lesbianism".] ''Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality'' 11: 25–41.</ref> see also anecdotal reports in Loftus (2002).<ref name="Loftus 2002">Loftus, David. 2002. ''Watching Sex: How Men Really Respond to Pornography''. ISBN 1-56025-360-6</ref>) Enjoyment of "girl on girl" pornography can have little connection to feelings towards homosexuals in real life. A heterosexual man may be aroused by pornographic depictions of lesbianism yet hold [[homophobic]] views. However, several studies suggest that men who perceive lesbianism as erotic may have less negative attitudes toward lesbians than they do towards gay men.<ref name="Whitely 1999" /><ref name="Louderback 1997">Louderback LA, Whitely BE Jr. (1997). [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_n2_v34/ai_19551968 "Perceived erotic value of homosexuality and sex-role attitudes as mediators of sex differences in heterosexual college students' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men".] ''Journal of Sex Research'' 34: 175–182.</ref> Lesbian views on sex between women in erotica are complex. Historically, women have been less involved in the production and consumption of erotica in general and visual pornography in particular than have men. Since the late 1960s, [[radical feminist]] viewpoints on pornography and the [[sexual objectification]] of women have influenced the lesbian community. Some lesbians and bisexual women object to all pornography on feminist grounds. Since the end of the 1980s "[[Lesbian Sex Wars]]", however, lesbians and bisexual women are less likely to identify with radical feminist opinions on sexuality and are more likely to have positive views about erotica and pornography.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Some lesbians are even consumers of mainstream pornography, but many dislike what they perceive as inaccurate and stereotypical depictions of women and lesbianism in mainstream pornography. Some are also uncomfortable with male interest in lesbians.<ref name="Bright 1992">[[Susie Bright|Bright, Susie]]. 1992. "Men who love lesbians (who don't care for them too much)". In: ''Susie Bright's Sexual Reality: A Virtual Sex World Reader''. pp 93-98. ISBN 0-939416-58-1</ref> As of the early 2000s, there is a very strong lesbian erotic literature movement, as well as a small genre of pornography made by lesbians for a lesbian audience (see [[#Lesbianism in contemporary pornography|"Lesbianism in contemporary pornography"]] above). Some heterosexual women also enjoy lesbian erotica or pornography, although they may have little interest in actual sexual activity with other women.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} ==References== <!--<nowiki> See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref> and </ref> tags, and the template below. </nowiki>--> <references/> ==Further reading== ===Lesbianism in visual arts=== * Bonnet, Marie-Jo. (2000). ''Les Deux Amies: Essai sur le couple de femmes dans l'art''. Paris: Editions Blanche. ISBN 2-911621-94-8 ===Views about lesbianism in erotica=== * [[Charlotte Bunch|Bunch, Charlotte]]. (1982) Lesbianism and erotica in pornographic America. In: L Lederer (ed). ''Take back the night''. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-14907-5. * Conway, Mary T. (1997). Spectatorship in lesbian porn: The woman's woman's film. ''Wide Angle'' 19(3):91–113. ([http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/wide_angle/v019/19.3conway.html abstract]) * Duncker, Patricia. (1995). "Bonne excitation, orgasme assuré": The representation of lesbianism in contemporary French pornography. ''Journal Of Gender Studies'' 4(1):5–15. * Dunn, Sara. (1990). Voyages of the Valkyries: Recent lesbian pornographic writing. ''Feminist Review'' 34:161–170. {{DOI|10.2307/1395316}}. * Henderson, Lisa. (1991). Lesbian pornography: Cultural transgression and sexual demystification. ''Women and Language'' 14(1): 3–12. (Reprinted: S. Munt (ed). (1992). ''New lesbian criticism: Literary and cultural perspectives''. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf. p 173–191. ISBN 0231080190; and L. Gross and J. Woods (eds). (2000). ''Columbia Reader in Lesbian and Gay Studies''. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231104472.) * Jenefsky, Cindy and Diane Helene Miller.(1998). Phallic intrusion: Girl–girl sex in ''Penthouse''. ''Women’s Studies International Forum'' 21(4):375–385. {{DOI|10.1016/S0277-5395(98)00042-9}}. * Kitzinger, Jenny and Celia Kitzinger. (1993). "Doing it": Representations of lesbian sex. In: Griffin G (ed). ''Outwrite: Lesbianism and popular culture''. London: Pluto Press. ISBN 0745306888. * Matrix, Sidney. (1996). Desire and deviate nymphos: Performing inversion(s) as a lesbian consumer. ''[[Journal of Homosexuality]]'' 31(1-2):71–81. {{DOI|10.1300/J082v31n01_05}}. * McDowell, Kelly. (2001). [http://www.americanstudies.wayne.edu/xchanges/1.1/mcdowell.html The politics of lesbian pornography: Towards a chaotic proliferation of female sexual imagery.] ''Xchanges'' 1.1 (online journal). * Morrison, Todd G and Dani Tallack. (2005). Lesbian and bisexual women’s interpretations of lesbian and ersatz lesbian pornography. ''Sexuality & Culture'' 9(2):3–30. {{DOI|10.1007/s12119-005-1005-x}}. * Packard, Tamara and Melissa Schraibman. (1993). Lesbian pornography: Escaping the bonds of sexual stereotypes and strengthening our ties to one another. ''UCLA Women's Law Journal'' 4:299–328. * Penelope, Julia. (1980). The lesbian in heterosexual fantasies. ''Sinister Wisdom'' 15:76–91. * Rodgerson, Gillian. (1993). Lesbian erotic explorations. In: L Segal and M McIntosh (eds). ''Sex exposed: Sexuality and the pornography debate''. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. p 275–279. ISBN 0813519381. * Russo, Anne and Lourdes Torres. (2001). Lesbian porn stories: Rebellion and/or resistance? In: A Russo (ed). ''Taking back our lives: A call to action for the feminist movement''. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-203-90330-7. * Sheldon, Caroline. (1984). Lesbians and film: Some thoughts. In: R Dyer (ed). ''Gays and film''. New York: Zoetrope. p 5–26. ISBN 0918432588. * Smyth, Cherry. (1990). The pleasure threshold: Looking at lesbian pornography on film. ''Feminist Review'' 34:152–159. {{DOI|10.2307/1395314}}. * Swedberg, Deborah. (1989). What do we see when we see woman/woman sex in pornographic movies? ''NWSA Journal'' 1(4):602–616. ==See also== {{Portal|LGBT}} * [[History of erotic depictions]] * [[Femslash]] * [[Media portrayal of lesbianism]] * [[Yuri (term)]] ==External links== * [http://www.glbtq.com/arts/erotic_art_lesbian.html Erotic and Pornographic Art: Lesbian] by Tasmin Wilton, ''glbtq'', 2002. * [http://www.glbtq.com/arts/porn_lesbian.html Pornographic Film and Video: Lesbian] by Teresa Theophano, ''glbtq'', 2002. * [http://www.newstatesman.com/nssubsfilter.php3?newTemplate=NSArticle_NS&newDisplayURN=200602270013 "Kira Cochrane wishes Keira and Scarlett would stop it"] by Kira Cochrane, ''New Statesman'', February 27, 2006 * [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/arts/television/10heff.html It's February; Pucker Up, TV Actresses] by Virginia Heffernan, ''[[New York Times]]'', February 10, 2005. (requires login) * [http://languageisavirus.com/michelle-tea/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=449 "Boogie Dykes: How two San Francisco independent filmmakers are changing the world of mainstream porn"] by [[Michelle Tea]], ''[[San Francisco Bay Guardian]]'', January 31, 2001. * [http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/issue12/welker2.html "Celebrating Lesbian Sexuality: An Interview with Inoue Meimy, Editor of Japanese Lesbian Erotic Lifestyle Magazine ''Carmilla''"] interview by Katsuhiko Suganuma and James Welker, ''Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context'' 12, January 2006. * [http://www.shoujoai.ca/index2.html Shoujo-ai Canada] * [http://www.yuricon.org/ Yuricon] * [http://www.sappho.com Isle of Lesbos] – historical poetry, classical art, and vintage images for lesbians. * [http://perso.orange.fr/saphisme/choix/musee_lesbien.html Le Musee Lesbien], ''Saphisme.com''. * [http://www.clublez.com/movies/ The Encyclopedia of Lesbian Movie Scenes] - Lesbian scenes in mainstream film. * [http://group.lezlove.com Lezlove Video Group] – discussion group for lesbian erotica. * [http://www.shoujoai.com/ Shoujo-Ai Archive] [[Category:Erotica]] [[Category:Pornography by genre]] [[Category:LGBT art]] [[Category:LGBT adult entertainment]] [[ru:Эротика и лесбийские отношения]] [[fi:Lesbous erotiikassa]]