Editing Erotica (section)

== Views  ==
The topic of sex 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 world, 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 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.<ref>Levy, Neil (2002). "Virtual child pornography: The eroticization of inequality" (PDF). ''Ethics and Information Technology''. '''4''' (1): 1–2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-16.</ref> 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, 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weitzer |first=Ronald |title=Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography, and Erotic Dancing |year=2023 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781032133157 |edition=3rd}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, the [[Obscene Publications Act 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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of library and information science. 1: Abs - Dec, pages 1 - 802 |date=2003 |publisher=Dekker |isbn=978-0-8247-2077-3 |editor-last=Drake |editor-first=Miriam A. |edition=2nd |location=New York Basel}}</ref> 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 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Reese |first1=Debbie-Anne |last2=Kyle |title=Obscenity and Pornography |journal=Georgetown Journal of Gender and Law |volume=4 |pages=138–142 |via=HeinOnline}}</ref>

=== Feminism ===
{{Further|Feminist views on pornography#Pornography vs. erotica}}
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 the mid-twentieth century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |first1=Vanessa|last1=Barford|date=2015-10-14 |title=Why America loved Playboy |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34471653 |access-date=2023-11-30}}</ref> 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 the idea of the nude female figure from an object of sexual pleasure to a symbol for a woman's sexual liberation.<ref name=":1">McDonald, Helen, 1949- (2001). ''Erotic ambiguities : the female nude in art''. London: Routledge. p. 3. {{ISBN|978-0-203-44870-0}} {{OCLC|51161504}}</ref> [[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.<ref>Middleman, Rachel (3 April 2014). "A Feminist Avant-Garde: Martha Edelheit's 'Erotic Art' in the 1960s". ''Konsthistorisk Tidskrift/Journal of Art History''. '''83''' (2): 129–147. {{doi|10.1080/00233609.2014.901413}} {{S2CID|191577484}}</ref> 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 a woman and as an artist was foundational for modern-day feminist erotic media.<ref name=":1" />