What is "Erotica For Women"?

This site exists in order to help women find adult material that appeals to them but what, exactly, is "erotica for women" anyway?

The question has been debated a great deal in recent years. A lot of women feel the phrase has come to mean soft focus, romantic sex scenes without any seriously explicit sex. Some say they feel offended at the assumption that all women want is the equivalent of soap opera porn. Others think it's a valid term that's handy when looking for good quality porn made for women.

More and more surveys are showing that women do enjoy porn and they are demanding an increasingly diverse portrayal of sexuality. As far back as 2003, Nielsen Netratings found that almost a third of all porn surfers were women.

Of course, that's not to say that women are necessarily happy with what the US porn industry provides. Plenty of female viewers are unhappy with the male-focused, sexist and downright silly porn that is pumped out of Silicon Valley.

That's where "erotica for women" comes in. It's sexually explicit material that is made for a female audience and which gives priority to a woman's experience of sex and her fantasies and desires. Women want to see realistic sex, hot guys (and not images with their heads cut off), real female pleasure and a bit of respect for the female performers.

Of course, the meaning of the term "erotica" itself is hotly debated. Woody Allen once said "With erotica you use a feather, with porn you use the whole chicken."

Some say "erotica" has a certain air of class, of taste and dignity. Porn is about animal instincts whereas erotica is a form of art.

Plenty of people dismiss the distinction as being artificial, however it can be a useful way of distinguishing between down-and-dirty gonzo productions and sexual material with better ethics or production values.

Erotica for women has also become very big within the world of publishing. Standard romance companies such as Harlequin have brought out special lines of erotic fiction for eager readers, while compilations of erotic short stories sell very well on Amazon. Women often rely on their imaginations to spark arousal so fantasy stories can be very useful in the bedroom.

The term "Erotica for Women" means different things to different people. This site seeks to take a broad approach and point surfers in the right direction when it comes to good erotica movies, books and websites.