Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use any artistic form to depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, drama, film or music. Erotic literature and erotic photography have become genres in their own right. Erotica also exists in a number of subgenres including gay, lesbian, women's, bondage, monster and tentacle erotica.
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment in life. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the Kama Sutra is neither exclusively nor predominantly a sex manual on sex positions, but rather was written as a guide to the art of living well, the nature of love, finding a life partner, maintaining one's love life, and other aspects pertaining to pleasure-oriented faculties of human life. It is a sutra-genre text with terse aphoristic verses that have survived into the modern era with different bhāṣyas. The text is a mix of prose and anustubh-meter poetry verses. The text acknowledges the Hindu concept of Purusharthas, and lists desire, sexuality, and emotional fulfillment as one of the proper goals of life. Its chapters discuss methods for courtship, training in the arts to be socially engaging, finding a partner, flirting, maintaining power in a married life, when and how to commit adultery, sexual positions, and other topics. The majority of the book is about the philosophy and theory of love, what triggers desire, what sustains it, and how and when it is good or bad.
Tanya Mercado, known professionally as Gina Lynn, is an American former pornographic actress, model, and stripper. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2010 and is the Penthouse magazine Penthouse Pet for April 2012. She is also known for appearing with Eminem in the music video for "Superman".
Shannon Lee Tweed Simmons is a Canadian model and actress. One of the most successful actresses of mainstream erotica, she is identified with the genre of the erotic thriller cinema. Tweed has appeared in more than 60 films and several television series. She was named Playboy's Playmate of the Year in 1982.
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love is a 1996 Indian historical erotic romance film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Mira Nair. The first portion of the film is based on "Utran", a short story in Urdu by the Indian writer Wajida Tabassum. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra. It stars Naveen Andrews, Sarita Choudhury, Ramon Tikaram, Rekha, and Indira Varma. The English-language film was produced by Indian, British, German and Japanese studios.
Lisa Doreen Boyle is an American actress and model most known for her appearances in Playboy magazine and its various Special Editions. She is also a freelance photographer, shooting content for various publications.
Ava Fabian is an American model and actress. She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in August 1986 and has appeared in numerous Playboy videos. Her centerfold was photographed by Arny Freytag and Richard Fegley. Fabian is also a former Playboy Bunny.
Full Body Massage is a 1995 American film directed by Nicolas Roeg. It stars Mimi Rogers getting a full body massage while talking about relationships and philosophy with her masseur.
Lady Chatterley's Stories is an erotic softcore TV show that aired on Showtime which ran for two seasons.
Women's erotica is any erotic material that caters specifically to women target-demographic of various sexual preferences. When erotica is specifically directed at lesbians, it is referred to as lesbian erotica. Women's erotica is available from a variety of media including video games, websites, books, comics, short stories, films, photography, magazines, audio, anime and manga. The content may cover many aspects of sexuality, from relationships to fetishes; the main idea being to convey sex-positivism from a woman's perspective, or to feature female empowerment and sexual fantasies.
Kira Reed also known as Kira Reed Lorsch, is an American actress, television host, writer, and producer.
Emmanuelle 2 is a 1975 French softcore erotica film directed by Francis Giacobetti and starring Sylvia Kristel. The screenplay was written by Bob Elia and Francis Giacobetti. It is a sequel to the 1974 film Emmanuelle which was based on the novel Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman by Emmanuelle Arsan, and it loosely follows the plot of the novel's print sequel. The music score is by Francis Lai. Playing the small role of a masseuse is actress Laura Gemser, who would go on to play "Black Emanuelle" in her own series of erotic films.
Sage Kirkpatrick is a Czech actress best known for playing Dexter Morgan's mother, Laura Moser, in the Showtime TV drama series, Dexter. She is sometimes credited under the name Katherine Kirkpatrick.
Alka Pande is an Indian academic, author and museum curator.
