Women's erotica goes limp

[Saya]

Filament, a magazine for women featuring semi-naked men, launched earlier this year to widespread media coverage. Issue 1 featured three photo sets of men, none of whom removed their trousers. While some questioned whether women would even buy visual erotica, Filament's readers soon put them straight. Not only were women buying it, they were asking for more explicit pictures.

That demand brought Filament smack up against the biggest problem in providing visual erotica for straight women: the pervasive nervousness about depictions of aroused men. Previous attempts to offer erotic imagery to women flopped when publications such as For Women and Playgirl offered only photography that many believed fell short of what women wanted from an adult mag.

Filament, responding to reader feedback, had planned to include a photo set of an aroused man in their second (September) issue. It's not illegal to print images of erections but the Obscene Publications Act is notoriously vague. After taking legal advice, Filament intended to make a test case of sorts. Its printers, however, refused, citing potential objections from "the women's/religious sectors". As a new, independent publisher, Filament can't yet afford more liberal-minded printers willing to tackle the taboo on tumescence.

It's the second major hurdle for Filament, which has already been turned down by numerous UK distributors refusing to handle a women's magazine with a man on the cover. When set against the plethora of men's lifestyle and top-shelf magazines featuring scantily clad and open-legged women, the struggles faced by Filament highlight a deeply entrenched sexism: men can look at women but women cannot look at men.

Attempts to even out this disparity often lead to cries that two wrongs don't make a right; that countering the prevalence of eroticised women by adding men to the mix legitimises sexist objectification. But there's nothing inherently sexist about depicting nudity. It's sexist when only women are deemed to signify the erotic; it's sexist when eroticised images of women are so normalised and widespread that women stand to be viewed first and foremost as sex objects – their value inextricably linked to their sexual desirability. The sexism is in the inequality.

In challenging a culture that positions women as sex-products for men, Filament isn't seeking to turn the tables in an act of vengeance. Instead, it's asking for women to be acknowledged as human beings who can look and lust just as men can.

While some contend the lack of female-oriented erotica reflects a lack of demand, claiming the free market would prevail if women wanted such material, Filament's experience of cockblocking proves otherwise. Perhaps what's most insidious in this saga is that the market's refusal to admit Filament reinforces an idea of female sexuality which justifies that very refusal. The absence of visual erotica for women on shelves crammed with magazines where women are products for male consumers, reduces female desire to the less-interested counterpart of male desire. The deficit positions women as the providers of sex for perpetually horny dudes. And so, runs the self-fulfilling logic, of course women don't want magazines targeting their desire. Women don't have desire, see? They merely receive it. How do we know? Just check out those magazine shelves.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...jects-magazine

I really don't get why its such a big deal. I've never seen Playgirl itself but I did see the Peter Steele pics, he stood proud. Why is a boner so taboo but tits and pussy are not?

[JCC]

Peter Steele is one ugly guy.

[vindicatedxjin]

Because unfortunately sexism is still an issue hidden behind closed doors.

[Saya]

Originally Posted by JCC

Peter Steele is one ugly guy.

Yeah but I had to look.

[allyssa]

whenever I search for dark sensual erotica, their is definitly more erotica for a femme/lesbian audience, I enjoy this but I also like men. So if their was tasteful and artistic erotica featuring men besides just their big cocks...more of their ethereal beauty..and less men in uniform crap... it would be lovely!
mainstream society is definitly fucked up, I am not surprised....just continually disapointed....

[DRM]

Originally Posted by vindicatedxjin

Because unfortunately sexism is still an issue hidden behind closed doors.

That and because the female body is sensual, curvey, graceful, and elegant. In my opion, it is more beautiful then the male body.

[viscus]

Originally Posted by Saya

Why is a boner so taboo but tits and pussy are not?

Because people are accustomed to seeing the latter but not the former. Not saying it's right, and I wish Filament luck in their pursuit of acceptance.

Originally Posted by DRM

That and because the female body is sensual, curvey, graceful, and elegant. In my opion, it is more beautiful then the male body.

Does your opinion reflect that of all women?

[Saya]

Originally Posted by DRM

That and because the female body is sensual, curvey, graceful, and elegant. In my opion, it is more beautiful then the male body.

The male body is quite beautiful and sensual, and the magazine is trying to cater to women who agree with that. Don't try to paint it as putting women up on a pedestal and degrade men's bodies, its insulting to both sexes.

[Solumina]

Nude men can be quite aesthetically pleasing, there is no part of a woman's body that I find as appealing as a man's shoulders and upper back. Personally I'm not a huge fan of looking at penises but I'm also not a huge fan of looking at vaginae, they bot serve their purposes and they can both be fun to play with I just think that are kind of funny looking but I understand that other people are different.

[Saya]

Me neither to be honest, I had a look at their website though and it looks nice enough, and it looks pretty tasteful too so I doubt they tried to print anything really raunchy or hardcore.

I like written erotica better than visual but I wouldn't mind leafing through it myself, a few of their models are really attractive.

[Pineapple_Juice]

I wouldn't mind it either way-tastefully posed naked men or raunchily posed naked men.
What can I say? I like dudes. A lot.

[CptSternn]

Seinfeld put it best. 'A woman's body is a work of art. A man's body is a utilitarian. It's for gettin' around. It's like a Jeep.'

[SiouxsiePernova]

Originally Posted by Saya

The male body is quite beautiful and sensual, and the magazine is trying to cater to women who agree with that. Don't try to paint it as putting women up on a pedestal and degrade men's bodies, its insulting to both sexes.

I think that both can be extremely aesthetically pleasing, but in different ways.

[DRM]

Originally Posted by Saya

The male body is quite beautiful and sensual, and the magazine is trying to cater to women who agree with that. Don't try to paint it as putting women up on a pedestal and degrade men's bodies, its insulting to both sexes.

I never said the male body wasn't beautiful nor did I degrade it, I simplely said that I find the female body more beautiful then the male body.

[Saya]

Originally Posted by DRM

I never said the male body wasn't beautiful nor did I degrade it, I simplely said that I find the female body more beautiful then the male body.

You also described the female body as " sensual, curvey, graceful, and elegant", as if men's bodies cannot be these things. Also you're only describing one type of body, both sexes have a lot of diversity.

[DRM]

Originally Posted by Saya

You also described the female body as " sensual, curvey, graceful, and elegant", as if men's bodies cannot be these things. Also you're only describing one type of body, both sexes have a lot of diversity.

Okay, I phrased that poorly.
I did not intend to imply that males bodies could not be any of those things, I was only trying to say that I find the female figure more these things then I find the male figure. I'm sorry if I offended you with that statement.

[Delkaetre]

I might actually buy a copy to support it. It's the brainchild of a friend-of-a-friend, and my friend is actually writing in it. So I should probably be good and buy it.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by Saya

Why is a boner so taboo but tits and pussy are not?

My theory is that most guys don't want competition, and until now, guys have controlled this type of market.

[Aerynna]

As a straight gal, I do admire beautiful men if they were portrayed in positive light. They're still works of art just like the ladies, but graphic nudity isn't my thing unless it's artistic nudity, which is whole another subject. I agree about some men controlling the media making women less empowered when it comes to sexuality. They can't see it as equal partnership, after all, it's a man's world.

[Reiko]

Shame,

I'm not used to seeing men as beautiful sexual things. Usually if I see a man with an erect penis, I think of dirty sex or something to that effect. Or, some strong masculine hunter of some sort. But, it's changing over time.

Which is a shame because the penis is just as wonderful as the vulva.

[Pineapple_Juice]

I think the idea of considering a vulva or a penis as attractive is sort of weird. It's like saying "Man, you have the sexiest earlobe I've ever seen." What?

[SiouxsiePernova]

Originally Posted by Saya

Why is a boner so taboo but tits and pussy are not?

Interestingly, in Australia, the opposite is the case. Pornographic magazines are only allowed to show "discreet genital detail" if they are to be distributed in all states without being wrapped in plastic. This guideline was somehow interpreted as only being applicable to women, so the magazines will not publish pictures of females with visible inner labia (they must either be edited out or obscured), yet naked men with or without erections can be depicted. It is really quite bizarre.

[Saya]

Originally Posted by Reiko

Shame,

I'm not used to seeing men as beautiful sexual things. Usually if I see a man with an erect penis, I think of dirty sex or something to that effect. Or, some strong masculine hunter of some sort. But, it's changing over time.

Which is a shame because the penis is just as wonderful as the vulva.

Honestly I think thats part of the reason why people say "Oh women won't buy visual erotica", most erotica that I've seen that is supposed to be geared towards women usually has men that are hypermasculine macho beefcakes, which I never found at all attractive, so no I don't buy visual erotica. I'm considering buying Filament though, to show my support and also some of the guys in the magazine are very pretty, and I haven't seen that in erotica before. They also rely on their reader's taste, which is cool.

Siouxsie, thats funny, I wonder why it only applies to women?

[Mark Anthony Quested]

Erections, real sex and a plentiful cumshot could be seen in the mainstream film "9 Songs"; mainstream meaing openly available from HMV. And thanks to a loophole in the UK censorship legislation, little Tommy can go into HMV and legally buy the skin flick. It's a funny old world.

* * * *

Ladies' erotica! Oh, it brings back happy memories of working in Waterstones! When there were no customers to serve, no shelves to stack and tidy, no deliveries to unpack, and no autograph signings (Jilly Bleedin' Cooper again!), we would take the Black Lace novels off the shelf and have a little read!!! I still feel nostalgic for "The Stallion"!

[Saya]

Good news everyone!

They raised the money to switch printers so they can still go ahead and offend women by catering to women!