Sex. A natural part of life, right? So, why is such a big taboo pretty much anywhere we look? And in such a weird way! Sex is EVERYWHERE: in ads for perfume, for ice cream, even for coffee(!), in movies, in songs… And yet, it’s so complicated to create safe, public spaces to talk about sex in an authentic way. But today, a new wave of women’s erotica is growing on social media, and we tell you all about it!
Porn has become a substitute to sex ed, building and reinforcing a standardized and sexist vision of sexuality, that is centered around male pleasure (though this is slowly changing thanks to a new wave of producers like Erika Lust).
But the good news is that there is a genuine demand and interest for a positive vision of and a dialogue about sex. After all, most of us like it a lot, no? But we may not relate to the way it is depicted on YouPorn…
Erotic art is not porn!
Today, a new wave of artists, male and female, are developing a refreshing, elegant, and inclusive depiction of the beauty of human sexuality. Going against the taboo that is still stigmatizing the topic (and fighting with some platforms’ guidelines), these erotic artists are bringing it out in the open, on social media, promoting sex positivity through creativity and art.
Watercolor, drawing, painting, poetry… we’re really talking about art here. These artists explore with talent the diversity, the playfulness, the fantasies and the reality, the exceptional and the mundane in sex, … They sometimes echo clearly the style of other artists like Alpha Channelling whose work honours the visual style of Picasso, Chagall, Matisse…
Body positivity, equality, inclusiveness, and love!
Where media usually build a very standardised portrait of what a body should look like to be deemed sexy, what roles men and women should play when it comes to sex, erotic art explores the variety and richness of our sex lives.
It does it with playfulness, like the artist Petites Luxures, who always comes up with irresistible puns to compliment his minimalistic drawings.
Erotic art also challenges the taboo that surrounds female sexuality.
Female pleasure becomes a topic of focus. Erotic artists picture empowered women enjoying themselves or in full control of their sexuality:
Credits @Petite Boheme
Credits @Frida Castelli
They promote body positivity and self-love
Credits @Tina Maria Elena
They destigmatize female masturbation and encourage self-love
Credits @Petite Boheme
Credits @Erotic Watercolor
They show an inclusive vision of sex, with its variety of practices:
Credits @Erotic Watercolor
Credits @Regards Coupables
And they also bring together love and eroticism
Credits @Regards Coupables
Credits @Frida Castelli
Erotic art 2.0: is Instagram the biggest platform for erotic art?
A massive number of people all around the world relate to this modern, authentic, and beautiful vision of sexuality. Consequently, these artists have grown huge follower bases on social media. By leveraging on platforms like Instagram, they are able to reach people all over the world. Which is an amazing opportunity.
But they also need to navigate an ambiguous context when it comes to promoting sex positivity. Or even body positivity. You might remember when Rupi Kaur’s photo of a blood stain on bed sheet next to a (fully dressed) woman got banned by Instagram for being shocking. Periods, sex, self-love remain topics with which people can feel uncomfortable with in public spaces, and related content often gets reported. Which is in itself shocking when you see all the photos on Instagram using sex and bodies to sell products, services, ideas….
For erotic artists, it is a hard to joggle what you can and cannot do. The account of Regards Coupables, with half a million followers, got suspended without pre-notification.
Many create parallel accounts and specify in their bio that Instagram users are welcomed to block if they feel offended, but they don’t need to report the account. It also impacts the artists creative freedom, and they sometime try to hide “sensitive” parts of their work, like below for Frida Castelli.
Nevertheless, the impressive audiences of women’s erotica on social media, and their high level of engagement are an amazing sign that things are changing. People want and like to see sex depicted as something beautiful, because it is!
Smile Makers’ team has reached out to these artists and we will share with you their insights into their work. Stay tuned!
Explore your sensual self: body and mind with our collection of vibrators designed for the female orgasm and our library of erotica for women.
