History MediaNotes / Pornography

The motion picture appeared in the late 1880's and pornography quickly followed. Theaters started showing a late-night pornographic movie -- a much cheaper alternative to a strip show because the theater did not have to find, pay or deal with models and strippers and replace them when they got "old". Eventually theaters which played only adult films opened up -- while people felt uncomfortable going to a theater to watch pornography with a group of strangers, many still did. In the 1970's pay-per-view came into being, where a scrambled channel -- this was changed to a flat blue screen in the late 1980's -- would be unscrambled upon calling your cable provider and agreeing for the charge to be on your bill -- major sports events were publicly advertised, but pornography was the money maker[[note]]The scramble was not perfect, and sometimes [[PoorMansPorn people would sit watching the scramble for a glimpse of a breast, etc]][[/note]]. In the 1980's Video Cassette Recorders made it possible to watch pornography in your own home, effectively driving the videocassette industry. If you didn't want to buy the videos, most "Mom and Pop" video stores had a back room where you could rent a movie or had a folder you could choose a video from. The video camera, as with the Polaroid Camera before it, allowed for the creation of [[HomePornMovie personal pornographic films]].

Lower-budget hardcore films tend to have actors who are near the UncannyValley because skills not necessarily associated with beauty become far more helpful -- attractive people don't exactly line up to be CoveredInGunge, it's usually "the first person who agrees to do it". To do multiple scenes of hardcore pornography in one day (as is often expected with the cheap production values and quick turnaround), requires a ''lot'' of stamina[[note]]If you don't think sex is hard work, you probably haven't had it yet.[[/note]] for all performers involved and for men the [[UselessSuperpowers rather rare ability to ejaculate a large amount on demand more than once a day]].

* Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} has articles on much of the above but may have NotSafeForWork images, specifically:

[-'''*Knock-knock*''' "Troper?! [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown Are you in there reading about pornography]] on Wiki/TVTropes? It'll make you [[SelfAbuse go blind]], you know!"-]

%% NO DEBATING PORN HERE-- There are plenty of websites where people can do that. This is not a page to find porn or to get help struggling with a porn addiction, this page is for information about what porn is and its history.

The shortened form "porn" has been [[ItsNotPornItsAnIndex expanded into general usage]] into anything that is a feast for the senses, and/or that gratuitously focuses on one thing the way porn focuses on sex, like CostumePorn or [[{{Gorn}} Gore Porn]]. These aren't pornography,[[note]]Unless-- as with all things porn-- those things turn you on.[[/note]] just an expression. By this logic, actual pornography would be called "[[ShapedLikeItself sex porn]]".

There are lots of people [[JustHereForGodzilla who like to use pornography]], but not so many interested in just ''the topic itself''-- sort of like how it's hard to get a history of food out of a person who simply likes to eat-- you'll just hear about what they like and what they don't. It's hard to be [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot openly, seriously, and legitimately curious]] about this topic in general and not [[GuiltByAssociation be branded a pervert]]. Hopefully the following will illuminate you on the larger subject-- without feeling creepy afterwards!

[[OlderThanDirt Pornography is absolutely nothing new to society]]-- the word pornography comes from the Greek ''pornographos'' meaning "writing about [[TheOldestProfession prostitutes]]". Depictions of nudes and nudes having sex have been found from every era, and while the intentions of each individual artist (and the feelings of anyone who may have disliked such depictions) are lost to history it is safe to say pornographic depictions were as popular among the populace then as today. Wood carvings, vases, figurines, paintings, cave paintings, you name it-- it's been used to portray sexual images. Not a single culture was immune to this, no matter how far separate from the rest of the world. This wasn't always about being bawdy, keep in mind-- in many cultures fertility and number of children produced gave a person high status, so it's not too much of a stretch that there was a bit of worship of sexual imagery and images to match-- if the imagery turned people on and [[CoitusEnsues got them making babies]], good on it.

Imagine, if you will, a world where there are no photographs or videos. A world where paper itself is an expensive, rare commodity and mass printing is impossible. This was the world through most of human history. If you wanted to see people engaging in sex acts you actually had to see them in person. To be ThePeepingTom was often your ''only'' option. Orgies, though often thought of as wild, decadent parties ''may'' have served less for randomly hooking up with people and more as a way to get people in the mood to be with their partner in a world without pictures or video to help out. As pointed out before-- having children was important and a symbol of status, and back then some people probably had just as much [[TheLoinsSleepTonight trouble getting into the mood]] as modern humans do. While peeping toms are creepy, and orgies go against modern religious feelings, these ''may'' have served as primitive pornography-- but this really can only be speculated about with few records.

Erotica in literature has been around a long time-- some people consider portions of Literature/TheBible (the ''Song of Solomon'', specifically[[note]]Such as "Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies" [=SoS=] 4:5, [=NIV=].[[/note]]) to be this. Some works often considered to be pornographic are actually meant to instruct more than to arouse, such as the ''Literature/KamaSutra'', the ancient Hindu work on sexual positions. More on this type of literature can be found on the EroticLiterature page. Many distinguish erotic fiction from pornography, but as with almost everything involving sexual subject matter, the differences can be subjective-- for instance the "trashy" RomanceNovel has been cited by some to be a kind of pornography itself due to [[CoitusEnsues gratuitous sex scenes]] and [[StrictlyFormula formulaic]], distilled romance [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools designed to arouse passions in the reader]]; but this is a hot topic as some dissenters feel pornography must include visual imagery, or that [[OpinionMyopia books that they like can't possibly be porn]].

Many in the 18th century were of the opinion that the ancient Romans were a great society worth emulating-- good values and ideas on democracy and leadership.[[note]]For instance the architecture of Washington DC was strongly influenced by Roman architecture for exactly this reason.[[/note]] It was not unknown that Roman society held a different view of sexuality than those of the 18th century-- some sexual artwork already existed from the era in museums, but this knowledge was generally limited to Academia. Then the lost city of Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748,[[note]]1,669 years after its burial in a volcanic eruption in 79AD.[[/note]] and people were excited to finally see an undisturbed example of this revered, enlightened time. As archaeologists excavated the completely pristine ruins they found hundreds of depictions of sex in both painting and sculpture, plus the ruins of brothels. Some sexual depictions were deemed too obscene for the general public and were locked away in a closet which men ([[DoubleStandard not women]]) could see for a small fee. This "Secret Museum" operated on and off (depending on the leanings of the Naples Museum staff as time passed) through the 1960's.

[[TheMagazineRule Pornographic magazines]] first appeared in France in the beginning of the 20th century and [[JustForPun spread.]] Magazines advertising a "nudist lifestyle" were published with the stated intention of celebrating the nudist lifestyle, but were flimsy excuses to sell pictures of young naked people. There was (and still exists) [[UsefulNotes/{{Nudism}} a large non-sexual family nudist movement at the time]], and money was made through this loophole then as it is today. Even legitimate nudist organizations knew that money could be made off of this that-- at least-- went to the nudist cause.[[note]]Actual nudists-- whose personal feelings on pornography vary as it does for everyone-- are forever frustrated by the fact that so many people's ''only'' experience with nudity is through porn.[[/note]] Another common excuse, particularly for [[MrFanservice male imagery]], was the "fitness magazine", featuring very-scantily-clad men (or even [[HandOrObjectUnderwear unclad men]]) and were particularly popular with gay men, at a time when [[HideYourGays openly catering to their tastes was impossible/illegal]]. Many people would [[PoorMansPorn use anything they could find that was like porn]], such as Magazine/NationalGeographic (The TropeNamer for NationalGeographicNudity). In 1953 Hugh Hefner published the first issue of ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'', which became wildly popular. ''Playboy'' was more acceptable among people because in addition to the pictures there were very good articles by famous, noteworthy personalities-- thus breaking into the mainstream. It wasn't as "naughty" to admit you read ''Playboy'' because you could always say "IReadItForTheArticles". In the 1960's inexpensive instant-film cameras like Polaroid became available, allowing people to create their own pornography without having to find a private photographer or developer.

The motion picture appeared in the late 1880's and pornography quickly followed. Theaters started showing a late-night pornographic movie-- a much cheaper alternative to a strip show because the theater did not have to find, pay or deal with models and strippers and replace them when they got "old". Eventually theaters which played only adult films opened up-- while people felt uncomfortable going to a theater to watch pornography with a group of strangers, many still did. In the 1970's pay-per-view came into being, where a scrambled channel-- this was changed to a flat blue screen in the late 1980's-- would be unscrambled upon calling your cable provider and agreeing for the charge to be on your bill-- major sports events were publicly advertised, but pornography was the money maker[[note]]The scramble was not perfect, and sometimes [[PoorMansPorn people would sit watching the scramble for a glimpse of a breast, etc]][[/note]]. In the 1980's Video Cassette Recorders made it possible to watch pornography in your own home, effectively driving the videocassette industry. If you didn't want to buy the videos, most "Mom and Pop" video stores had a back room where you could rent a movie or had a folder you could choose a video from. The video camera, as with the Polaroid Camera before it, allowed for the creation of [[HomePornMovie personal pornographic films]].

As computers became entertainment machines adult [[VideoGameGenres video games]] started to appear, and in an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] to TheRuleOfFirstAdopters did ''not'' drive the new industry. Among the earliest games to make news was ''Custer's Revenge'' (1982, by Mistique), a third-party game for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}. The game involved moving Custer across the screen to have sex with an Indian woman. Women's groups and Native Americans were particularly displeased with the implied rape ''and'' Custer's Revenge outsold Mistique's other adult titles due to the controversy. [[Creator/{{Atari}} Atari]] took notice of this, but before it could act either way, Mistique and most other small gaming companies went out of business in UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. Most early pornographic games were hampered by the limits of technology at the time-- graphics took up space. Some InteractiveFiction games such as ''VideoGame/LeatherGoddessesOfPhobos'' were pornographic in nature, despite being mostly or only text. StripPoker simulators (in the west) and Strip Mahjong simulators (in the east) were popular because they only required four or five low-res graphics of a person in various states of undress programmed into an already-existing game. Eventually processing power caught up and better graphics were used, but by this time most major console makers didn't feel a need to create pornographic content games because their systems are profitable enough by themselves, and learned from Atari and ''Custer's Revenge'' to reserve the right to screen all titles for their systems. Creator/{{Acclaim}} released ''BMX XXX'' with fanfare in 2002, which featured bare breasts both digital and video-- which led to retailers like Walmart refusing to stock the game[[note]]Creator/{{Sony}} refused to sell the game for its UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 2}} unless it covered up the breasts, but oddly enough family-friendly Creator/{{Nintendo}} released the nude version for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube Gamecube]].[[/note]]. Small gaming studios still produce sexual games, but the fact that these games continue to be controversial with the public, most major stores won't sell [[UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB Adults Only-rated]] titles, plus the feeling that [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids video games are primarily for kids and teenagers]] anyway has kept pornography out of mainstream video gaming.

[[TheInternetIsForPorn No one knows when the first erotic image was transmitted over the Internet, but it certainly happened]]. Until the Internet came along, people had to leave their home to get pornography, or to order it through a mail order catalog, or call an operator to get the Pay-per-view. People always felt uncomfortable with the possibility of being seen going into a store which was known to sell it, receiving "plainly-wrapped packages"[[note]]Companies always promised that their porn would arrive in a "discreet, plainly-wrapped package".[[/note]] made people still feel on the spot, and many were shy about calling their cable operator for porn. The Internet allowed people to not only get pornography in their own home but allowed for any personal fetish (both legal and unfortunately illegal) to be found. The word getting around that there was a tremendous amount of pornography on the Internet drove many to get online, greatly increasing computer and modem sales. Libraries had an unexpected issue-- being champions of free access to information they had to deal with people who didn't have internet access at home yet using the library's computers to see if the rumors of "free porn" were true.[[note]]And then coming back again the next day because the rumors ''were'' true.[[/note]] The rise also created a great demand for bigger and better storage devices-- for most of the early 1990's as the Internet gained popularity the only places a person could stash their computer porn were on their hard drive (risking discovery) or on multiple 1.44 megabyte floppy diskettes. Pornography essentially drove the larger storage mediums being developed.

The progress of pornography on the Internet mirrors pornography's physical history-- still pictures leading to video. In the early days with telephone connections small images made their way around. The slow connections would make images appear line-by-line. Videos became available but took a very long time to download a very short low-resolution clip. In the early 2000's broadband internet connections became the norm and videos and high resolution images started to spread.

In an interesting turn of events, the Internet has actually saved a lot of pornography's history. Many old pornographic films have no clear copyright holder (or no one wants to admit ownership), thus making them essentially PublicDomain. There are whole websites where one can watch the now digitally recorded pornography of yesteryear. The Internet has also brought pornography out of the private world and into the public eye. There used to be clear barriers keeping people from it-- having to go to stores and purchase it from a cashier or get a catalog and have it mailed to your home address-- but now it is in the reach of everyone-- a development that, as pointed out above, many find good and many find bad. While many don't seem to have a problem with it, some books about pornography addiction point out that for some people having open, available porn on the Internet 24-hours-a-day is like an alcoholic having a desk in their house with a full glass of beer sitting on it, available at all times.

For years [[PornStash pornography was stashed away]], and the size of a collection was not only limited by income, but by space and availability. Most people hide their porn-- exactly what turns a person on is a very personal, subjective issue and sexuality and masturbation are not often a topic for polite chitchat even among best friends. Even many spouses with permission to "look around" try to keep it at ElephantInTheLivingRoom level with their spouse, depending on the relationship. French Postcards were stashed in books. Magazines stashed under mattresses. Videos in the back of the closet. Many adults remember coming across their parents' collection as a child-- supporter of pornography or not, it's the sort of thing people remember. Time and technology have changed this "hidden stash" aspect, however-- digital pornography has both increased the scope and content of a collection and reduced the physical size by the same amount-- you can now amass a collection of pornography fitting your tastes that would rival any of your ancestors' stashes in a single night, on a tiny USB thumb drive-- ''for free''. In the Internet age, a physical "stash" is usually a person's sex equipment[[note]]Toys, lubricant, condoms, erotic clothing[[/note]]-- things that cannot be stored or used digitally.

'''Softcore''' generally features ''at least'' an ExcusePlot and has no visible onscreen penetration (and if it does, it's only simulated), and it generally stays at vanilla sex or the lighter end of pornography. This sort was usually played late night on pay movie channels-- Creator/{{Cinemax}} was nicknamed "''Skin''emax" due to this. Sex on pay cable shows like ''Series/GameOfThrones'' may ''look'' real, but is simulated.

Keep in mind [[ProudBeauty a particularly attractive performer can usually pick and choose their roles]] in the entertainment industry, so to fall to porn as an actor usually happens when [[IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney a person is very desperate for a job]]-- and the porn industry is always hiring.[[note]]However some actors and actresses can and do go directly into the adult film industry, it is not entirely people "down-on-their-luck". People who have established careers in nude dancing, stripping and as nude models sometimes consider this a step in their careers, and often have friends already working in the industry.[[/note]] Actors of both genders in softcore movies tend to be more attractive because these films carry less "[[OldShame baggage]]" that an actor may have to deal with if they make it big later. For an example, before he became a star, Creator/SylvesterStallone found himself homeless and sleeping in a bus station, so he did a softcore film ''The Party at Kitty and Stud's'' (1970) for $200.[[note]]That's about $1,200 in 2015.[[/note]]

'''Hardcore''', on the other hand, generally has ''at most'' an ExcusePlot ([[PornWithoutPlot or none at all]]) and refers to graphic depictions of unsimulated penetration-- whenever you can actually see the sexual contact occurring.[[note]]A penis or a sex toy ''visibly'' entering another person's body through ''any venue'' and not obscured by the actors' bodies or [[ObscuredSpecialEffects just offscreen]], etc.[[/note]] When used to describe porn in a medium that, by definition, ''can't'' involve real humans having real sex (such as [[{{Hentai}} animation]] or literature), use of the term "hardcore" instead refers to graphic descriptions of extreme fetishes, and/or acts that would be deadly, injurious, or criminal in RealLife. (For example, a romance novel or SlashFic featuring vanilla sex is generally not considered "hardcore," even if the sex is floridly described and focused on-- one featuring graphically described/drawn ''rape'' or bodily waste fetishes ''would'' be considered hardcore, and generally would be seen as requiring a UsefulNotes/{{trigger}} warning as well.)

Lower-budget hardcore films tend to have actors who are near the UncannyValley because skills not necessarily associated with beauty become far more helpful-- attractive people don't exactly line up to be CoveredInGunge, it's usually "the first person who agrees to do it". To do multiple scenes of hardcore pornography in one day (as is often expected with the cheap production values and quick turnaround), requires a ''lot'' of stamina[[note]]If you don't think sex is hard work, you probably haven't had it yet.[[/note]] for all performers involved and for men the [[UselessSuperpowers rather rare ability to ejaculate a large amount on demand more than once a day]].

Imagine, if you will, a world where there are no photographs or videos. A world where paper itself is an expensive, rare commodity and mass printing is impossible. This was the world through most of human history. If you wanted to see people engaging in sex acts you actually had to see them in person. To be ThePeepingTom was often your ''only'' option. Orgies, though often thought of as wild, decadent parties ''may'' have served less for randomly hooking up with people and more as a way to get people in the mood to be with their partner in a world without pictures or video to help out. As pointed out before-- having children was important and a symbol of status, and back then some people probably had just as much trouble getting into the mood as modern humans do. While peeping toms are creepy, and orgies go against modern religious feelings, these ''may'' have served as primitive pornography-- but this really can only be speculated about with few records.

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free-- affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years-- by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]]. As the nature of pornographic artwork in relation to live-action material is a highly controversial subject, it's important to note for clarification's sake that most first-world countries treat child porn art (be it drawn, rendered, a still image, animated, etc.) as equal to its live-action counterparts from a legal perspective at the federal level. Japan is notorious even among its own population for being one of the only exceptions to this standard, and its laws surrounding live-action child pornography are infamous for being far more lenient than other countries[[note]]Case point: Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki was convicted of possessing child pornography and only had to pay a fine of $1,739.36 USD.[[/note]]. On the other hand, child pornography art in the United States is in the gray area: On a federal level, such art is only illegal if declared "obscene" under law and in use beyond mere possession, and state laws vary.

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free-- affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years-- by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]]. As the nature of pornographic artwork in relation to live-action material is a highly controversial subject, it's important to note for clarification's sake that most first-world countries treat child porn art (be it drawn, rendered, a still image, animated, etc.) as equal to its live-action counterparts from a legal perspective at the federal level. Japan is notorious even among its own population for being one of the only exceptions to this standard, and its former laws surrounding live-action child pornography were infamous for being far more lenient than other countries. On the other hand, child pornography art in the United States is in the gray area: On a federal level, such art is only illegal if declared "obscene" under law and in use beyond mere possession, and state laws vary.

[-'''*Knock-knock*''' "Troper?! [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown Are you in there reading about pornography]] on Wiki/TVTropes? It'll make you [[SelfAbuse go blind]] and [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife ruin your life]], you know!"-]

[[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We're not going to define what it looks like here]]. The [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCourts United States Supreme Court]] gave up trying, so who are we to try? Best we can say is that it generally involves either naked people or people dressed in certain ways with the sole intent of producing sexual desire, while engaging in sexual acts. Almost everyone, regardless of leanings, feels that porn is ExplicitContent, and [[NotSafeForWork Not Safe For Work/Kids, etc.]]

Detractors often cite religious, ethical and moral grounds. Supporters cite freedom of expression and the fact that sexual urges are natural. There have been good, solid arguments from both sides of the issue. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment This page is not here to answer that question or to sway anyone's judgement, only to educate on what pornography is]].

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free-- affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years-- by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]]. As the nature of pornographic artwork in relation to live-action material is a [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement highly controversial]] subject, it's important to note for clarification's sake that most first-world countries treat child porn art (be it drawn, rendered, a still image, animated, etc.) as equal to its live-action counterparts from a legal perspective at the federal level. Japan is notorious even among its own population for being one of the only exceptions to this standard, and its former laws surrounding live-action child pornography were infamous for being far more lenient than other countries. On the other hand, child pornography art in the United States is in the gray area: On a federal level, such art is only illegal if declared "obscene" under law and in use beyond mere possession, and state laws vary.

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free-- affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years-- by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]]. As the nature of pornographic artwork in relation to live-action material is a [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement highly controversial]] subject, it's important to note for clarification's sake that most first-world countries, including the United States, treat child porn art (be it drawn, rendered, a still image, animated, etc.) as equal to its live-action counterparts from a legal perspective at the federal level. Japan is notorious even among its own population for being one of the only exceptions to this standard, and its laws surrounding live-action child pornography are infamous for being far more lenient than other countries.

[-'''*Knock-knock*''' "{{Troper}}?! [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown Are you in there reading about pornography]] on Wiki/TVTropes? It'll make you [[SelfAbuse go blind]] and [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife ruin your life]], you know!"-]

* A recent country-specific book would be ''The Japanese Adult Video Industry'' (Routledge, 2017) by Heung-Wah Wong and Hoi-yan Yau, which tackles not only the history of the industry in {{UsefulNotes/Japan}}, but also a) the historical context of post-war Japan that directly contributed to the rise and proliferation of the industry; b) the socio-economic demographics of people (particularly women) who choose to join the AV industry); and c) visual literary criticism of the gender narratives inherently reproduced by established AV genres.

* A recent country-specific book would be ''The Japanese Adult Video Industry'' (Routledge, 2017) by Heung-Wah Wong and Hoi-yan Yau, which tackles not only the history of the industry in ''UsefulNotes/Japan'', but also a) the historical context of post-war Japan that directly contributed to the rise and proliferation of the industry; b) the socio-economic demographics of people (particularly women) who choose to join the AV industry); and c) visual literary criticism of the gender narratives inherently reproduced by established AV genres.

As computers became entertainment machines adult [[VideoGameGenres video games]] started to appear, and in an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] to TheRuleOfFirstAdopters did ''not'' drive the new industry. Among the earliest games to make news was ''Custer's Revenge'' (1982, by Mistique), a third-party game for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}. The game involved moving Custer across the screen to have sex with an Indian woman. Women's groups and Native Americans were particularly displeased with the implied rape ''and'' Custer's Revenge outsold Mistique's other adult titles due to the controversy. [[Creator/{{Atari}} Atari]] took notice of this, but before it could act either way, Mistique and most other small gaming companies went out of business in UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. Most early pornographic games were hampered by the limits of technology at the time-- graphics took up space. Some InteractiveFiction games such as ''VideoGame/LeatherGoddessesOfPhobos'' were pornographic in nature, despite being mostly or only text. StripPoker simulators (in the west) and Strip Mahjong simulators (in the east) were popular because they only required four or five low-res graphics of a person in various states of undress programmed into an already-existing game. Eventually processing power caught up and better graphics were used, but by this time most major console makers didn't feel a need to create pornographic content games because their systems are profitable enough by themselves, and learned from Atari and ''Custer's Revenge'' to reserve the right to screen all titles for their systems. Creator/{{Acclaim}} released ''BMX XXX'' with fanfare in 2002, which featured bare breasts both digital and video-- which led to retailers like Walmart refusing to stock the game[[note]]Creator/{{Sony}} refused to sell the game for its UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 2}} unless it covered up the breasts, but oddly enough family-friendly Creator/{{Nintendo}} released the nude version for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube Gamecube]].[[/note]]. Small gaming studios still produce sexual games, but the fact that these games continue to be controversial with the public, most major stores won't sell [[UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB Adults Only rated]] titles, plus the feeling that [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids video games are primarily for kids and teenagers]] anyway has kept pornography out of mainstream video gaming.

As computers became entertainment machines adult [[VideoGameGenres video games]] started to appear, and in an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] to TheRuleOfFirstAdopters did ''not'' drive the new industry. Among the earliest games to make news was ''Custer's Revenge'' (1982, by Mistique), a third-party game for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}. The game involved moving Custer across the screen to have sex with an Indian woman. Women's groups and Native Americans were particularly displeased with the implied rape ''and'' Custer's Revenge outsold Mistique's other adult titles due to the controversy. [[Creator/{{Atari}} Atari]] took notice of this, but before it could act either way, Mistique and most other small gaming companies went out of business in UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. Most early pornographic games were hampered by the limits of technology at the time-- graphics took up space. Some InteractiveFiction games such as ''VideoGame/LeatherGoddessesOfPhobos'' were pornographic in nature, despite being mostly or only text. StripPoker simulators (in the west) and Strip Mahjong simulators (in the east) were popular because they only required four or five low-res graphics of a person in various states of undress programmed into an already-existing game. Eventually processing power caught up and better graphics were used, but by this time most major console makers didn't feel a need to create pornographic content games because their systems are profitable enough by themselves, and learned from Atari and ''Custer's Revenge'' to reserve the right to screen all titles for their systems. Creator/{{Acclaim}} released ''BMX XXX'' with fanfare in 2002, which featured bare breasts both digital and video-- which led to retailers like Walmart refusing to stock the game[[note]]Creator/{{Sony}} refused to sell the game for its UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 2}} unless it covered up the breasts, but oddly enough family-friendly Creator/{{Nintendo}} released the nude version for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube Gamecube]].[[/note]]. Small gaming studios still produce sexual games, but the fact that these games continue to be controversial with the public, most major stores won't sell [[UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB Adults-Only rated]] titles, plus the feeling that [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids video games are primarily for kids and teenagers]] anyway has kept pornography out of mainstream video gaming.

As computers became entertainment machines adult [[VideoGameGenres video games]] started to appear, and in an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] to TheRuleOfFirstAdopters did ''not'' drive the new industry. Among the earliest games to make news was ''Custer's Revenge'' (1982, by Mistique), a third-party game for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}. The game involved moving Custer across the screen to have sex with an Indian woman. Women's groups and Native Americans were particularly displeased with the implied rape ''and'' Custer's Revenge outsold Mistique's other adult titles due to the controversy. [[Creator/{{Atari}} Atari]] took notice of this, but before it could act either way, Mistique and most other small gaming companies went out of business in UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. Most early pornographic games were hampered by the limits of technology at the time-- graphics took up space. Some InteractiveFiction games such as ''VideoGame/LeatherGoddessesOfPhobos'' were pornographic in nature, despite being mostly or only text. StripPoker simulators (in the west) and Strip Mahjong simulators (in the east) were popular because they only required four or five low-res graphics of a person in various states of undress programmed into an already-existing game. Eventually processing power caught up and better graphics were used, but by this time most major console makers didn't feel a need to create pornographic content games because their systems are profitable enough by themselves, and learned from Atari and ''Custer's Revenge'' to reserve the right to screen all titles for their systems. Creator/{{Acclaim}} released ''BMX XXX'' with fanfare in 2002, which featured bare breasts both digital and video-- which led to retailers like Walmart refusing to stock the game[[note]]Creator/{{Sony}} refused to sell the game for its UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 2}} unless it covered up the breasts, but oddly enough family-friendly Creator/{{Nintendo}} released the nude version for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube Gamecube]].[[/note]]. Small gaming studios still produce sexual games, but the fact that these games continue to be controversial with the public, most major stores won't sell AdultsOnlyRating titles, plus the feeling that [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids video games are primarily for kids and teenagers]] anyway has kept pornography out of mainstream video gaming.

'''Hardcore''', on the other hand, generally has ''at most'' an ExcusePlot ([[PornWithoutPlot or none at all]]) and refers to graphic depictions of unsimulated penetration-- whenever you can actually see the sexual contact occurring.[[note]]A penis or a sex toy ''visibly'' entering another person's body through ''any venue'' and not obscured by the actors bodies or [[ObscuredSpecialEffects just offscreen]], etc.[[/note]] When used to describe porn in a medium that, by definition, ''can't'' involve real humans having real sex (such as [[{{Hentai}} animation]] or literature), use of the term "hardcore" instead refers to graphic descriptions of extreme fetishes, and/or acts that would be deadly, injurious, or criminal in RealLife. (For example, a romance novel or SlashFic featuring vanilla sex is generally not considered "hardcore," even if the sex is floridly described and focused on-- one featuring graphically described/drawn ''rape'' or bodily waste fetishes ''would'' be considered hardcore, and generally would be seen as requiring a UsefulNotes/{{trigger}} warning as well.)

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free-- affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years-- by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]]. As the nature of pornographic artwork in relation to live-action material is a [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement highly controversial]] subject, it's important to note for clarification's sake that most first-world countries, including the United States, treat child porn art (be it drawn, rendered, a still image, animated, etc.) as equal to its live-action counterparts from a legal perspective at the federal level. Japan is notorious for being one of the only exceptions to this standard, and its laws surrounding live-action child pornography are infamous for being far more lenient than other countries.

%% NO DEBATING PORN HERE - There are plenty of websites where people can do that. This is not a page to find porn or to get help struggling with a porn addiction, this page is for information about what porn is and its history.

The shortened form "porn" has been [[ItsNotPornItsAnIndex expanded into general usage]] into anything that is a feast for the senses, and/or that gratuitously focuses on one thing the way porn focuses on sex, like CostumePorn or [[{{Gorn}} Gore Porn]]. These aren't pornography,[[note]]Unless -- as with all things porn -- those things turn you on.[[/note]] just an expression. By this logic, actual pornography would be called "[[ShapedLikeItself sex porn]]".

There are lots of people [[JustHereForGodzilla who like to use pornography]], but not so many interested in just ''the topic itself'' - sort of like how it's hard to get a history of food out of a person who simply likes to eat - you'll just hear about what they like and what they don't. It's hard to be [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot openly, seriously, and legitimately curious]] about this topic in general and not [[GuiltByAssociation be branded a pervert]]. Hopefully the following will illuminate you on the larger subject - without feeling creepy afterwards!

[[OlderThanDirt Pornography is absolutely nothing new to society]] - the word pornography comes from the Greek ''pornographos'' meaning "writing about [[TheOldestProfession prostitutes]]". Depictions of nudes and nudes having sex have been found from every era, and while the intentions of each individual artist (and the feelings of anyone who may have disliked such depictions) are lost to history it is safe to say pornographic depictions were as popular among the populace then as today. Wood carvings, vases, figurines, paintings, cave paintings, you name it - it's been used to portray sexual images. Not a single culture was immune to this, no matter how far separate from the rest of the world. This wasn't always about being bawdy, keep in mind - in many cultures fertility and number of children produced gave a person high status, so it's not too much of a stretch that there was a bit of worship of sexual imagery and images to match - if the imagery turned people on and [[CoitusEnsues got them making babies]], good on it.

Imagine, if you will, a world where there are no photographs or videos. A world where paper itself is an expensive, rare commodity and mass printing is impossible. This was the world through most of human history. If you wanted to see people engaging in sex acts you actually had to see them in person. To be ThePeepingTom was often your ''only'' option. Orgies, though often thought of as wild, decadent parties ''may'' have served less for randomly hooking up with people and more as a way to get people in the mood to be with their partner in a world without pictures or video to help out. As pointed out before - having children was important and a symbol of status, and back then some people probably had just as much trouble getting into the mood as modern humans do. While peeping toms are creepy, and orgies go against modern religious feelings, these ''may'' have served as primitive pornography - but this really can only be speculated about with few records.

Erotica in literature has been around a long time - some people consider portions of Literature/TheBible (the ''Song of Solomon'', specifically[[note]]Such as "Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies" [=SoS=] 4:5, [=NIV=].[[/note]]) to be this. Some works often considered to be pornographic are actually meant to instruct more than to arouse, such as the ''Literature/KamaSutra'', the ancient Hindu work on sexual positions. More on this type of literature can be found on the EroticLiterature page. Many distinguish erotic fiction from pornography, but as with almost everything involving sexual subject matter, the differences can be subjective - for instance the "trashy" RomanceNovel has been cited by some to be a kind of pornography itself due to [[CoitusEnsues gratuitous sex scenes]] and [[StrictlyFormula formulaic]], distilled romance [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools designed to arouse passions in the reader]]; but this is a hot topic as some dissenters feel pornography must include visual imagery, or that [[OpinionMyopia books that they like can't possibly be porn]].

Many in the 18th century were of the opinion that the ancient Romans were a great society worth emulating - good values and ideas on democracy and leadership.[[note]]For instance the architecture of Washington DC was strongly influenced by Roman architecture for exactly this reason.[[/note]] It was not unknown that Roman society held a different view of sexuality than those of the 18th century - some sexual artwork already existed from the era in museums, but this knowledge was generally limited to Academia. Then the lost city of Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748,[[note]]1,669 years after its burial in a volcanic eruption in 79AD.[[/note]] and people were excited to finally see an undisturbed example of this revered, enlightened time. As archaeologists excavated the completely pristine ruins they found hundreds of depictions of sex in both painting and sculpture, plus the ruins of brothels. Some sexual depictions were deemed too obscene for the general public and were locked away in a closet which men ([[DoubleStandard not women]]) could see for a small fee. This "Secret Museum" operated on and off (depending on the leanings of the Naples Museum staff as time passed) through the 1960's.

[[TheMagazineRule Pornographic magazines]] first appeared in France in the beginning of the 20th century and [[JustForPun spread.]] Magazines advertising a "nudist lifestyle" were published with the stated intention of celebrating the nudist lifestyle, but were flimsy excuses to sell pictures of young naked people. There was (and still exists) [[UsefulNotes/{{Nudism}} a large non-sexual family nudist movement at the time]], and money was made through this loophole then as it is today. Even legitimate nudist organizations knew that money could be made off of this that - at least - went to the nudist cause.[[note]]Actual nudists - whose personal feelings on pornography vary as it does for everyone - are forever frustrated by the fact that so many people's ''only'' experience with nudity is through porn.[[/note]] Another common excuse, particularly for [[MrFanservice male imagery]], was the "fitness magazine", featuring very-scantily-clad men (or even [[HandOrObjectUnderwear unclad men]]) and were particularly popular with gay men, at a time when [[HideYourGays openly catering to their tastes was impossible/illegal]]. Many people would [[PoorMansPorn use anything they could find that was like porn]], such as Magazine/NationalGeographic (The TropeNamer for NationalGeographicNudity). In 1953 Hugh Hefner published the first issue of ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'', which became wildly popular. ''Playboy'' was more acceptable among people because in addition to the pictures there were very good articles by famous, noteworthy personalities - thus breaking into the mainstream. It wasn't as "naughty" to admit you read ''Playboy'' because you could always say "IReadItForTheArticles". In the 1960's inexpensive instant-film cameras like Polaroid became available, allowing people to create their own pornography without having to find a private photographer or developer.

The motion picture appeared in the late 1880's and pornography quickly followed. Theaters started showing a late-night pornographic movie - a much cheaper alternative to a strip show because the theater did not have to find, pay or deal with models and strippers and replace them when they got "old". Eventually theaters which played only adult films opened up - while people felt uncomfortable going to a theater to watch pornography with a group of strangers, many still did. In the 1970's pay-per-view came into being, where a scrambled channel - this was changed to a flat blue screen in the late 1980's - would be unscrambled upon calling your cable provider and agreeing for the charge to be on your bill - major sports events were publicly advertised, but pornography was the money maker[[note]]The scramble was not perfect, and sometimes [[PoorMansPorn people would sit watching the scramble for a glimpse of a breast, etc]][[/note]]. In the 1980's Video Cassette Recorders made it possible to watch pornography in your own home, effectively driving the videocassette industry. If you didn't want to buy the videos, most "Mom and Pop" video stores had a back room where you could rent a movie or had a folder you could choose a video from. The video camera, as with the Polaroid Camera before it, allowed for the creation of [[HomePornMovie personal pornographic films]].

As computers became entertainment machines adult [[VideoGameGenres video games]] started to appear, and in an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] to TheRuleOfFirstAdopters did ''not'' drive the new industry. Among the earliest games to make news was ''Custer's Revenge'' (1982, by Mistique), a third-party game for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}. The game involved moving Custer across the screen to have sex with an Indian woman. Women's groups and Native Americans were particularly displeased with the implied rape ''and'' Custer's Revenge outsold Mistique's other adult titles due to the controversy. [[Creator/{{Atari}} Atari]] took notice of this, but before it could act either way, Mistique and most other small gaming companies went out of business in UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. Most early pornographic games were hampered by the limits of technology at the time - graphics took up space. Some InteractiveFiction games such as ''VideoGame/LeatherGoddessesOfPhobos'' were pornographic in nature, despite being mostly or only text. StripPoker simulators (in the west) and Strip Mahjong simulators (in the east) were popular because they only required four or five low-res graphics of a person in various states of undress programmed into an already-existing game. Eventually processing power caught up and better graphics were used, but by this time most major console makers didn't feel a need to create pornographic content games because their systems are profitable enough by themselves, and learned from Atari and ''Custer's Revenge'' to reserve the right to screen all titles for their systems. Creator/{{Acclaim}} released ''BMX XXX'' with fanfare in 2002, which featured bare breasts both digital and video - which led to retailers like Walmart refusing to stock the game[[note]]Creator/{{Sony}} refused to sell the game for its UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 2}} unless it covered up the breasts, but oddly enough family-friendly Creator/{{Nintendo}} released the nude version for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube Gamecube]].[[/note]]. Small gaming studios still produce sexual games, but the fact that these games continue to be controversial with the public, most major stores won't sell AdultsOnlyRating titles, plus the feeling that [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids video games are primarily for kids and teenagers]] anyway has kept pornography out of mainstream video gaming.

[[TheInternetIsForPorn No one knows when the first erotic image was transmitted over the Internet, but it certainly happened]]. Until the Internet came along, people had to leave their home to get pornography, or to order it through a mail order catalog, or call an operator to get the Pay-per-view. People always felt uncomfortable with the possibility of being seen going into a store which was known to sell it, receiving "plainly-wrapped packages"[[note]]Companies always promised that their porn would arrive in a "discreet, plainly-wrapped package".[[/note]] made people still feel on the spot, and many were shy about calling their cable operator for porn. The Internet allowed people to not only get pornography in their own home but allowed for any personal fetish (both legal and unfortunately illegal) to be found. The word getting around that there was a tremendous amount of pornography on the Internet drove many to get online, greatly increasing computer and modem sales. Libraries had an unexpected issue - being champions of free access to information they had to deal with people who didn't have internet access at home yet using the library's computers to see if the rumors of "free porn" were true.[[note]]And then coming back again the next day because the rumors ''were'' true.[[/note]] The rise also created a great demand for bigger and better storage devices - for most of the early 1990's as the Internet gained popularity the only places a person could stash their computer porn were on their hard drive (risking discovery) or on multiple 1.44 megabyte floppy diskettes. Pornography essentially drove the larger storage mediums being developed.

The progress of pornography on the Internet mirrors pornography's physical history - still pictures leading to video. In the early days with telephone connections small images made their way around. The slow connections would make images appear line-by-line. Videos became available but took a very long time to download a very short low-resolution clip. In the early 2000's broadband internet connections became the norm and videos and high resolution images started to spread.

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free - affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years - by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]]. As the nature of drawn pornography is a [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement highly controversial]] subject, it's important to note for clarification's sake that most first-world countries, including the United States, treat drawn child pornography as equal to its live-action counterparts from a legal perspective.

In an interesting turn of events, the Internet has actually saved a lot of pornography's history. Many old pornographic films have no clear copyright holder (or no one wants to admit ownership), thus making them essentially PublicDomain. There are whole websites where one can watch the now digitally recorded pornography of yesteryear. The Internet has also brought pornography out of the private world and into the public eye. There used to be clear barriers keeping people from it - having to go to stores and purchase it from a cashier or get a catalog and have it mailed to your home address - but now it is in the reach of everyone - a development that, as pointed out above, many find good and many find bad. While many don't seem to have a problem with it, some books about pornography addiction point out that for some people having open, available porn on the Internet 24-hours-a-day is like an alcoholic having a desk in their house with a full glass of beer sitting on it, available at all times.

For years [[PornStash pornography was stashed away]], and the size of a collection was not only limited by income, but by space and availability. Most people hide their porn - exactly what turns a person on is a very personal, subjective issue and sexuality and masturbation are not often a topic for polite chitchat even among best friends. Even many spouses with permission to "look around" try to keep it at ElephantInTheLivingRoom level with their spouse, depending on the relationship. French Postcards were stashed in books. Magazines stashed under mattresses. Videos in the back of the closet. Many adults remember coming across their parents' collection as a child - supporter of pornography or not, it's the sort of thing people remember. Time and technology have changed this "hidden stash" aspect, however - digital pornography has both increased the scope and content of a collection and reduced the physical size by the same amount - you can now amass a collection of pornography fitting your tastes that would rival any of your ancestors' stashes in a single night, on a tiny USB thumb drive - ''for free''. In the Internet age, a physical "stash" is usually a person's sex equipment[[note]]Toys, lubricant, condoms, erotic clothing[[/note]] - things that cannot be stored or used digitally.

'''Softcore''' generally features ''at least'' an ExcusePlot and has no visible onscreen penetration (and if it does, it's only simulated), and it generally stays at vanilla sex or the lighter end of pornography. This sort was usually played late night on pay movie channels - Creator/{{Cinemax}} was nicknamed "''Skin''emax" due to this. Sex on pay cable shows like ''Series/GameOfThrones'' may ''look'' real, but is simulated.

Keep in mind [[ProudBeauty a particularly attractive performer can usually pick and choose their roles]] in the entertainment industry, so to fall to porn as an actor usually happens when [[IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney a person is very desperate for a job]] - and the porn industry is always hiring.[[note]]However some actors and actresses can and do go directly into the adult film industry, it is not entirely people "down-on-their-luck". People who have established careers in nude dancing, stripping and as nude models sometimes consider this a step in their careers, and often have friends already working in the industry.[[/note]] Actors of both genders in softcore movies tend to be more attractive because these films carry less "[[OldShame baggage]]" that an actor may have to deal with if they make it big later. For an example, before he became a star, Creator/SylvesterStallone found himself homeless and sleeping in a bus station, so he did a softcore film ''The Party at Kitty and Stud's'' (1970) for $200.[[note]]That's about $1,200 in 2015.[[/note]]

'''Hardcore''', on the other hand, generally has ''at most'' an ExcusePlot ([[PornWithoutPlot or none at all]]) and refers to graphic depictions of unsimulated penetration - whenever you can actually see the sexual contact occurring.[[note]]A penis or a sex toy ''visibly'' entering another person's body through ''any venue'' and not obscured by the actors bodies or [[ObscuredSpecialEffects just offscreen]], etc.[[/note]] When used to describe porn in a medium that, by definition, ''can't'' involve real humans having real sex (such as [[{{Hentai}} animation]] or literature), use of the term "hardcore" instead refers to graphic descriptions of extreme fetishes, and/or acts that would be deadly, injurious, or criminal in RealLife. (For example, a romance novel or SlashFic featuring vanilla sex is generally not considered "hardcore," even if the sex is floridly described and focused on - one featuring graphically described/drawn ''rape'' or bodily waste fetishes ''would'' be considered hardcore, and generally would be seen as requiring a UsefulNotes/{{trigger}} warning as well.)

Lower-budget hardcore films tend to have actors who are near the UncannyValley because skills not necessarily associated with beauty become far more helpful - attractive people don't exactly line up to be CoveredInGunge, it's usually "the first person who agrees to do it". To do multiple scenes of hardcore pornography in one day (as is often expected with the cheap production values and quick turnaround), requires a ''lot'' of stamina[[note]]If you don't think sex is hard work, you probably haven't had it yet.[[/note]] for all performers involved and for men the [[UselessSuperpowers rather rare ability to ejaculate a large amount on demand more than once a day]].

The Internet was not without its own negative effect on the pornography industry. Much like how the Internet could get information into people's hands for free, killing magazine and newspaper sales, porn became free - affecting adult bookstore sales. Pornographic magazine subscriptions dropped slowly over a period of years - by 2015, after 62 years, ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'' stopped including nude pictures, concentrating instead on the articles people always claimed they got the magazine for.[[note]]They have since reversed their decision more than a year later.[[/note]] Adult bookstores have since reduced their magazine and video departments, and concentrated more on equipment, lubrications, etc. Also, the Internet (unfortunately) made it ''much'' easier for bad folks to make & trade [[PaedoHunt child pornography]].

The shortened form "porn" has been [[ItsNotPornItsAnIndex expanded into general usage]] into anything that is a feast for the senses, and/or that gratuitously focuses on one thing the way porn focuses on sex, like CostumePorn or [[{{Gorn}} Gore Porn]]. These aren't pornography,[[note]]Unless -- as with all things porn -- those things turn you on.[[/note]] just an expression.

The shortened form "porn" has been [[ItsNotPornItsAnIndex expanded into general usage]] into anything that is a feast for the senses, like CostumePorn or SceneryPorn. These aren't pornography,[[note]]Unless - as with all things porn - those things turn you on.[[/note]] just an expression.

[[OlderThanDirt Pornography is absolutely nothing new to society]] - the word pornography comes from the Greek ''pornographos'' meaning "writing about [[TheOldestProfession prostitutes]]". Depictions of nudes and nudes having sex have been found from pretty much every era, and while the intentions of each individual artist (and the feelings of anyone who may have disliked such depictions) are lost to history it is safe to say pornographic depictions were as popular among the populace then as today. Wood carvings, vases, figurines, paintings, cave paintings, you name it - it's been used to portray sexual images. Not a single culture was immune to this, no matter how far separate from the rest of the world. This wasn't always about being bawdy, keep in mind - in many cultures fertility and number of children produced gave a person high status, so it's not too much of a stretch that there was a bit of worship of sexual imagery and images to match - if the imagery turned people on and [[CoitusEnsues got them making babies]], good on it.

->"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But '''I know it when I see it...''"

Erotica in literature has been around a long time - some people consider portions of Literature/TheBible (the ''Song of Solomon'', specifically[[note]]Such as "Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies" [=SoS=] 4:5, [=NIV=].[[/note]]) to be this. Some works often considered to be pornographic are actually meant to instruct more than to arouse, such as the ''Literature/KamaSutra'', the ancient Hindu work on sexual positions. More on this type of literature can be found on the EroticLiterature page. Many distinguish erotic fiction from pornography, but as with almost everything involving sexual subject matter, the differences can be subjective - for instance the "trashy" RomanceNovel has been cited by some to be a kind of pornography itself due to [[CoitusEnsues gratuitous sex scenes]] and [[StrictlyFormula formulaic]], distilled romance [[TropesAreTools designed to arouse passions in the reader]]; but this is a hot topic as some dissenters feel pornography must include visual imagery, or that [[OpinionMyopia books that they like can't possibly be porn]].

->"''I know it when I see it...''"

[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We're not going to define what it looks like here]]. The [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCourts United States Supreme Court]] gave up trying, so who are we to try? Best we can say is that it generally involves either naked people or people dressed in certain ways with the sole intent of producing sexual desire, while engaging in sexual acts. Almost everyone, regardless of leanings, feels that porn is ExplicitContent, and [[NotSafeForWork Not Safe For Work/Kids, etc.]]

Detractors often cite religious, ethical and moral grounds. Supporters cite freedom of expression and the fact that sexual urges are natural. There have been good, solid arguments from both sides of the issue. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment This page is not here to answer that question or to sway anyone's judgement, only to educate on what pornography is]].

[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We're not going to define what it looks like here]]. The United States Supreme Court gave up trying, so who are we to try? Best we can say is that it generally involves either naked people or people dressed in certain ways with the sole intent of producing sexual desire, while engaging in sexual acts. Almost everyone, regardless of leanings, feels that porn is ExplicitContent, and [[NotSafeForWork Not Safe For Work/Kids, etc.]]

-->--'''Justice Potter Stewart''' in the case of ''Jacobellis v. Ohio'', 378 U.S. 184 (1964) on hardcore pornography.[[note]]Usually dropped from the quote is the remainder of that sentence, "...and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." The film in question was ''The Lovers'' (1958), a popular French film that some people in the USA thought was pornography so they sued. Stewart was a little bummed that despite all of his other work over the years this would be the quote he would be remembered for, but still accepted it.[[/note]]