Hello everyone! Welcome to another column of It’s a (Wo)man’s World! Last time we spoke about the importance of imagination and intimacy when it comes to women and erotica. I mentioned that if there is a form of realism in the story, the characters or the sex itself, it’s easier to identify with. I also stated that I can see 3DX as a mix of porn and literature. This mixture is what I would like to discuss today.
First let’s take a short look at what 3DX is and where it differs from mainstream porn or literature. After we’ve made that clear I’d like to take these differences and explain why they may or not may be reasons for women to like 3DX.
Characters and setting
3DX can come in many forms, such as image sets, comics and/or animations. It can focus on art, story or just on porn. It’s an interesting medium, because it gives room to a lot of imagination. You can make the story and characters as realistic or non-realistic as possible, and with this you can cater to a lot of different people. I think this is one of the reasons that one can say that 3DX is a mix of porn and erotica and that it can be interesting to both men and women.
One thing most 3DX products have in common is there is a lot of attention paid to setting and characters. While mainstream porn often focuses on the sex and then tries to justify it by creating some kind of story around it, a lot of 3DX products do the reverse and try to have the sex be a more integral part of a story. And I get the feeling woman would like that. Like I discussed in past columns, men get more easily aroused by just looking at a picture; meanwhile, women like to see some more activity and sensuality. Some women I talked with also pointed this out by saying that instead of just having a man and woman come out nowhere and getting it on, they’d rather also see some kind of (back)story and build-up. This development and tension creation is something that I think we can achieve with 3D sets.
Realism
Another interesting point is realism. And there are actually two different forms of realism that play a role.
1. Realistic characters
I’m not talking about the looks of characters, but I’m talking about their actions. If the sex and the way the female body moves and reacts to it looks realistic, it’s way more stimulating. It’s hard to really immerse yourself in what is going on, if you’re turned off by weird body movements or other illogical things. So this is important to take into account when creating 3D art. Someone also told me that women might like to emulate or escape into another character, which is really hard to do if she’s generic.
2. Believable settings
In porn you can strive to stay close to reality, or you can try and go for a fantasy setting. Now I think women don’t really have a preference for one or the other, as long as it brings out an atmosphere that is believable to the audience. Now in mainstream porn you can only go so far by using props and for example cosplay to be able to create some kind of fantasy world, while in literature you can write down the most fantastical things. Artists can use 3DX to create a mix of these two; it can add the visuals to a story without being held back by the limits of live-action porn. What better way than to cater to women than to combine erotic stories with images?
The artists
Another big difference is in the artists. I think that mainstream porn is often the work of big studios, while 3D porn often starts off with one person creating 3D content for fun. Of course when they want to turn it into their main source of income, they will have to start creating the art with a certain audience in mind. But I think they do have more creative freedom.
There is also a possibility for more personal contact between artist and audience, as 3D artists often have their own website and social media on which they can ask for input from their consumers. So in a way, 3D art can be more personalized and offers more room for creativity than mainstream porno. This could also create an opportunity for women to find more products that interest them. Perhaps they can even have some influence by giving some input to the artists.
Awareness
I talked about this matter before, but there is a big difference in popularity between porn, literature and 3DX. Or maybe not necessarily popularity, but awareness. From personal experience I can say that I did not know much about 3DX porn until I found Affect3D. I also talked to some other female writers working for Affect3D; and they actually had the same kind of experience as me: they did not realize how big 3DX was until their involvement with Affect3D. And none of their friends knew about it, until they mentioned it to them.
So if you take a look at popularity it seems like 3DX is kind of in an unknown area. Stereotypically speaking, visual porn is more targeted at men, literature more to women and 3DX is in a grey zone. After talking to a literature major I received a possible explanation for this. It might have to do with society:
Women could often get away with writing and reading smut close to anonymously in the eighteenth century. But men could clearly view dirty magazines without any kind of retribution. Porn didn’t evolve to cater to women, literature did. 3DX doesn’t have generations of gender stereotypes to fight, so it is a grey area. But I think men find it easier because many women haven’t been clicking link to link on the bottom of porn sites for years. So men get into it and women stay in literature.
Conclusion
I think what we can conclude from all of the above, is that there are actually quite some ways in which 3DX could cater to women. It’s an interesting media, because it gives room to a lot of imagination. There is the possibility to make characters and setting as realistic or non-realistic as possible. In addition, there’s room to add in a story. I think this is one of the reasons that one can say that 3DX is a mix of porn and erotica and that it can be interesting to both men and women.
However I think there is one main problem, and that is awareness. Like mentioned above, 3DX is not that well-known. Not many women know it, so not many women watch it. Therefore, there is less female feedback and output. And as a result most 3DX sets are probably marketed more towards men. Although there are exceptions of course.
drawing-warrior
November 2, 2016Hello Hana,
first of all, your article is well writen and most of your arguments are reasonable and sound.
Since your series is based on the assumption, that men and women are quite differend in the way they experience art in general and erotic art/porn especially, i like to add an idea, that came into my mind, while i am reading your text.
Under the headline “The Artist” you mentioned the chance for women to find interesting products in 3DX.
Thats probably right, but i see another opportunity for woman in 3DX-Art and thats the possibility to use the same software and create productes, that fit the mindset and interests of woman.
They can become artists themselves!
As an (male)hobby-artist and being interested in art and porn for the most part of my adult live, i have seen many art-exhibitions, both male and female artists and i have to say, yes, there is a difference beween them in respect of viewpoint and the way they expressing emotions.
But for the most part, the difference between single individual artist, regardless of there gender, is stronger, in my oppinion.
I assume, there is a culture-gap or difference too.
In europe, to be precise in germany, were i live, we had have female porn-producers, like Theresa Orlowsy for example.
She was a big number in the eighties and nineties and here videos and magazins where surprisingly explicitly pornographic and thematically often based in fetishism.
I agree with you in regarde of the difference in the sociale acceptance, but i tend to disagree in the matter of differend sexual fantasys between genders.
That seem to me the result of the social pressure, not the natural behaviour.
But thats just my opinion.