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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29827
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29827
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I think the Supreme Court definition applies; to paraphrase: erotica and pornography are pretty much undefinable but we know it when we see it.

If you are describing the genitals or breasts of naked people, many will consider just that description erotica, no matter how clinically you approach it. What is not sexually stimulating to _you_ might well be sexually stimulating to somebody else; particularly if you are describing attempts at penetration.

Consider a sixth grade American classroom: they have seen countless murders and kisses on regular used-to-be-broadcast television in prime time (i.e. the main networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, etc). They have most likely seen pretend-naked men and women under a cover. The naked back of females. But they haven't seen anything on those channels normally covered by underwear. If your work describes what is under the underwear or an attempt at sex (or if you describe alternatives to P-V sex, which is often the backup plan when vaginal sex is too painful), or would not plausibly be read to a sixth grade class, then it is going to be lumped into "erotic fiction".

Original score: 1