The Case for Erotica

Editor's Note: We use the standard character models in almost all of our creations, and we don't attempt to age them even though we're both Gen X. Rest assured our creations don't look anything like us, and that's by design! * * * I began experiencing hot flashes and night sweats a couple years ago. I'd recently turned 50, and I knew exactly what was happening, because my mother and older sisters had prepared me for it: The onset of menopause. Perimenopause is the official term for it, and both my primary care physician and gynecologist recommended estrogen treatment, either pill or patch, for the physical symptoms. I declined, though, as I’m not a fan of medications unless really needed. But then... My loving partner, frustrated by my declining libido (Seedream 4) But then came the emotional/mental symptoms on top of the physical ones, including mood swings and a fluctuating libido. Sometimes I felt fine, and everything was normal, but then other times I had no interest at all in physical intimacy, and sometimes for long stretches. I felt bad for my partner, because I knew I'd changed. For the libido drop, my gynecologist recommended estrogen-testosterone treatment, either shots or oral (pills). And knowing that mismatched physical desire can cause problems in any relationship regardless of gender makeup, I was prepared to say yes. Speaking candidly with the doctor at a routine breast exam (Flux) But my doctor, knowing how I felt about medication, surprised me: “You could also try natural remedies,” she suggested. Whenever I hear ‘natural remedies,’ I expect to be pitched on wacky alternative treatments like mugwort extract or ground-up goat hooves or whatnot, but that wasn’t what she meant at all. Momentary misunderstanding about 'natural remedies' (Seedream 4 + GIMP) She meant better nutrition, less stress, more exercise, and better sleep. And also something else even more intriguing: “Is there anything that used to, you know, put you in the mood? Perhaps... visual aids or other external stimuli?” I thought for a while and realized that yes, way back when I'd dated guys, we'd sometimes rent a saucy (soft porn) movie in a hotel that would inevitably lead to... well, you know haha. And even after I started dating my current female partner, we sometimes enjoyed Candida Royalle erotica on VHS. But for some reason, I found it hard to get excited by the idea of passively consuming spicy media again. Watching soft porn: It might have worked, but I lacked enthusiasm for it (Flux) Entirely by coincidence, that’s about when I stumbled onto generative AI art. The idea that I could create my own images from text prompts seemed like magic, but more importantly, it removed the passivity of just looking at spicy imagery and put me in the driver’s seat of creating my own. And that appealed to me. The first thing I did was create a ‘naughty’ birthday card for my partner, and since I’ve always liked fairies, I made a topless fairy. (I would have made a naked fairy but @TTRPG_Player fortunately found me on that site very early on and informed me that full nudity would get me banned.) My first topless fairy, made for a 'naughty' birthday card (Flux Schnell) And I didn’t just make one topless fairy, I made dozens, and I also made topless women and elves. It was great fun tweaking the prompt from one generation to the next, trying to figure out what would improve the image. Sometimes it was all luck, but sometimes it was the prompt, and learning what worked was exciting! It felt active, it felt engaging, but most of all, it felt… arousing. You see, it's almost impossible to spend that much time creating one sensual image after another and NOT get at least a little turned on haha. So, almost by dumb luck, I’d stumbled onto an activity that, in the words of my gynecologist, “put me in the mood.” And soon, my partner joined in, and we started making WLW imagery together. Here's one of our first WLW images at that other site: 'Physical intimacy while topless' will get you banned at the other site, and can earn an Adult rating here on BP; thus, only one subject is topless (an old SDXL variant) I work remotely most of the time, so generative AI soon became the focus of my breaks and, if I’m being honest, some of my actual work time. (Fortunately I'm quite senior now and no one really cares how I manage my time as long as the work gets done.) And so, by the time my partner returned from her own work, well, let’s just say I was much more inclined to physical intimacy. 🤭 We continued to create sensual images together, which not only had the effect of raising my libido, it also gave us a joint hobby. We went from making love maybe once a month to almost every weekend and sometimes even during the week. (Now I imagine some guys reading this will be thinking, with horror, "Only once or twice a week?!" But trust me, from a woman's standpoint, that's plenty haha.) Especially for women: Lovemaking doesn't always have to reach climax. Just being close with your partner causes your body to produce serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin (the 'bonding hormone') and many other healthy chemicals. (Z-Image-Turbo) Eventually, both @dirty_biker and @TTRPG_Player referred us to BudgetPixel (BP), and oh, what an earth-shattering difference! Yes, BP is cheaper than the other site, but what really hooked us was the fact that we could finally enjoy full creative freedom to create (gasp!) full body nudity and physical intimacy without the threat of having our account terminated! Even at BP, though, full body nudity tends to earn an Adult rating from ChatGPT (which BP uses to categorize each creation); and so, to ensure this blog doesn't get hit with an Adult rating, we're not going to show any of our fully nude or physically intimate creations in this blog. Instead we'll save those for future blogs that are explicitly Adult rated. (But even then, rest assured our Adult creations are tasteful, because that's how we roll haha.) Weekend trips to get away from the stresses of everyday life can also help boost the libido (Imagine Art 1.0) We fully recognize that erotica isn't art per se, but we argue it still serves an important and healthy purpose. Again, physical intimacy is crucial in any relationship, WLW or MLW or MLM, and if one partner's libido falls significantly below the other's, that can be problematic for the relationship. What comes next? It may not be art, but it's still good for one's health! (Seedream 4) In conclusion, if a perimenopausal woman can treat a libido imbalance naturally by creating or viewing erotica instead of through estrogen/testosterone shots or pills, isn't that worth considering? We think so, and on this position, we rest our case for erotica! We hope you enjoyed this blog, and if you're also a GenX woman, see below for some articles we found helpful regarding libido around menopause. Cheers! ✨ One last image inspired by a decidedly Adult piece of erotic fiction (Seedream 4.5) * * * Some helpful articles on the topic of libido during perimenopause and menopause: https://drannagarrett.com/perimenopause-menopause-low-libido-how-to-get-sex-drive-back/ https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/menopause-and-perimenopause/menopause-sex-breakthrough/ https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/menopause-and-perimenopause/rebuilding-libido-in-menopause/ https://gennev.com/learn/libido-during-perimenopause/ From the first reference: "When it comes to sex drive in perimenopause, the roller coaster effect is real. You might have brief windows where desire is strong and then long stretches where it disappears again." From the second reference: "Contrary to mainstream opinion, interest in sex may not always start with an attraction to a partner. Though having a partner can be great fun in the bedroom, alone time — leisurely exploring your body or masturbating, reading/watching erotica, or simply day dreaming — is essential for fueling a good sex drive. Erotica offers fresh ideas, imagery, and sexual and romantic fantasies. They can wake up a part of you that you thought had gone to sleep for good. " From the third reference: "Turn on your brain. Learning to love yourself unconditionally is central to rekindling desire, but the little things that make you feel sexy each day can be powerful, too. It might be wearing a certain lotion, perfume or lingerie. Maybe it’s having your hair done professionally, reading erotica or sleeping in the nude. The point is, you decide, not someone else." From the fourth reference: "Remember—or discover—what you really like: If sex has become rote, orgasms have been absent, or intimacy hasn’t been enjoyable for a long time, it’s never too late to explore what turns you on to bring some new energy into the bedroom. Solo or partnered, consider trying something that’s always intrigued you, whether that’s toys, new positions, new locations, or role-playing a fantasy you’ve always wanted to try. These days, you can also find plenty of sex-positive, ethically produced content to read or listen to; there’s a wealth of apps, websites, and books for steamy storytelling and erotic audio created for women that you might find very worth your while." * * *