- dita von teese
The Erotica Show opens this year at Olympia London,on November 19.
The headline attraction for the show is Dita Von Teese. I am a great admirer of hers – she has such radiance, glamour, style and a very unique quality of elegance.But, looking at the rest of what is on offer made me start to ponder about what erotic or erotic massage really means.
Wilkipedia gives an interesting definition of eroticism:
“Unlike sensuality, which concentrates on the pleasures of the senses, eroticism is concerned with heightening those pleasures. To achieve that objective, eroticism can involve a delay in sexual gratification in order to intensify the satisfaction level by extending the period of yearning desire.”
Perceptions of what is erotic fluctuate.
Khajuraho in India, famous for its erotic sculpture, is a very popular tourist destination and is considered to be one of the ‘seven wonders of India.’ The Khajuraho temples don’t contain sexual or erotic art inside the temple or near the deities. The idea is that one must leave one’s sexual desires outside the temple and the inner deity of the temple is pure like the soul, unaffected by sexual desires. But the external carvings depict “twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs displaying their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies….. beside the heavenly nymphs are extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples.”
According to an article in the Independent on September 11 2008: ‘India was the birthplace of erotica, famed for its sensual literature and carvings….. that lure and intrigue tourists at Khajuraho. But the country’s reputation today is as a much more conservative buttoned-up society where couples risk opprobrium even for something a chaste as daring to hold hands in public…… Gone is the sensuality contained in traditional Indian art, dance and literature, and the enforced conservatism at times seems suffocating.’
In the West, we have gone to the other extreme. We have endless freedom and tastes vary widely…. Sex sells….. The Erotica Show seems to have a lot of pvc, rubber and latex on show, and also for sale. In fact, erotica has become commercialised and a new term has now sprung up:
‘Erotic Capital’
Below is part of an article which appeared in The Observer last April:
‘Last week, the media worked itself up into a lather about an extremely important new socio-economic concept. It’s the definitive professional “must-have” of our generation, claimed one paper, the “key to being successful in modern society” said another.
Something to do with being well educated or having good people skills? Not exactly. The buzzword is “erotic capital” and apparently it’s what everyone (except, presumably, the irredeemably ugly) should aspire to have.
According to Catherine Hakim, doctor of sociology at the LSE, people who have erotic capital tend to do better in the workplace, earning an average of 10 to 15% more than their erotically challenged colleagues. Erotic capital, she says, has been crucial in the success of many public figures. The Obamas have it in abundance, as do David Beckham and Angelina Jolie (obviously). David Cameron is reasonably well equipped in the EC department, though Gordon Brown (you’d never have guessd) isn’t.
It’s easy to sneer, of course. Isn’t erotic capital just a fancy way of talking about attractiveness or charisma, qualities that have long been known to enhance success? Maybe, but Hakim’s real argument is that in modern consumer societies, the ways we define success (and hence the ingredients needed to achieve it) are becoming more fluid. Intelligence may still be one path to doing well (so don’t turn down that place at Oxbridge just yet), but there has been an explosion of other routes.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/apr/18/erotic-capital-success-angelina-jolie
So, what is Erotic Massage as opposed to Tantric Massage ?
In the field of erotic massage, nowadays, there are so many ads on the internet for sensual massage, erotic massage, tantric massage, naked massage, oily massage – is there any difference between them, or are the adjectives just used for effect?
I have made it clear on this website that for me, the use of the word ‘tantra’ in connection with our massage, implies, apart from the erotic or sensual aspect, the experience of some kind of peace of mind and connection with the inner self – when the mind slows down, we feel an inner sense of calm, peace, love and wholeness.
This is not the same as erotic ‘teasing’ or ‘titillation’ which, by definition, always depends on the mind being kept busy and desiring more and more variety to keep it interested.
We don’t want our tantric massage to become an addiction. We hope that it will give a taste of inner peace and give tools for recreating this experience in daily life. Instead of encouraging the fascination for outer erotic objects, we create an environment where the mind and senses can hopefully be drawn within, towards the very source of all experience.
The teasing aspect of erotica is utilised to heighten the senses up to a certain point – but then the senses are drawn inwards, the internal energy rises up, and the entire being is flooded with peace. This is the magic of tantric massage.