Sexual fantasy

A sexual fantasy is a mental image, or a pattern of thought that makes the person become sexually aroused or helps this process.^[1] It can be created by the person's imagination. Sometimes, erotic literature, or pornography can help create a sexual fantasy. The same may be true for certain objects, or being attracted to another person. Anything that can produce sexual arousal can also produce a sexual fantasy.

One of the illustrations to De Figuris Veneris by Édouard-Henri Avril. It shows a man masturbating while sexually fantasizing

Sexual fantasies occur in almost all societies around the world. They are rarely put into practice, mainly because of cultural, social, moral, and religious constraints.^[2] In some cases, even a discussion by a person of sexual fantasies is subject to social taboos and inhibitions. Some people find it convenient to act out fantasies through sexual roleplay. People watching porn sometimes find their fantasies validated. A fantasy may be a positive or negative experience, or even both. It may be in response to a past experience and can influence future sexual behavior

Literature

Sexual fantasy is also used for a genre of literature, film or work of art. Such works may be appreciated for their aesthetics, though many people may feel uncomfortable with such works. For example, women in prison movies may be described as sexual fantasies, as are pornographic movies. In the case of movies, the term may describe a part of the movie, such as a fantasy scene or sequence. Besides pornographic films, some mainstream films have included sexual fantasy scenes, such as Business Is Business (1971), Amarcord (1973), American Beauty (1999) and others.