oa Erotische censuur

Erotic Censorship: The Second Sexual Revolution in Censorship of Pornographic Movie Posters in Belgium (1970-1980)

This article studies the relationship between the second sexual revolution, pornography, and censorship by analyzing censorship of pornographic film posters in Belgium between 1970 and 1980. The prosecution of offences against decency declined in the Belgian courts throughout the seventies, which inspired changes in censorship practices. However, censorship was not only a restrictive power, allowing or prohibiting certain practices, but also led to the production of new content. The creative use of tape in film posters reveals how cinema managers used censorship to create more interest in their movies. Paradoxically, a period of increasing freedom produced a more visible form of censorship. My main conclusion is that censorship played a fundamental role in the eroticization of the public space during the second sexual revolution, thus complicating the apparent contradiction between the second sexual revolution and censorship.