Sexual Fantasy

A sexual fantasy, also called an erotic fantasy, is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy resides entirely in a person's mind and can be created by the person's imagination, mental recollection or thought. The fantasy may be triggered autonomously or by any object or medium. For example, it can be created by a long, drawn-out story, such as in erotic literature or pornographic film; by a quick mental flash of sexual imagery, such as a photograph or physical object; or be due to a sexual attraction to another person or an aspect of that person. Anything that may give rise to a sexual arousal may also produce a sexual fantasy, and sexual arousal may in turn give rise to fantasies.

Sexual fantasies are a nearly universal phenomenon. However, because of the nature of some fantasies, the actual putting of such fantasies into action is far less common. In some cases, even a discussion by a person of their sexual fantasies is subject to social taboos and inhibitions. Some people find it convenient to act out fantasies through sexual roleplay. 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 behaviour. A person may not wish to enact a sexual fantasy in real life, and since the process is entirely imaginary, they are not limited to acceptable or practical fantasies, which can provide information on the psychological processes behind sexual behavior.

The term can also describe a genre of literature or film or work of art. Such works may be appreciated for their aesthetics, though many people feel uncomfortable with such works. For example, women in prison films are described as sexual fantasies, as are pornographic films. In the case of films, the term may describe a part of the film, such as a fantasy scene or sequence. A number of film have included sexual fantasy scenes, such as Business Is Business (1971), Amarcord (1973), American Beauty (1999) and others. In many cases, the use of fantasy scenes enables the inclusion of material into a work indicating the sexualised mental state of a character.