Audre Lorde stated in her essay “Use of the Erotic: Erotic as a Power” that, “There are many kinds of power, used and unused, acknowledged or otherwise. The erotic is a resource within in each of us, that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane, firmly rooted in the power if our unexpressed and unrecognized feeling.” Generally the erotic expressions of women are the reflection of the male collective consciousness. The following will define and magnify the erotic essence of the female soul.

Before we seek to express ourselves, we must first recognize the essence buried deep within out feminine souls, buried by millennia of patriarchal oppression. We will connect with this consciousness, when the oppression is acknowledged for what it is-and reject the sexual norms dictated to us, which presently defines our fantasies and sexual expressions. A woman may assert herself and express her anger without being referred to as a bitch. She also may not sleep with whomever she pleases without being called a slut. Are men called bitches and sluts? Of course not-there are no equivalents in English for men for these types of behavior for them. 

Eroticism is not merely sexual expression. As Lord stated, “The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings…the erotic is not a question of only what we do; it is a question of we acutely and fully we feel in the doing.” Any revolutionary act may qualify as eroticism-expressing ourselves with passion and living bravely in this world.

How may the erotic be expressed? It is much more than sexual expression. It is creativity and passion. It begins with a thought and subsequent manifestation in the real world. It includes breathing in the crisp spring air, laughing with friends or moaning into the night with your lover.  Imagine-then act, and be connected to ourselves and the universe.

All quotes were taken from "Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde."

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