Softcore

Softcore is a form of pornography that is less explicit than hardcore material in depicting or describing sexual behaviour. Usually, any sexual contact in softcore is simulated; although in some instances softcore versions of originally hardcore films have been made by blurring, zooming, or otherwise altering hardcore scenes to eliminate hardcore content.

While both softcore and hardcore feature extensive nudity and sexual situations with the intention of arousing the viewer, the key difference between softcore and hardcore is that softcore does not include the following hardcore elements: an erect penis, shots of actual penetration (vaginal, anal and/or oral), and shots of ejaculation.

For some viewers, it is a matter of taste, and many softcore fans find hardcore just too grossly explicit. Softcore pornography also tends to involve actors which are somewhat older than the typical "Late Teens to 30" demographic of hardcore porn, often people range in age from their late twenties to even their early forties.

Examples of American softcore include the films of Russ Meyer and the television series Red Shoe Diaries. In Europe, softcore was a 1970s trend in cinema represented by Emmanuelle (1974) and David Hamilton's Bilitis (1977).pt:Soft core