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It doesn't take long to realize that the common thread linking these series is not so much a preponderance of flesh, or even ludicrous dialogue, but the fact that the shows are meant to be expressions, however bizarrely executed, of female fantasy. This stands in sharp contrast to most porn, a genre in which it would usually be difficult to sell a film featuring a demure young woman who manages to unleash a cross-dresser's inner heterosexual (to cite an example from Strangers). While most of these series are produced by men, they aim--and succeed--at attracting a demographically balanced audience of males and females.
In this world, women's sexual escapades, no matter how manipulative, never go punished. Cinemax's Emmanuelle, for instance, is an ageless sorceress who spirits herself into the bodies of men and women all over the world (though mostly places like Cannes and Bali) to help them realize their romantic promise. Like most of the women who populate cable erotica, Emmanuelle limns the fantasies and calls the shots. There we have it: sex goddesses Gloria Steinem can love.