Over the past week I have fallen in love with Good Magazine -- and this video just solidifies that. Good is a magazine "for people who give a damn", and the current issue features articles on corporate greenwashing, innovative transportation solutions in Europe, and (this is novel) an unbiased look at women married to inmates. Their hard copy is even on recycled paper.
In the video, model/actress Kelle Marie's body is the canvas for a series of factoids about internet pornography. I think the term 'ironic' can be appropriately applied here. Via Fleshbot.
Showing posts with label porn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label porn. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
If it were up to me... I'd take away the porn?
Hello, my name is Amanda, and I'm an erototoxin addict.
Apparently Dr. Judith Reisman (whose doctorate, by the way, is in communications) believes that the Virginia Tech murders were sparked off in part by the killer's erototoxin addiction.
Erototoxins... is that some kind of new drug? Or maybe it's some kind of chemical being washed into rivers and lakes, and humans get infected by eating too much fish? Damn those chemical companies!
Oh wait, now I remember: erototoxins are a certain kind of endorphin, produced in the brain in response to our "society drenched in sadosexual arousal as entertainment" and, um, porn. Oh, and they have no base in biological reality. According to Dr. Reisman, "erototoxins" "have a toxic effect on everyone and we all know that... We don't need billion-dollar studies to know that." That's right, folks: Dr. Reisman would have us believe that all that smut we've been exposing ourselves to is poisoning our brains.
Luckily we've been informed before our addictions had a chance to go too far. For Seung-Hui Cho, the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech murders, the poison had already done it's job.
In an April 23rd editorial on World Net Daily, Reisman offers a list of contributing factors leading to the killer's actions, including the line about sadosexual arousal as entertainment and creating a mental image of him sitting "at the Internet every night, angrily lusting after naked young blondes who provoke his loins". Her analysis gives lengthy attention to his sexually explicit (and often disturbing) writing and the story that he took upskirt shots of classmates. In an interview with XFANZ, she asserts that "It's a distinct component in predators — frustrated that he can't get the girls he wants to get — and that builds up to a volcanic eruption."
What Reisman doesn't mention -- and this comes as no surprise -- is that all the porn in the world can't kill 33 people in ten minutes. It was a pair of guns that did that. To even insinuate that the cause of Cho's destructive rampage was an addiction to pornography is an insult to the victims of this complex tragedy. It disregards all of the other factors that allowed the killings to happen -- the medical treatment of people suffering from psychological disorders, the response of the University's administration to previous reports of his problems and problematic interactions with classmates, and above all the ease with which he managed to obtain the guns.
Way back in 1997 ('99? somewhere around there), Cheryl Wheeler recorded a song called "if it were up to me." I loved it in high school, but I had forgotten all about it until iTunes played it on random the other night. How incredibly timely. I'm guessing it's not the porn, judging by the number of people who use pornography and lead perfectly normal, healthy lives, but you know what? Even if porn did play some roll here, maybe there are other things we should look to first.
Lyrics reprinted below.
See also Alex Koppleman "Why Democrats Dumped Gun Control" (Salon.com)
# Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books
# Maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks
# Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents
# Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin
# Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the last one
# Maybe it's the one before that, what he done
# Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers
# Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers
# Maybe it's the Bible, maybe it's the lack
# Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack
# Maybe it's the hairdos, maybe it's the TV
# Maybe it's the cigarettes, maybe it's the family
# Maybe it's the fast food, maybe it's the news
# Maybe it's divorce, maybe it's abuse
# Maybe it's the lawyers, maybe it's the prisons
# Maybe it's the Senators, maybe it's the system
# Maybe it's the fathers, maybe it's the sons
# Maybe it's the sisters, maybe it's the moms
# Maybe it's the radio, maybe it's road rage
# Maybe El Nino, or UV rays
# Maybe it's the army, maybe it's the liquor
# Maybe it's the papers, maybe the militia
# Maybe it's the athletes, maybe it's the ads
# Maybe it's the sports fans, maybe it's a fad
# Maybe it's the magazines, maybe it's the internet
# Maybe it's the lottery, maybe it's the immigrants
# Maybe it's taxes, big business
# Maybe it's the KKK and the skinheads
# Maybe it's the communists, maybe it's the Catholics
# Maybe it's the hippies, maybe it's the addicts
# Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the sex
# Maybe it's the homeless, maybe it's the banks
# Maybe it's the clearcut, maybe it's the ozone
# Maybe it's the chemicals, maybe it's the car phones
# Maybe it's the fertilizer, maybe it's the nose rings
# Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing.
# If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns.
Apparently Dr. Judith Reisman (whose doctorate, by the way, is in communications) believes that the Virginia Tech murders were sparked off in part by the killer's erototoxin addiction.
Erototoxins... is that some kind of new drug? Or maybe it's some kind of chemical being washed into rivers and lakes, and humans get infected by eating too much fish? Damn those chemical companies!
Oh wait, now I remember: erototoxins are a certain kind of endorphin, produced in the brain in response to our "society drenched in sadosexual arousal as entertainment" and, um, porn. Oh, and they have no base in biological reality. According to Dr. Reisman, "erototoxins" "have a toxic effect on everyone and we all know that... We don't need billion-dollar studies to know that." That's right, folks: Dr. Reisman would have us believe that all that smut we've been exposing ourselves to is poisoning our brains.
Luckily we've been informed before our addictions had a chance to go too far. For Seung-Hui Cho, the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech murders, the poison had already done it's job.
In an April 23rd editorial on World Net Daily, Reisman offers a list of contributing factors leading to the killer's actions, including the line about sadosexual arousal as entertainment and creating a mental image of him sitting "at the Internet every night, angrily lusting after naked young blondes who provoke his loins". Her analysis gives lengthy attention to his sexually explicit (and often disturbing) writing and the story that he took upskirt shots of classmates. In an interview with XFANZ, she asserts that "It's a distinct component in predators — frustrated that he can't get the girls he wants to get — and that builds up to a volcanic eruption."
What Reisman doesn't mention -- and this comes as no surprise -- is that all the porn in the world can't kill 33 people in ten minutes. It was a pair of guns that did that. To even insinuate that the cause of Cho's destructive rampage was an addiction to pornography is an insult to the victims of this complex tragedy. It disregards all of the other factors that allowed the killings to happen -- the medical treatment of people suffering from psychological disorders, the response of the University's administration to previous reports of his problems and problematic interactions with classmates, and above all the ease with which he managed to obtain the guns.
Way back in 1997 ('99? somewhere around there), Cheryl Wheeler recorded a song called "if it were up to me." I loved it in high school, but I had forgotten all about it until iTunes played it on random the other night. How incredibly timely. I'm guessing it's not the porn, judging by the number of people who use pornography and lead perfectly normal, healthy lives, but you know what? Even if porn did play some roll here, maybe there are other things we should look to first.
Lyrics reprinted below.
See also Alex Koppleman "Why Democrats Dumped Gun Control" (Salon.com)
# Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books
# Maybe it's the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks
# Maybe it's the drugs, maybe it's the parents
# Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearin
# Maybe it's the President, maybe it's the last one
# Maybe it's the one before that, what he done
# Maybe it's the high schools, maybe it's the teachers
# Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers
# Maybe it's the Bible, maybe it's the lack
# Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the crack
# Maybe it's the hairdos, maybe it's the TV
# Maybe it's the cigarettes, maybe it's the family
# Maybe it's the fast food, maybe it's the news
# Maybe it's divorce, maybe it's abuse
# Maybe it's the lawyers, maybe it's the prisons
# Maybe it's the Senators, maybe it's the system
# Maybe it's the fathers, maybe it's the sons
# Maybe it's the sisters, maybe it's the moms
# Maybe it's the radio, maybe it's road rage
# Maybe El Nino, or UV rays
# Maybe it's the army, maybe it's the liquor
# Maybe it's the papers, maybe the militia
# Maybe it's the athletes, maybe it's the ads
# Maybe it's the sports fans, maybe it's a fad
# Maybe it's the magazines, maybe it's the internet
# Maybe it's the lottery, maybe it's the immigrants
# Maybe it's taxes, big business
# Maybe it's the KKK and the skinheads
# Maybe it's the communists, maybe it's the Catholics
# Maybe it's the hippies, maybe it's the addicts
# Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the sex
# Maybe it's the homeless, maybe it's the banks
# Maybe it's the clearcut, maybe it's the ozone
# Maybe it's the chemicals, maybe it's the car phones
# Maybe it's the fertilizer, maybe it's the nose rings
# Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing.
# If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Quick Linkage
I'll second this:
more soon. posts will be eratic for a while as I'm doing nearly 12 days straight of ten hour days!
I’m not interested in reading about someone else’s fucking. I’m interested in reading about their love, or their power exchange, or their discovery, or their life. A sex session may be the best way to illustrate one of those themes, but if there’s not a theme beyond sex, I’ll buy a Hustler Variations. At least I can read that on the subway.-Mandy at How About Now
more soon. posts will be eratic for a while as I'm doing nearly 12 days straight of ten hour days!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Violet Blue is my Hero of the Day
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Saturday, February 03, 2007
Slumming It: Family and the Pink Ghetto
I’ve been reading, and loving, Sexerati’s series on The Pink Ghetto. Lux Nightmare and Melissa Gira have expressed remarkably well the ways in which work around sex is made illegitimate and treated, often even by those doing the work, as a phase (for example, we use pseudonyms and keep two resumes in case we ever want to go “legit”). The series is already creating some dialogue in the sex positive community, and although in a lot of ways it’s depressing to think about, it’s an important conversation to have. Because I, for one, am pissed about the Pink Ghetto. I’m proud of the work I’ve done, and I want my bragging rights.
The thing about sex is that you’re not supposed to talk about it. I don’t know when I figured that out, exactly, but by the time I was sex educating in college I knew that my extracurricular activities were off limits for the family Christmas party. As sexuality education (and the history of sex, and the art of good sex, and sexual politics) began to take up more and more of my free time, my family probably began to think I was incredibly dull – I could talk politics, and gossip, and chat about my history classes, but I dreaded hearing “so what have you been doing with your free time?” What could I tell them? “Well, I teach women how to female ejaculate, and host events where students stand up and read erotica. Oh, and last weekend I dressed up as a fairy and handed out condoms and dental dams at parties! Yeah, that was fun.” Somehow, I just don’t think that would fly.
I’m occasionally reminded of how little my family knows about my interests and career goals. “I was talking to George the other day,” my aunt Marie said over tea last week, referring to her employer, “and I told him you had just graduated from Smith. He sounded very impressed.” I smiled and felt a little self-conscious. I’m a first generation college student and I always feel some strange balance between admiration and animosity from my family, like they’re proud of me and skeptical at the same time.
“He asked what you were going to do now that you’d graduated, and I told him that, you know, you weren’t really sure yet” she continued, and I bristled. I know exactly what I want to do. In order: work in health outreach, get a degree in public health, design sex education programs, own a sex toy store, live on a working goat farm and write a book. But because of the nature of the work I want to do (well, except for the goat farm), my aunt has only the vaguest notions of what my plans are. I protested mildly, trying to explain that I do have an idea of what I want to do, but I knew there was no way to explain.
This is where the pink ghetto has hit me the hardest. I love my family, and respect them; they’re interesting, and I love to talk to them. Unfortunately, they have no reason to think I’m interesting. I was an opinionated and passionate little girl, and I’m still that way, but few in my family get to see it because it just seems inappropriate to launch into a discussion of the way in which the media is treating the Genarlow Wilson case over tea. So instead, they think I’ve gone from strong-willed adolescent to strangely reserved goat-enthusiast and not much else.
Just as I could not boast to my family that I had been made coordinator of my peer sex ed organization, or that I had been hired to consult on the toy store’s web site, I will relinquish bragging rights about my health outreach position because I will not be able to go into any detail about what it entails. When I publish work on sex education, my excitement will be tempered by my inability to share it with my extended family. And lord, if I ever decide to write erotic fiction, I had better use a pseudonym or risk giving uncle Joe a heart attack.
The thing about sex is that you’re not supposed to talk about it. I don’t know when I figured that out, exactly, but by the time I was sex educating in college I knew that my extracurricular activities were off limits for the family Christmas party. As sexuality education (and the history of sex, and the art of good sex, and sexual politics) began to take up more and more of my free time, my family probably began to think I was incredibly dull – I could talk politics, and gossip, and chat about my history classes, but I dreaded hearing “so what have you been doing with your free time?” What could I tell them? “Well, I teach women how to female ejaculate, and host events where students stand up and read erotica. Oh, and last weekend I dressed up as a fairy and handed out condoms and dental dams at parties! Yeah, that was fun.” Somehow, I just don’t think that would fly.
I’m occasionally reminded of how little my family knows about my interests and career goals. “I was talking to George the other day,” my aunt Marie said over tea last week, referring to her employer, “and I told him you had just graduated from Smith. He sounded very impressed.” I smiled and felt a little self-conscious. I’m a first generation college student and I always feel some strange balance between admiration and animosity from my family, like they’re proud of me and skeptical at the same time.
“He asked what you were going to do now that you’d graduated, and I told him that, you know, you weren’t really sure yet” she continued, and I bristled. I know exactly what I want to do. In order: work in health outreach, get a degree in public health, design sex education programs, own a sex toy store, live on a working goat farm and write a book. But because of the nature of the work I want to do (well, except for the goat farm), my aunt has only the vaguest notions of what my plans are. I protested mildly, trying to explain that I do have an idea of what I want to do, but I knew there was no way to explain.
This is where the pink ghetto has hit me the hardest. I love my family, and respect them; they’re interesting, and I love to talk to them. Unfortunately, they have no reason to think I’m interesting. I was an opinionated and passionate little girl, and I’m still that way, but few in my family get to see it because it just seems inappropriate to launch into a discussion of the way in which the media is treating the Genarlow Wilson case over tea. So instead, they think I’ve gone from strong-willed adolescent to strangely reserved goat-enthusiast and not much else.
Just as I could not boast to my family that I had been made coordinator of my peer sex ed organization, or that I had been hired to consult on the toy store’s web site, I will relinquish bragging rights about my health outreach position because I will not be able to go into any detail about what it entails. When I publish work on sex education, my excitement will be tempered by my inability to share it with my extended family. And lord, if I ever decide to write erotic fiction, I had better use a pseudonym or risk giving uncle Joe a heart attack.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Turn Me Up, Over, and On?
Stephanie Sellars writes about erotic spanking for New York Press' Lust Life column:
There’s nothing like a good spanking after a hard day’s work. A hearty slap on the rear awakens the senses and gets the blood flowing. Maybe that’s why it’s sexually arousing—that sudden boost to the circulation reverberates in every direction, expanding evenly like ripples in a lake, flushing the genitals with heat. A pain in the butt becomes pleasure in the crotch because the nerves are so close. It’s an involuntary response.
She paints a pretty picture -- as, apparently, did the spank-er (as opposed to the spank-ee) she writes about:
Everybody else stopped what they were doing to watch. She handled that monstrous instrument of torture with such grace, as if she were painting a landscape on his derriere.
Completely regardless of my personal feelings about spanking as an erotic activity, I love how mainstream it's become. Spanking was once considered the domain of the seriously kinky (though I'm sure many secretly fantasized about it and even tried it out). Now it's out-and-proud, and the kind of activity that even those with otherwise very vanilla sex lives can engage in without feeling like they've crossed that invisible line to "kinky".
More on Spanking:
Naughty Spanking Stories A to Z (Edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel. Also check out Volume 2!)
Spanking Blog
Babeland's Slappers and Floggers
Turn Me Up, Over and On -- classic dyke porn
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Hotter than Monica and Bill? Just Barely.
Kinda hot? I think so. It's from the Naked Cigar Calendar Company's 2007 edition. The perfect gift for your favorite cigar aficionado (assuming s/he likes naked ladies). (Via Fleshbot)
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Sugasm #56
This week’s best of the sex blogs from the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasmer participants. Want in Sugasm #57? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form.
This Week’s Picks
Same Time Next Year (http://nocloudnine.blogspot.com)
“She nodded again, grabbing the doorframe as she pushed against the finger.”
Fuck me- it’s friday. (http://dirtylittlecockslut.blogspot.com)
“I won’t pretend to be coy- because I know what I want.”
Sexual Things You Don’t Know About Me (http://www.taratainton.com)
“My own erotic inner self has been piqued these last few days by a wonderful fantasy; maybe I can help pique yours by sharing.”
Mr. Sugasm Himself
Happy Thanksgiving (http://sugarbank.com)
Editors’ Choice
Fast and Furious (http://edinerotica.blogspot.com)
Sponsored Link
iBuzz Two - the new iPod Sex
Toy for couples http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/ibuzztwo/
“Next-gen vibrator gives everything you and your partner need to enjoy music
and music-activated vibrations at the same time.
Even works with a Zune 
Sex News & Reviews
Lesbian Sadomasochistic Schoolgirls for PlayStation 2 (http://adelehaze.com)
Q: Can non nude porn be hot? (http://ylovesporn.com)
Remote Control Wireless Vibrating Egg Review (http://stilettodiaries.blogspot.com)
BDSM and Fetish
Happy HNT - Classroom paddling (http://darkside-journey.blogspot.com)
A Nawty Story: Kitten’s After School Special (http://anawtymouz.blogspot.com)
And One for Luck (http://www.spankingwriters.com/blog)
Working late, Part I (http://www.betweensheets.net)
Erotic Writing and Experiences
100 Things I Want To Do Before I Die (http://perverselypoly.blogspot.com)
clIMax for breakfast (http://junohenry.wordpress.com)
Home cooking, part 3 (http://erotischism.blogspot.com)
Hotel (http://slutissimo2.wordpress.com)
The Other Side of Jen (http://drtycplinva.blogspot.com)
Throbbing Cunt… OH I Need An Orgasm! (http://totalsensuality.blogspot.com)
What I did to Devil in a Blue Dress (http://dirtytalk.wordpress.com)
Sex History
Instruction And Advice For The Young Bride (http://bratmaster.co.uk)
Sexy Humor
Chicken Man (http://radicalvixen.com/blog)
Those sexy italians (http://hard-and-fast.blogspot.com)
NSFW Pics (& videos)
Alison Angel - Christmas (video) (http://hotboxbabe.thumblogger.com)
Black and White Erotic Photos by JS Hicks (http://www.ddgirlsblog.com)
Half-Nekkid and Begging to Be Asked (http://www.TarasNaughtyShop.com)
Happy Thanksgiving! (http://kitchen-girls.blogspot.com)
Shay Laren Masturbates (video) (http://myhotbox.blogspot.com)
Sex Work
PSO’s Thanksgiving (http://sabrinainstockings.com)
Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
Craigslist Personals (II) (http://pornster.blogspot.com)
Soft Porn is Greedy (http://www.teen-porn-site.com/blog)
Sex & Politics
A National Addiction to Porn? (http://fullfrontalpolitics.com)
Sex Positive Feminism: A Statement of Beliefs (http://sexualevolution.blogspot.com)
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Pornographic Relief for Comics Nerds
Good lord, I'm tired of posting about politics. Are you sick of reading it? I like sex, I started a blog to write about sex, so where is all the sex?
Well, here's some. I've never really enjoyed photo spreads -- the kind you see in magazines like Penthouse, I mean. There just isn't enough action in them for me, or enough expression, or something. I'll take a grainy, slow-to-load free web clip over a glossy photo spread any day.
But now, Xmics have brought action back into the overlit photographic bedroom! I have to admit I kind of dig this site: they take photo spreads and turn them into comics by inserting speech bubbles and narration, so you can imagine what the models are thinking and feeling without actually having to imagine it. Sounds good, right? Plus, it's free, and there are a ton of different themes and episodes. They're able to make it free because each comic links back to the paysite that provided the photo spread. (Via Fleshbot. What would I do without Fleshbot?)
Well, here's some. I've never really enjoyed photo spreads -- the kind you see in magazines like Penthouse, I mean. There just isn't enough action in them for me, or enough expression, or something. I'll take a grainy, slow-to-load free web clip over a glossy photo spread any day.
But now, Xmics have brought action back into the overlit photographic bedroom! I have to admit I kind of dig this site: they take photo spreads and turn them into comics by inserting speech bubbles and narration, so you can imagine what the models are thinking and feeling without actually having to imagine it. Sounds good, right? Plus, it's free, and there are a ton of different themes and episodes. They're able to make it free because each comic links back to the paysite that provided the photo spread. (Via Fleshbot. What would I do without Fleshbot?)
Burglar alerts police to massive child porn stash
This is very nearly unbelieveable. And really funny, except for the whole child porn part. From the Montreal Gazette:
A local man has been jailed after an outraged burglar spotted massive amounts of child pornography on his computer and called police. William Mitchell was charged in October 2005 and pleaded guilty. The RCMP had received an anonymous tip saying someone had broken into Mitchell's residence and taken a video camera. The camera, the tipster said, had images of child pornography and would be left on the steps of a church. Police retrieved the camera and, following the address printed on the burglar's note, seized computer equipment containing about 60,000 images of children in various stages of undress.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Popping my Sugasm Cherry: Sugasm #51
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Sunday, October 15, 2006
Alt-Porn for Everyone!
Disclaimer: Maybe this is needless to say in a blog like this, but this post contains some links that are Very Very Not Work Safe. If links like these are okay at your place of employment, please tell your bosses to hire me. Thank you.
Up until a few years ago, when you thought of porn you inevitably thought of bleached blonde, fake breasted, bored women pretending to come for money in an industry controlled by men.
Or did you? The alt-porn industry has made the days of mainstream porn into a mythical dark age. Alt-porn is supposed to be different: the models and actresses are brainy and subversive; they really get off on what they’re doing; they love hardcore music and body modification, and they do women because they want to, not because their director told them to.
By now, much of the Suicide Girls façade of alt-porn has come crumbling down. Former Suicide Girls complain about their treatment by the company, about breached contracts, and about being kicked off the site for criticizing the company. Subversive, eh?
So I did some research. And let me tell you, it was terrible, backbreaking work looking at all those beautiful naked women. I’m lucky I survived.
I looked around. I looked at the mainstream alt-porn porn sites (how’s that for an oxymoron?) that make all the money, I looked at the sites that feature alt-porn models on an alt-porn budget and with alt-porn trappings of tattoos and rock bands, and I looked at an awful lot of erotic photography, amateur sites, and sexy photoblogs. And, y’know, since I was in the neighborhood, I checked out some good old fashioned porn sites, too. And after all that research, what I decided is that someone needs to tell the world that there are alternatives to alternative porn!
The Reviews Are In
I looked at Suicide Girls and Burning Angel, two of the major pay-sites of the alt-porn world. I found some hot women with some extensive body modification, that classic marker of alternative pornography. On BA, I found a fuck-you attitude and a lot of filthy language (and not in a sexy way). I also found a punk rock ethic that doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but I love that it’s out there. I can think of lots of people who get wet just thinking about punk music. On SG I found, I felt, a slightly broader range of ladies (granted, this is all just from the guest galleries. I’m broke.). And their FAQ doesn’t tell me to go fuck myself, which is nice. Best of all, the front page has an extensive “news” section, bringing the brainy side of alt-porn out of the individual model’s “about me” section and onto the front page. Still, almost all the models owned up to some body mod. It’s not that I don’t like tattoos and piercings. It’s just not all I like. Can’t I be alternative and want something more than this?
Other sites, like Supercult, Deviant Nation, and RazorDolls (all paysites), are busy as well, and feature body-mod, punk-rock subculture lady-types. All of these sites, though, contain a very clear message about what they are, which I appreciate. From RazorDolls’ splashpage:
There we go, plain and clear: these are the particular kinds of models we feature. Even better, from Supercult’s FAQ:
While the truth is that many of Supercult’s “girls” seem to follow the alt-porn (un)dress code, it’s refreshing to see them acknowledge the cookie-cutter nature of so-called alt-porn.
And then, there’s No Fauxxx. I adore No Fauxxx, so much that I’m actually considering subscribing (hmm… pay college loans, see hot naked people… what to do?). It’s a paysite, and costs as much to subscribe to as Burning Angel, but oh! The selection! I feel spoiled for choice. I knew as soon as I read the Mission that I was bound to see something I’d like:
Damn! Please especially note that “not all of our models adhere to any subculture.” No Fauxxx, you are beautiful.
Alt Porn for the Rest of Us
This is what I think about alt-porn. I think that any one site (ahem! SG) that pretends to “be” alt-porn is, well, wrong. As a movement that largely began in response to the overwhelmingly blonde, big breasted nature of mainstream pornography in which few of us truly saw ourselves reflected, alt-porn (as culture has come to define it) is merely another stereotype – in which, again, many of us do not see ourselves (or the people we love/crave/fuck) reflected. And as a genre that began to combat certain anti-woman aspects of mainstream porn (say, poor treatment of models)… well, the Suicide Girls scandal was proof positive that people are bound to get hurt if you let success go to your head. I’m not blaming this on the sites or their creators. I don’t think they sat down and said, “let’s make this different kind of porn, and call it alternative porn, and absolutely everyone who doesn’t like mainstream will have to love our stuff!” I just think a lot more could be done to combat the idea that what we now call alt-porn is the only alternative to the mainstream stuff.
Enter websites like VegPorn. I love this website. I wish I could hug it’s creator, FurryGirl (who, by the by, has her own fabulous website. She also runs Erotic Red, a period-porn website. No, not like girls in old-fashioned clothes. Like menstruating women. Yeah, it surprised me too, and it doesn’t turn me on, but I’m really glad it’s out there – check out the mission statement). VegPorn is packed with sexy photos of naked types, all of whom are vegetarian or vegan.
Then there’s RetroRaunch, one of my favorites. RetroRaunch features real pornographic photos from early-mid 20th century. They’re beautiful, fun, hot photos that some people really get off to. Meanwhile their sister site, Martha's Girls, features recreations of some of those old photos, done especially for the site. The images look like those glamour shots you can get where they doll you up and then do soft-focus retouching afterwards, only naked! They don’t know it yet, but they want me to model for them.
Another great site I came across in my (ahem) research: The Beauty Curve. The website, created by size-activist Shyly, is erotic photography featuring very sexy models – who happen to be big. In all honesty, I think Shyly is one of the sexiest women I’ve seen on the internet. Damn.
And as for mainstream porn, the stuff produced by Playboy and Vivid, I say: if mainstream porn is what gets your rocks off, mainstream porn is what you should be watching. Contrary to popular belief, mainstream porn is not the devil. Just like with other every area of your life, though, being an informed porno-consumer is important, and especially so with mainstream.
There are sites for every taste: sex blogs featuring the dirty-doings of their creators (or erotic fiction), erotic photography sites with bondage and fetish slants, photo blogs like the amazing Feminism Without Clothes (where you get intelligence with your nudie shots -- score!), and of course PornoTube, the adult industry’s answer to YouTube. And what of the work of Fatale Media? I’d say that’s much more subversive than naked-skinny-girls-with-tattoos (although not necessarily more subversive than any one of those naked tattooed women individually). And there’s Susie Bright and Carol Queen. And pornography in film, so many hot alternative options! There’s Crash Pad, Sugar High Glitter City, Hard Love/How to Fuck in High Heels, Bend Over Boyfriend (and the sequel!), Tristan Taormino’s movies (which have some alt-porn aesthetic without the alt-porn attitude), and oh boy am I excited about Audacia Ray’s The Bi Apple!
Whew! I sure am glad there are so many alternatives to alternative porn!
As long as people find something sexy – be it body modification or vegetarianism, or big-breasted blondes – there will (I hope) be porn to match it. I’m not out to say there’s something inherently wrong with mainstream porn, or Suicide Girls, or anything else. What I want to see is a proliferation of niches, an alternative to every option. Alt-porn for everyone!
Up until a few years ago, when you thought of porn you inevitably thought of bleached blonde, fake breasted, bored women pretending to come for money in an industry controlled by men.
Or did you? The alt-porn industry has made the days of mainstream porn into a mythical dark age. Alt-porn is supposed to be different: the models and actresses are brainy and subversive; they really get off on what they’re doing; they love hardcore music and body modification, and they do women because they want to, not because their director told them to.
By now, much of the Suicide Girls façade of alt-porn has come crumbling down. Former Suicide Girls complain about their treatment by the company, about breached contracts, and about being kicked off the site for criticizing the company. Subversive, eh?
So I did some research. And let me tell you, it was terrible, backbreaking work looking at all those beautiful naked women. I’m lucky I survived.
I looked around. I looked at the mainstream alt-porn porn sites (how’s that for an oxymoron?) that make all the money, I looked at the sites that feature alt-porn models on an alt-porn budget and with alt-porn trappings of tattoos and rock bands, and I looked at an awful lot of erotic photography, amateur sites, and sexy photoblogs. And, y’know, since I was in the neighborhood, I checked out some good old fashioned porn sites, too. And after all that research, what I decided is that someone needs to tell the world that there are alternatives to alternative porn!
The Reviews Are In
I looked at Suicide Girls and Burning Angel, two of the major pay-sites of the alt-porn world. I found some hot women with some extensive body modification, that classic marker of alternative pornography. On BA, I found a fuck-you attitude and a lot of filthy language (and not in a sexy way). I also found a punk rock ethic that doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but I love that it’s out there. I can think of lots of people who get wet just thinking about punk music. On SG I found, I felt, a slightly broader range of ladies (granted, this is all just from the guest galleries. I’m broke.). And their FAQ doesn’t tell me to go fuck myself, which is nice. Best of all, the front page has an extensive “news” section, bringing the brainy side of alt-porn out of the individual model’s “about me” section and onto the front page. Still, almost all the models owned up to some body mod. It’s not that I don’t like tattoos and piercings. It’s just not all I like. Can’t I be alternative and want something more than this?
Other sites, like Supercult, Deviant Nation, and RazorDolls (all paysites), are busy as well, and feature body-mod, punk-rock subculture lady-types. All of these sites, though, contain a very clear message about what they are, which I appreciate. From RazorDolls’ splashpage:
"RazorDolls.com depicts amateur naked punk girls with tattoos and piercings usually associated with the Goth, Heavy Metal, Punk Rock Alternative Subculture. People over 18 can view them here.”
There we go, plain and clear: these are the particular kinds of models we feature. Even better, from Supercult’s FAQ:
“do i have to be pierced or tattooed to model?
no. that's stupid. this isn't about everyone looking
the same. cookie-cutter "alt.porn" is just as bad as
cookie-cutter anything else.”
While the truth is that many of Supercult’s “girls” seem to follow the alt-porn (un)dress code, it’s refreshing to see them acknowledge the cookie-cutter nature of so-called alt-porn.
And then, there’s No Fauxxx. I adore No Fauxxx, so much that I’m actually considering subscribing (hmm… pay college loans, see hot naked people… what to do?). It’s a paysite, and costs as much to subscribe to as Burning Angel, but oh! The selection! I feel spoiled for choice. I knew as soon as I read the Mission that I was bound to see something I’d like:
What you might find in the members area:
• Soft core, pin up girls, black and white erotica, sensual shots.
• Hard core, masturbation, role-playing, kink, and fetish.
• Straight, lesbian, gay, queer, and bisexual couples and groups.
• Girls, Boys, Transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, or gender-bending models.
• Fat, thin, chubby, curvy, zaftig, short, tall, and athletic models.
• Models of all races, taken out of the stereotypical context models of color are usually assigned in the sex industry.
• Able-bodied models as well as Not-as-abled bodies.
• BSDM, bondage, SM, shown as a positive thing as opposed to scary, dangerous, or perverted. (And also maybe some really dark creepy stuff too...)
• Punks, goths, emo kids, hipsters, hippies, and other "alternative" models. We love tats and piercings here, but not all of our models have them and not all of our models adhere to any subculture.
Furthermore, we will strive to break down all sex stereotypes and typecasting, providing an in-depth analysis of the porn industry while creating HOT HOT HOT HOT PORN.
Damn! Please especially note that “not all of our models adhere to any subculture.” No Fauxxx, you are beautiful.
Alt Porn for the Rest of Us
This is what I think about alt-porn. I think that any one site (ahem! SG) that pretends to “be” alt-porn is, well, wrong. As a movement that largely began in response to the overwhelmingly blonde, big breasted nature of mainstream pornography in which few of us truly saw ourselves reflected, alt-porn (as culture has come to define it) is merely another stereotype – in which, again, many of us do not see ourselves (or the people we love/crave/fuck) reflected. And as a genre that began to combat certain anti-woman aspects of mainstream porn (say, poor treatment of models)… well, the Suicide Girls scandal was proof positive that people are bound to get hurt if you let success go to your head. I’m not blaming this on the sites or their creators. I don’t think they sat down and said, “let’s make this different kind of porn, and call it alternative porn, and absolutely everyone who doesn’t like mainstream will have to love our stuff!” I just think a lot more could be done to combat the idea that what we now call alt-porn is the only alternative to the mainstream stuff.
Enter websites like VegPorn. I love this website. I wish I could hug it’s creator, FurryGirl (who, by the by, has her own fabulous website. She also runs Erotic Red, a period-porn website. No, not like girls in old-fashioned clothes. Like menstruating women. Yeah, it surprised me too, and it doesn’t turn me on, but I’m really glad it’s out there – check out the mission statement). VegPorn is packed with sexy photos of naked types, all of whom are vegetarian or vegan.
Then there’s RetroRaunch, one of my favorites. RetroRaunch features real pornographic photos from early-mid 20th century. They’re beautiful, fun, hot photos that some people really get off to. Meanwhile their sister site, Martha's Girls, features recreations of some of those old photos, done especially for the site. The images look like those glamour shots you can get where they doll you up and then do soft-focus retouching afterwards, only naked! They don’t know it yet, but they want me to model for them.
Another great site I came across in my (ahem) research: The Beauty Curve. The website, created by size-activist Shyly, is erotic photography featuring very sexy models – who happen to be big. In all honesty, I think Shyly is one of the sexiest women I’ve seen on the internet. Damn.
And as for mainstream porn, the stuff produced by Playboy and Vivid, I say: if mainstream porn is what gets your rocks off, mainstream porn is what you should be watching. Contrary to popular belief, mainstream porn is not the devil. Just like with other every area of your life, though, being an informed porno-consumer is important, and especially so with mainstream.
There are sites for every taste: sex blogs featuring the dirty-doings of their creators (or erotic fiction), erotic photography sites with bondage and fetish slants, photo blogs like the amazing Feminism Without Clothes (where you get intelligence with your nudie shots -- score!), and of course PornoTube, the adult industry’s answer to YouTube. And what of the work of Fatale Media? I’d say that’s much more subversive than naked-skinny-girls-with-tattoos (although not necessarily more subversive than any one of those naked tattooed women individually). And there’s Susie Bright and Carol Queen. And pornography in film, so many hot alternative options! There’s Crash Pad, Sugar High Glitter City, Hard Love/How to Fuck in High Heels, Bend Over Boyfriend (and the sequel!), Tristan Taormino’s movies (which have some alt-porn aesthetic without the alt-porn attitude), and oh boy am I excited about Audacia Ray’s The Bi Apple!
Whew! I sure am glad there are so many alternatives to alternative porn!
As long as people find something sexy – be it body modification or vegetarianism, or big-breasted blondes – there will (I hope) be porn to match it. I’m not out to say there’s something inherently wrong with mainstream porn, or Suicide Girls, or anything else. What I want to see is a proliferation of niches, an alternative to every option. Alt-porn for everyone!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
What's Haute Couture and What's Just Hot?
I'm not much of a fashionista. I'm a jeans-and-teeshirt girl most of the time, and Carrie Bradshaw's Sex in the City outfits always mystified me. But I do love some occasional reality TV drama, especially when it involves beautiful women, so last night I headed over to Laine's to watch America's Next Top Model.
The model-wannabes were doing a mock cover-shoot where they basically had to be naked and covered in glittery stuff in a warehouse filled with ice. Not an easy situation to look sexy in, right? Well, it turns out that they aren't supposed to look sexy, at least not in the way that we conventionally think of sexy. They're supposed to look dramatic and, as models so often do, a little pissed off. I'm sure there are other sets on which they'd be expeted to look happy (but without really smiling) or sweet (but without being "doll-like," as one of the judges kept calling it), but neither of those looks would have worked with the whole ice princess theme. In any case, the one look that earned the most scorn was sultry.
The photo that was chosen for one of the wannabes was of her leaning against an ice-wall, looking off to the side and giving the camera "the eye". Her photo earned the judges derision; one of them commented that she looked like she belonged in a men's magazine with utter distaste.
Now to me, this was a revelation. In my head a model is a model is a model, and the only difference between the models in FHM and those on the Fendi runway is that the latter gets paid more. And maybe the former is more likely to have done a porn flick at some point in her past, but that's not entirely relevant. It makes sense now that I think about it, seeing as men's magazines are all about curves and fashion models are usually flat-chested and a little androgynous looking. But it's not as though fashion models are expected to be in any way the opposite of sexy. Their expressions are more subtle, but think about Giselle for example -- she's hot. At least I think she is, and I know plenty of people who would agree.
We live in a society in which sex is considered base and overt sexuality is rather low-brow (unless you're Paris Hilton). So it makes sense that Haute Couture (high fashion, or literally elegant sewing) designers would want to distance themselves from it. On the other hand, sex sells. It sells cigarettes and alcohol, it sells houseware products, it sells tires and it sells fast food, and it sells these things equally to both men and women. Why wouldn't designers want to capitalize on that? Their end goal is to sell products, after all.
Here's the trick: if sex is base, and your models look just as sexy as the models selling fast food, why on earth would anyone pay $1700 for a freaking purse? (okay, I'm not sure why they would anyway, but that's beside the point.) Women with that kind of money don't want to look base. They want to look like they can do whatever they damn well please (I generalize, but you understand). So, instead of selling sex, the world of high fashion sells power.
I'm not really sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it's better than objectifying women sexually. On the other hand, it's only selling power to those who can afford it... so more or less, if you have money you can be powerful and sexy. Not filthy-stinking-rich? You'll have to settle for just sexy.
The model-wannabes were doing a mock cover-shoot where they basically had to be naked and covered in glittery stuff in a warehouse filled with ice. Not an easy situation to look sexy in, right? Well, it turns out that they aren't supposed to look sexy, at least not in the way that we conventionally think of sexy. They're supposed to look dramatic and, as models so often do, a little pissed off. I'm sure there are other sets on which they'd be expeted to look happy (but without really smiling) or sweet (but without being "doll-like," as one of the judges kept calling it), but neither of those looks would have worked with the whole ice princess theme. In any case, the one look that earned the most scorn was sultry.
The photo that was chosen for one of the wannabes was of her leaning against an ice-wall, looking off to the side and giving the camera "the eye". Her photo earned the judges derision; one of them commented that she looked like she belonged in a men's magazine with utter distaste.
Now to me, this was a revelation. In my head a model is a model is a model, and the only difference between the models in FHM and those on the Fendi runway is that the latter gets paid more. And maybe the former is more likely to have done a porn flick at some point in her past, but that's not entirely relevant. It makes sense now that I think about it, seeing as men's magazines are all about curves and fashion models are usually flat-chested and a little androgynous looking. But it's not as though fashion models are expected to be in any way the opposite of sexy. Their expressions are more subtle, but think about Giselle for example -- she's hot. At least I think she is, and I know plenty of people who would agree.
We live in a society in which sex is considered base and overt sexuality is rather low-brow (unless you're Paris Hilton). So it makes sense that Haute Couture (high fashion, or literally elegant sewing) designers would want to distance themselves from it. On the other hand, sex sells. It sells cigarettes and alcohol, it sells houseware products, it sells tires and it sells fast food, and it sells these things equally to both men and women. Why wouldn't designers want to capitalize on that? Their end goal is to sell products, after all.
Here's the trick: if sex is base, and your models look just as sexy as the models selling fast food, why on earth would anyone pay $1700 for a freaking purse? (okay, I'm not sure why they would anyway, but that's beside the point.) Women with that kind of money don't want to look base. They want to look like they can do whatever they damn well please (I generalize, but you understand). So, instead of selling sex, the world of high fashion sells power.
I'm not really sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it's better than objectifying women sexually. On the other hand, it's only selling power to those who can afford it... so more or less, if you have money you can be powerful and sexy. Not filthy-stinking-rich? You'll have to settle for just sexy.
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