I like this kinky pic. The guy is quite the manly specimen but he’s also wearing stockings and suspenders. In the photo series his lover dominantes him with a cane, among other things.
I like it when guys wear stockings like this. It places little demands upon your assumptions about male and female roles… and it just looks hot. I blame Tim Curry entirely. I still adore watching him strut around in corset and stockings in Rocky Horror.
In any case, you’ll find the full set of photos at For The Girls.
Bawdy songs have been around forever but I suspect that they were rarely recorded in the old days. The songs of Lucille Bogan may be the exception. She apparently made a career of singing about prostitution and sex. This one just revels in its rudeness, I love it.
A few lyrics:
I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb,
I got somethin’ between my legs’ll make a dead man come,
Oh daddy, baby won’t you shave ‘em dry?
I would fuck you baby, honey I’d make you cry.
Now your nuts hang down like a damn bell sapper,
And your dick stands up like a steeple,
Your goddam ass-hole stands open like a church door,
And the crabs walks in like people.
Wikipedia says: “Her final recordings with Roland and Josh White included two takes of Shave ‘Em Dry, recorded in New York on Tuesday March 5, 1935. The unexpurgated alternate take is notorious for its explicit sexual references, a unique record of the lyrics sung in after-hours adult club
Well, tomorrow I say goodbye to all this and head off for 6 weeks gallavanting around Europe. Well, France, mostly, but I’m also popping in to Switzerland and Italy and I’m also having a few nights in Amsterdam.
I’m also spending a week in Berlin to attend the Berlin Porn Film Festival from the 22nd October. I’m looking forward to meeting all the wonderful collegues I’ve been chatting to online, including Audacia Ray, Petra Joy and Erika Lust. Yes, I’m taking my camera and will be making a few short videos of the whole shebang for later inclusion at For The Girls (and maybe here, if you’re lucky).
I had planned to schedule a bunch of nice filler posts for the weeks that I’m away but I’ve been going hell for leather, trying to get everything organised in time. So you will see a few quickie posts here now and then, but mostly it’s going to be awful quiet round here until I get back.
Please, please, do come back in November and I’ll inflict a slide night on you. If you’re good.
According to a survey conducted by the leading lesbian networking portal gaydargirls.com, women like their films to be feminine and sexy, with a something of a plot or storyline and loads of on screen chemistry between the women.
And a whopping 70 per cent said they would buy more porn if the sex was targeted properly at lesbians, which suggests that girl-on-girl porn films could potentially become a massive new spectator sport given a lot more innovation and investment.
The site did a survey about what kind of stuff lesbians and bi girls wanted to see:
• 82.2 per cent want plenty of foreplay
• 72.8 per cent want to see oral sex
• 68.8 per cent want more clitoral stimulation
• 59.9 per cent want to see more chemistry and tension between the stars
• 58.3 per cent like to see sex toys
• 54.5 per cent want more of a build up/anticipation in films
They need to visit my authentic lesbian porn page at Porn Movies for Women to find the good stuff.
I have no idea how this ad got a green light, but I’m eternally grateful for it. And a warning: you will probably end up with the rather dirty song stuck in your head.
Romance publishers Mills and Boon are 100 years old this year and they’re about to launch the Spice erotica imprint in the UK, according to The Independent. In the past, M&B books only allowed sex within the confines of a long term relationship. Spice, however, features stories where people “have sex for enjoyment.”
Phew, imagine that?
The article has an interesting timeline of erotic milestones in the Mills and Boon books. Like the first masturbation scene was in 1973 and the first oral sex scene was in 1982.
“There are other places to kiss,” the hero darkly informs the heroine of Antigua Kiss, who promptly surrenders to “waves of ecstasy”.
I’ve just finished watching The Black Glove to review it for For The Girls, and I just have to blog about how fantastic the films of Maria Beatty are. This gorgeous filmmaker creates lesbian BDSM movies that are extraordinarily well crafted with a distinct artistic sensibility.
The Black Glove has an amazing ethereal quality to it, like you’re watching someone’s dark fantasy come to life.
The always-busy Erika Lust is due to release a new book this month called “X For Women” (more info here). The book is intended to be a guide for women who want to know more about porn and features various discussions about the porn industry, how to choose the right adult movie and lists of recommendations.
Erika says: “We can and must be able to enjoy ourselves without feeling offended. I will take you through the history of the genre, how men’s sexuality and values have been imposed, new feminine and feminist adult movies, recommended films and where to find them, special online shops for women, how to watch explicit films at home, which sub-genres could be more appealing and more.”
She has created the book with the help of two graphic artists and, judging by the preview pages, it certainly makes an impact.
The book contains a chapter called “When, Where and How Much?” While the book focuses on films rather than websites, I hope I get something of a look in. Websites do tend to get ignored in these discussions which can be disappointing.
The book is due to launch sometime this month and will appear in English and Spanish editions.
So, just to provide a contrast from some of my previous, rather deep posts, here’s some male eye candy.
I think he’s rather hot, what with the bad boy looks, the goatee and the y fronts.
The pic is from the For The Girls Blog, so I thought I’d re-post it here and remind you that if you want regular perving opportunities, head over there. And yes, of course I want you to join!
I was less than impressed with her endlessly-repeated article about porn which relied heavily on assumptions about what men think. And I was also puzzled by her fascination with the idea that Jewish Orthodox modesty was “so hot.”
Now she’s taken that concept and run with it, declaring that Muslim women are far freer in the expression of their sexuality while covered head-to-toe in a chador than we stupid Western chicks.
A few quotes:
This may explain why both Muslim and Orthodox Jewish women not only describe a sense of being liberated by their modest clothing and covered hair, but also express much higher levels of sensual joy in their married lives than is common in the West. When sexuality is kept private and directed in ways seen as sacred - and when one’s husband isn’t seeing his wife (or other women) half-naked all day long - one can feel great power and intensity when the headscarf or the chador comes off in the the home.
Among healthy young men in the West, who grow up on pornography and sexual imagery on every street corner, reduced libido is a growing epidemic, so it is easy to imagine the power that sexuality can carry in a more modest culture. And it is worth understanding the positive experiences that women - and men - can have in cultures where sexuality is more conservatively directed.
and
When you choose your own miniskirt and halter top - in a Western culture in which women are not so free to age, to be respected as mothers, workers or spiritual beings, and to disregard Madison Avenue - it’s worth thinking in a more nuanced way about what female freedom really means.
I’ve got more than a few problems with what’s being said here. It’s hard to know where to start.
I should begin by saying that I am philosophically opposed to Islam. I’m an athiest, for a start, so that means I’m not keen on any kind of religion or the ridiculous rules they impose on people.
I’m also opposed to the sexism and entrenched discrimination that exists within the Muslim religion and within societies that are primarily Islamic. I’ve read the Koran and it (like the Bible) has numerous edicts that explicitly deny women their human rights. As a feminist, I cannot support that.
I reject the Islamic stance on sexuality and male-female relations - the very thing that Naomi Wolf is defending. This view of the world sees all men as sexual predators and all women as sexual prizes. It essentially defines individuals according to preconceived ideas about how men and women will interact if they are allowed to mingle freely with each other. In Islam, all men are rapists, and all women are victims (sounds a bit like Andrea Dworkin, now I think about it.)
Women must be protected, hence the veil, hence the curtailment of their freedom, because their virginity and sexual useability are the only thing considered valuable by Islam. Men, meanwhile, cannot be trusted to control their lustful, animal instincts. Even the sight of a woman’s ankle will incite a man to rape.
But, of course, if he does rape, it’s not really his fault. And the woman will need four witnesses in a court to prove otherwise, according to the Koran. And her testimony is only worth half that of a man’s.
When this is the sort of attitude that lies behind the idea of “the veil”, I find it very difficult to feel sympathetic towards it. And yet that’s exactly what Naomi Wolf is asking us to do. She’s suggesting that this kind of philosophical opposition is just “Western misunderstanding”.
She talks about choice, saying that some Muslim and Jewish women who choose to cover up feel that they are treated more as individuals and less as sexual objects by others. Note, by the way, that she really is only talking about some women, but she writes as if ALL of them feel that way.
It’s certainly an interesting idea and I can respect their choice to live according to their own beliefs. At the same time I think they’re buying into a world view that still defines them according to sex. I mean, think about it. You walk around covered up from head to toe and wearing a head scarf, you’re essentially saying that every man you meet is only interested in your body. And you’re signifying your belief that you can only be taken seriously if your skin isn’t showing.
I don’t know about you, but I like to think that men aren’t quite that bestial.
And I think that Naomi’s defence of choice is problematic in this context, simply because the vast majority of Muslim women in the world aren’t given the option. Wearing the veil is either written into law or it’s considered the cultural norm, to the point that those who don’t cover up are harassed, abused or worse.
And let’s think about those little girls who are also made to wear the veil and denied the freedoms that their brothers enjoy. Where’s the choice or the sexual freedom there?
The whole concept of “modesty” might be a little more acceptable if it were applied to both sexes and if individuals were freely allowed to make that choice, but the fact is that it’s only women who are required to hide their bodies and hair. It’s the women who get the rough end of the stick. Why defend that as a feminist virtue?
I take umbrage at the idea that a hidden sexuality is somehow better than one that is freely expressed. I think it all depends upon your point of view. You get good and bad marriages within Islam and within the Western world. If a relationship is happy and successful it doesn’t really matter what you wear, I suspect. And if either partner develops feelings of jealousy because the other is looking (looking) at the opposite sex, I would say that it’s not the clothes that are the problem.
I also reject the idea that Western women are “forced” to wear skimpy clothing or to be overtly sexual. This assertion is part of that whole “raunch culture” moral panic which interprets autonomous female sexuality as merely an expression of victimhood (i.e. women only pole dance or watch porn to impress the guys, they never make that decision just to please themselves). Yes, you can argue that fashion and popular culture are fairly determined to dress women up like Barbie dolls, but that doesn’t mean we have to actually do it.
And yes, there are men out there who are determined to treat all women like sex objects. But why should their opinions impact upon how I live my life? Why should I restrict my own movements or change my dress because of what they think or say? Fuck them, is the correct answer here.
I’m a Western woman. Most days, I wear clothing that is decidedly unsexy, mainly because I find it comfortable - and I don’t give a damn about what other people think of me. I don’t bother with makeup or high heels and I don’t spend hours doing my hair. I just wear clothes and go out, very much in the same way that men do.
You could argue that I too am treated as an individual rather than as a sex object because I’m wearing my sensible shoes, trousers and unfashionable top. I do understand what those Muslim women are saying about not having to adhere to a certain expectation of “femininity”.
But I don’t feel that my choice of clothing magically enhances my sex life and I certainly don’t think I’m somehow morally superior to those who may be wearing less clothing, for whatever reason.
And when it’s summer, I myself will be wearing less clothing, again because it’s comfortable (even if Naomi says that I’m actually brazenly walking around “half naked”). And I have a major problem with anybody or any religion that tells me I’m a “whore” or not truly free because I might wear a halter top in hot weather. I have a choice and I take responsibility for myself. That’s the whole point of feminism, right?
Naomi’s assertion that Western men are suffering from reduced libido is not based on any research or statistics that I’m aware of. I think her whole argument relies on vague anecdotes and - dare I say it - her own yearnings for the old-fashioned notions of noble marriage as described in romance novels.
If Naomi is genuinely concerned about women’s freedom and sexuality, she needs to go back to addressing attitudes and societal expectations about how women should look and behave and how men should treat women. And she needs to take a more critical view of religion and its role in how women are treated around the world.
Those women who are able to choose the chador or the veil are welcome to it. It’s their life. Just as I reserve the right to wear what I want and to hold my own beliefs. But I will not accept the assertion that their choice and their life is somehow more feminist or free than mine. I think that covering up and hiding sexuality merely gives in to (and feeds) existing sexism, rather than fighting it.
Pic is from this blog page, I can’t find the original image or the artist, unfortunately.
Forget the prudish Catholic bit. The Spanish are a relatively live-and-let-live bunch and attitudes are surprisingly relaxed. In fact, the laws regarding public nudity are the most liberal in Europe and right to dress (or not) as you see fit is enshrined in the Spanish constitution.
Theoretically, you can be naked on any beach, or indeed in any public place. In practice, most people wanting an all-over tan stick to either official naturist beaches, or beaches where there is a tradition of nude sunbathing.
I’m busy busy busy today editing dirty movies so here’s a couple of quick links of interest.
* Vice Tries To Bust Me On The Porn Set - Feminist adult filmmaker Tristan Taormino reveals her run-in with an LA Vice squad while filming her latest movie (something BDSM themed, can’t wait). This story provides a disappointing reminder that it doesn’t matter how ethical or feminist or progressive the porn may be, in the eyes of the cops and the prudes, it’s all dirty and evil.
* Thanks to the lovely Ell I now know that there’s going to be a semi-erotic film festival in Melbourne in September. The Sexy International Film Festival aims to showcase movies about relationships, love and sex, although it’s running with the tag line that it’s “not porn.” Presumably so Australia’s version of the vice squad don’t turn up and close it down, as happened with Tony Comstock’s film. Actually, I’ll be interested to see if the cops do visit the festival just to make sure no-one’s getting aroused.
The list of films is here. I see that Anna Brownfield is presenting some of her short films (I’m still looking forward to her film The Band which we should see very soon)
I’ll be in Europe when the festival is on, and then I’ll miss it when it goes overseas. I wish the organisers the best of luck and wish I could go.
In the wake of For The Girls‘ fourth erotic fiction competition, I feel the need to make a post urging aspiring authors to follow a few simple rules when writing erotic fiction. I feel this because, even though there were plenty of absolutely gorgeous and cleverly written short stories entered, there were also plenty of bombs.
Yes folks, there are people out there who fancy themselves as masters of the dirty story, but they’re not. They’re really not. Aside from the blow-by-blow porny sex descriptions there’s the awful spelling, the bad use of tense, the endless sentences and the dodgy punctuation. Little things, but they’re vitally important.
And when you’re sitting there cross-eyed, ploughing through over 80 stories about sex, you start to get kind of tetchy and you start to make lists in your head, wanting the would-be Anais Nins of the world to know that they could be doing it much, much better.
I even wrote a few things down:
Tip #1: Real women rarely refer to themselves as being “busty.” Tip #2: Never use the word “retarded” in your stories. Go and watch Idiocracy and you’ll begin to understand. Tip #3: Titles are good. As are paragraphs. Tip #4: The rules are there for good reason. No, you are not exempt from them. Tip #5: If you are writing erotica for women, it’s a good idea to leave out the misogynistic observations. Tip #6: If your story didn’t do well in last year’s competition, it doesn’t help to submit it verbatim to this year’s comp.
I was also going to direct you to Black Lace’s writers guidelines but the site seems to be down. Google it, maybe they’ll be back up soon.
I don’t claim to be a perfect writer. I’m probably guilty of numerous grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in my blog, and I still have to stop and think about the word “its” every time. But when it comes to something that has to make an impression on a judge or editor… then I get pedantic. And that’s what all aspiring writers need to do.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with my favourite spelling typo of the year. If this doesn’t convince you of the importance of proof reading, nothing will.
“The towel fell to the floor with his prodding and her juicers ran all over his fingers.”
The winners of the For The Girls annual short story competition have been announced. All the winners and judging comments are here.
This year the theme was “transgression” and wow, it certainly inspired people to come up with wild, outrageous and very sexy stories.
The top three stories:
WINNER
Julienne by Sommer Marsden
Judge’s comments: Exhilerating and undeniably hot, Sommer’s intense story of a stale relationship revived at the point of a knife makes for gripping reading. The reader is overcome with a mix of fear and lust as the story unfolds; shock mixes with curiosity and arousal. This is a beautifully written story dealing with complex emotions and it does a sterling job of illustrating the theme of transgression.
Sommer wins $200 plus 1 month membership to For The Girls
RUNNER UP
A Lover In The House Of Spies by Alicia Night Orchid
Judge’s comments: Cue the James Bond music - only 007 was never this dirty. Through a series of flashbacks and vignettes, we discover the twin stories of a mother and her daughter, both searching for fulfilment amid secrecy and lies. Oh, and there’s a lot of the cool secret agent stuff to boot. The story works on numerous levels and leaves the reader with a lingering sense of mystery.
Alicia wins $100 plus 1 month membership to For The Girls
THIRD PRIZE
Surprise Me by Louisa Harte
Judge’s comments: Public sex is always a thrilling idea and a great subject for a story dealing with transgression. Louisa’s writing is a pleasure to read and she shows a deft hand at ramping up the erotic tension.
Louisa wins $50 plus 1 month membership to For The Girls
Beyond the top 13 there were another 8 or so stories that came very close to getting into the shortlist. It really was tough deciding who to leave out and I must admit I didn’t finalise the list until the very last minute because it was so hard to choose the winners.
Of course, there were plenty of entries by writers who really need to think about another hobby. Sometimes it amazes me that some people will enter a short story competition when they don’t seem to have any grasp of spelling, grammar or paragraphs. I think some people assume that stories about sex don’t have to be terribly readable. Thankfully the number of porny, blow-by-blow sex descriptions were few and far between this year.
In any case, there it is, done and dusted. I’m so proud that For The Girls has been running this competition for the last four years, encouraging top quality writers to create sizzling erotic fiction just for women.
For The Girls will be publishing one story from the winning entries each week until the beginning of November.
In a small survey at the momlogic office, staff members were shown–well, members–and asked if they thought they were attractive. The responses were less than positive:
“I don’t like any parts of the penis.”
“This is gross.”
Thanks for nothing, Moms. Another advertisement for contraception, it seems.
Now the Yahoo attempt at being girly, Shine, has joined in:
I guess the obvious answer is that besides enduring, outdated social constructions, men tend to be more visually oriented when it comes to sexual fantasizing, women a bit more cerebral, and guys, I don’t mean for that to sound condescending.
Uh, how about apologising for being condescending to the girls? Jeezus, I’m sick of the constant re-iteration of the “women aren’t visual” myth.
Interestingly, I notice that the article is listed under the “astrology” section of Shine. So obviously it’s serious journalism.
Erika Lust’s latest film The Barcelona Sex Project is a documentary-style erotic movie that aims to enlighten as well as arouse. The film features three men and three women talking about their hobbies, their work, their passions and their sex lives, after which they masturbate on camera.
I thought it was a wonderfully engaging movie, one that was both interesting and sexy. My review of the film is appearing at For The Girls on Thursday.
I was a huge fan of her first film Five Hot Stories for Her. I think Erika is one of the leading lights of women’s erotica so I’m pleased to offer this short-but-exclusive interview with filmmaker Erika Lust about the film.
How did you find your six subjects?
It was a casting amongst the most open and talkative performers and newcomers who live and work in Barcelona. We need people that was able to speak from their inside and perform a masturbation scene and do both things with passion.
Why did you decide to use both men and women?
Because I think that women want to see both how men and women masturbate. That we can find both men and women attractive, it’s all about the personality.
Did anyone have any difficulty coping with masturbating on camera?
It was a great shoot, but some of them told me that it was more difficult for them to masturbate in front of the camera than to perform sex with other person. Also because I wanted them to do it as themselves, not as “pornstars”, as true and real as possible, without thinking of the camera
Was it a difficult film to create?
It’s a very minimalist erotic documentary, and the production was also done with a very small team and just in 6 days. Besides that, My baby girl was only 8 months old and I only was able to be in the set from 9 to 5.
Do you have a favourite participant?
Maybe my favourite is Dunia, she is a very sexy, and funny Brazilian bisexual working mother, with tons of positive energy. Everyone is special in their own way and so different… That’s the great thing with the six of them, everyone can find their fave.
The film has been nominated at the Venus Berlin awards and will also be shown at the Berlin Porn Film festival. I’m excited because I’ll be in Berlin for the festival and can hopefully get together and meet Erika in person.
Here’s a few fab behind-the-scenes photos from the production.
I like this real “behind the scenes” shot complete with snazzy equipment.
Erika with Dunia, the ex-Brazilina PR exec with a thing for toys.
Sylvia, the young metal fan with a lot of tatts.
You can purchase the film directly from Erika at her official site. 5% of all purchases go to charity.
Another Roy and HG classic moment involving the “downstairs area” of male gymnasts. These are the famous commentaries of the men’s gymnastics floor exercises, responsible for coining a whole bunch of new sporting phrases such as “crazy date”, “party date”, “hello boys” and, of course, “flat bag”.
I don’t doubt that the majority of Australians have either thought or said these phrases when watching the floor excerises at the Beijing Olympics.
And here’s my bumper sticker from the fridge depicting all the required movements. It’s too precious to put on the car.
The Olympics is primarily populated by young people. When it comes to the sports of athletics, cycling, gymnastics and swimming, you’re over the hill when you turn 25. But a number of women have ignored conventional wisdom and are now Olympians in 2008. Post motherhood.
German Oksana Chusovitina is 33 and has been a gymnast for 20 years. When I saw her competing amongst the pre-pubescent girls that dominate in her sport, I was just so thrilled. One for us old chicks.
Ditto with 41 year old Dara Torres who won a medal as part of the US 4×100m relay and also came second in the 50m freestyle final. I’ve seen some suggest that she may be flagrantly using drugs. I must admit, it’s possible… but I can’t help but cheer for her anyway.
And what about Romanian Constantina Dita-Tomescu who won the women’s marathon. 38 years old and she just blitzed them. Amazing.
French cyclist Jeannie Longo only just missed winning a medal in her event. “When I race I don’t feel like I’m 50, I don’t race with a calendar. I had never felt as much power in me,” she said.
That’s it. I’ve got a new ambition and it involves a lot of 80s gym clothing. The Real Hot Bitches is a dance troupe formed in New Zealand. They’re a group of women (and some men) with a fantastic sense of humour who get together and perform very kitch dance routines to 80s songs. The costume of choice is bright lycra leotards, leg warmers and big hair.
They’re reliving the glory days of being an 11 year old, when you’d go off in your room, dance in front of the mirror and sing into a hairbrush. That’s just so me. You have no idea how completely HOT I was singing Joan Jett’s Do Ya Wanna Touch Me (There? Yeah!).
They encourage you to regularly repeat their mantra:
‘I am Real’,
‘I am Hot’,
‘I am Bitchin’,
‘I AM a Real Hot Bitch’
They’ve also got a fantastic Patrick Swaze-themed prayer which ends with:
Deliver us from stretch marks
For thine are the King of Dance
And No-one puts Baby in the corner
For ever and ever
Jazz-hands
They’ve now got a branch in Melbourne and I’m wondering if I should start my own group here. I’ve just got to find some leg warmers and spandex leggings.
It’s funny, I’ve just written a column for For The Girls about how much I’m enjoying the plethora of lycra on display at the Olympics so this seems to suit my mood perfectly.
There’s videos of the group performing at a huge NZ festival at Youtube.
Wasted far too much time this afternoon watching the synchronised diving, mainly because of the gorgeous guys in the Canadian team - Alexandre Despatie and Arturo Miranda. Lovely eye candy, especially given they’re wearing only Speedos for their events.
And Michael Phelps may be cleaning up the gold medals in Swimming, but who can deny that Eamon Sullivan is simply the most delectable guy at the pool.
NBC has a selection of male swimming torsos here but they fail by leaving out Eamon as far as I’m concerned. Check out the photos on Google if you’re not convinced of his inherent hotness.
So the Beijing Olympics are in full swing and that means I’m getting terribly distracted by gorgeous male swimmers, gymnasts, divers, rowers and… well pretty much all of them. There’s a veritable plethora of gloriously toned and muscled male flesh on display and a lot of the time its packed into lycra, as you can see in the video above.
Actually, I just had to include the clip from Roy and HG’s The Dream, which screened during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Damn, it was a good show and unfortunately they’re not doing it this time around.
The other thing about The Dream is it reminds me of just how fantastic things were during the Sydney Olympics. I’m something of a cynic but I look back and think that September 2000 was a good time to be alive. We’d just hit the millennium and it really did feel like the world might just stop being a shithole for once. There really was a lot of goodwill happening - towards Aborigines, towards women, towards other nations. North and South Korea marched together. And we were not taking it too seriously either, as you can see with Roy and HG. Everybody just wanted to get together, party and pretend that peace really was possible.
And then, pretty much a year later, two planes went into a building and it all went to hell.
Ah well. Enough negativity. Enjoy Roy and HG - and the evident excitement of the rowers. “They’re definitely not coxless teams.”
Today’s depressing censorship/thought crime news is that a woman has been sentenced to five years of probation for writing sex stories. Yes folks, for writing fiction.
I’ve already posted about this case. It’s difficult to speak out in defense of the author because the stories depicted child abuse, violence and rape - that’s why the government went after Karen Fletcher and her site Red Rose Stories. But this case sets a frightening precendent: you can be prosecuted for what you write.
An Australian man had his home raided and was prosecuted in May for reading these kinds of stories.
If anyone thinks that these sorts of stories are some kind of modern abberation, think again. Instead, check the library and the shelves of your average English lecturer at university. Fact is, stories about child rape are disturbingly common in erotic fiction.
For this month’s feature article at For The Girls I created a “top 11″ list of the best-known works of dirty writing; what could be known as the erotic canon. I hadn’t read most of them so I did a bit of preliminary reading for research. I was amazed to discover just how many of these hallowed literary works could be considered obscene according to the law post-Red Rose.
Sure, it’s easy to spot Lolita. Nabokov’s celebrated novel is about pedophilia and contains explicit sex scenes featuring a 12 year old girl. And the Marquis De Sade’s works are an endless litany of depravity and abuse (and have long been hailed as literary classics).
But did you know that Delta of Venus by Anais Nin opens with a rather shocking tale of incest and underage rape? Nin is often held up as the ultimate female-friendly author of erotica, so I was simply stunned to open the book and read those first few pages (check out the Amazon excerpt if you want to read it).
The Story of the Eye and Fanny Hill also offer explicit stories of underage sex.
How is it that we can go after one writer and yet exalt the works of others? And in the end, how can we justify prosecuting individuals when they’re guilty of merely writing (or reading) words on a piece of paper.
And now I’m some kind of pervert, apparently, because I’ve read what now amounts to literary child porn. Even if it is by Anais Nin. Send the thought police, please. I need to be saved from myself.
I’m up to my neck in reading entries from the short story competition at the moment, not much time for the blog. So here’s a great pic for Friday: A man whose cock can double as a bookshelf.
On Monday, the theme of the Oprah Winfrey show was “237 Reasons To Have Sex”. One segment on it was a relatively lengthy discussion of the usefulness of porn in spicing up a sex life. They also discussed the fact that women like porn and that - apparently - “in the $12 billion adult entertainment industry, $1 out of every $4 is spent by a woman.”
And Dr. Schwartz agrees with Janee that erotica has changed. “A lot of [filmmakers] have gotten really smart about putting together pornographic, explicit films that are not denigrating to women. None of us are going to get excited about seeing something where we feel bad for the woman.”
Dr. Saltz says that she will sometimes prescribe erotic films to her sex therapy patients to help enhance arousal and help couples feel more comfortable with their bodies.
I must admit, I watch Oprah. It’s on at lunchtime and I like to sit down and see if there’s a trainwreck happening. But in the last year or so, it’s like Oprah has just got… I don’t know… sensible. She gives sensible diet and health advice, she seems really comfortable with herself, her weight, her age. And now she’s encouraging porn. YAY! (Actually, she encouraged porn with last year’s article by Violet Blue in her magazine).
ANYWAY, aside from the general fabulousness of Oprah giving the thumbs up to female-friendly porn on her show, it’s made online adult retailer Gamelink sit up and take notice. The good news is they’re finally creating a proper women’s section on their site and are compiling a list of the best films for straight and lesbian women. Not sure when it will launch but hopefully it will be soon. I’ve actually been hassling Gamelink to do this for a long time, but I’m just a lowly affiliate so they weren’t so keen to listen.
Anything that pushes forward the profile of porn for women is to be welcomed!
Writer Jamye Waxman confirmed the rumours in this blog post. She says it’s a shame because Playgirl could never quite be the intelligent sex magazine for women it wanted to be.
The staff at Playgirl does get it, but what they were allowed to do with that knowledge never completely translated… both because their hands were always tied and because, well, the people who approve what you get don’t always understand where you’re coming from. Especially when they’re not the people who read a magazine like Playgirl.
Of course, the real issue is that Playgirl magazine has become a victim of technology. Why would anyone really bother with buying a hard copy sex magazine (and facing down the sales assistant as you hand over the money) when you can access smut online without leaving the house?
I actually suspect that Playgirl mag would have folded earlier if the company had been able to make use of their domain name before 2006. Up until that point a court order had prevented its use thanks to a wildly fraudulent episode with a scammer way back in 2000.
Nonetheless, it’s the end of an era. Playgirl mag was launched in 1973 as a feminist response to Playboy and it’s long been a flag of sexual equality for women… even though it’s usually considered a gay magazine.
As an Australian I’ve never actually read the US Playgirl. Our own version, Australian Women’s Forum, folded in 2001 thanks to censorship and declining readership. AWF had had its day. I like to think I carried the torch online - you’ll find many of the articles I wrote for AWF at For The Girls.
About This Blog
Ms Naughty is the creator of numerous adult sites for women, including
For The Girls. In the blog she
documents news relating to women's erotica and porn in general, along
with any other items that grab her attention.
Got something I should be writing about? Send me tips!
msnaughty AT msnaughty dot com
Please visit my kinky/alternative site Quirky
Sex!
Well, tomorrow I say goodbye to all this and head off for 6 weeks gallavanting around Europe. Well, France, mostly, but I’m also popping in to Switzerland and Italy and I’m also having a few nights in Amsterdam.
I’ve just finished watching The Black Glove to review it for 
The always-busy Erika Lust is due to release a new book this month called “X For Women” (more info 
Well, I think Naomi Wolf has lost it.
The winners of the 
On Monday, the theme of the Oprah Winfrey show was “237 Reasons To Have Sex”. 
Well, Playgirl Magazine is finished.
