October - November 2001

Party Time

Pornography is an open exploration of fantasy, in part that of the director, models and photographer, but also the viewer, who adds the story. Seeing women explore one another sexually is usually a deeply gratifying sexual image for men, far less complex and emotionally challenging than it is when experienced in real life. But in real life, it's so beautiful and emotionally rewarding as to be well worth the effort and challenges of relationship, for everyone concerned.

[Digital renderings by Eric.].

 

One of the gifts of pornography is that it often portrays women as openly desiring and enjoying sex. This is a true escape for many men who are rather accustomed to many women, enamored of their sexual power, using it as the commodity, bargaining chip or symbolic experience it can surely be. In porn, we see women who just like to fuck, and who aren't ashamed of it, either. 'Hardcore' usually means, they want it, but in my experience, it's all pretty soft. Note his hands supporting her, and helping her balance.

Party time

Since it's Friday night, I thought I'd invite everyone to a porn party. Not into porn? Too bad... you're missing out on a fun way to play with sexuality. Porn isn't sex per se, not unless you're there while it's being made, which is another kind of fun.

The true concept behind pornography is the depiction of prostitution. In the very old days, when you would go to a whore, there would be pictures of what she offered on the wall: different positions or activities, and you would choose, and see your fee listed.

But it seems that the images, as often happens, became an art in themselves. There's a potential problem in that the pictures can get people, men and women, quite worked up, and then you don't have the whore to experience in her hot person, or his hot person, for that matter. But porn makes a fine masturbation enhancer, and an excellent partnersex enhancer, too. It helps us see sex as sex.

I am not sure what the "moral issue" of pornography is. Though I am a feminist, I have nothing in common with anti-porn so-called feminists, who are usually anti-sex as well. And messing with free speech in any form is ridiculous, anyway, especially if you pawn yourself off as some kind of liberal. Now, personally I would like to see better porn, more erotic porn, more sensual porn, more diverse porn, but that's an aesthetic.

We tend to be shocked by pornography because it allows us to go where our guilt will not usually permit. We get to look, to stare, to see, and the more prudish may either be stunned that someone could allow this, or be enticed to undress and show off what they've got. Pornography is exhibitionism, and guilt and shame have made us all flashers, to some degree; we need to relieve the pressure of that secrecy, somehow. I think porn is so popular because we want to be seen in this way, to have the whore aspect of our being emphasized. I believe that no person will be fully comfortable in their sexuality without being at peace with, and in harmony with, the whore attribute of being.

Perhaps the supposedly moral issue is that that pornography is work for hire, sexwork, that is. It is a form of prostitution. is this wrong? Why is any more wrong to get paid for cooking or making furniture? Because somebody said so!

Money for sex means the monetary exchange is up-front: the models get checks, the magazine or web site membership is paid for, taxes are handed over, and it's a clean deal. Most of the time, the sex-for money or sex-for security deal is covert. So porn doesn't just expose tits, ass, cock and cunt: like prostitution, it exposes the financial aspect of sex, and a method of using sex for money in a way that does not fit the image or agenda of the church (except in the case of brothels in Germany which financed cathedrals a while back, but dat's another story). The church has reserved one legit way for women to sell sex: in marriage. Here, we are in the heartland of Scorpio country, which sign's themes (like our house the 8th) include matrimony, investment and inheritance, all of which are relationships with others in which sex potentially plays a starring role, whether love is present or not.

Porn reminds women that they have other options.

Porn reminds men and women that men can just buy sex if they need it, or masturbate, and this represents a level of freedom from the very formidable sexual power of women.

In this gallery, I'll be looking at porn which features women. I'll cover images of men in another edition. Pornography photographers often go uncredited. I've been paying attention: some of their work is excellent.