the summer of objectification

The Kansas City Star reports on the current trend of women ogling sexy men; the Atlantic Wire responds by taking issue with the idea that this is a "way for over-objectified women to even out the playing field, in which more women are 'sexualized' than are men in the first place." Or the notion that, "Everyone wants to be sexually objectified because they want other people to think that they’re sexy.”

I agree that a simplistic 'right-back-at-you' attitude doesn't amount to all that much progress, but the Atlantic Wire piece risks missing something crucial here when it dismisses women lusting for men as somehow the inauthentic result of women following the "media sex-hype machine." Do we consider the hype about Fifty Shades of Grey as an opportunity for women to get "excited and invigorated with the idea that we can try something new, get creative and have fun here," as the owner of the feminist sex shop Smitten Kitten does, or is the media craze causing women to do what is "prescribed to us in books and movies and by the media and Hollywood in general," as the author of the Atlantic Wire piece argues? 

feminist erotic film director erika lust on porn and parenting

Last month, feminist erotic film director Erika Lust had a guest article in Marie Claire Spain where she talked about her vision for a new kind of adult cinema, and answered questions about how her work affects her personal life and parenting. This week, she has a post at the Huffington Post Canada where she writes about porn and parenting, specifically talking with your kids about porn. Responding to two recent large news publications about porn and parenting, she concludes that she is

thrilled when parenting and sexuality intersects, and appreciate the debates and conversations that arise when it does. So I'm particularly excited when two large news publications cover the topic of porn and parenting back-to-back like this. These discussions remind us that, just like one can't rely on TV to be a babysitter, one can't rely on porn to be their child's sole sex-educator. That information has to come from the parent before they seek porn or have sex, and then maybe they'll have a chance to be able to distinguish between good and bad porn, reality and fantasy, and leave them more connected to others and the outside world.

Check out Erika's post here: The Kind of Porn You SHOULD be Watching

is queer more feminist?

Erotic filmmaker Louise Lush aka Ms. Naughty, a former librarian turned webmistress behind the largest domain network of porn aimed at straight women, has published a comprehensive article on feminist porn. The article covers the history and ethics of feminist porn and its various definitions and facets in terms of content and style. The article concludes with some thoughts on the future of feminist porn, including its financial challenges and whether it will continue to be known as "feminist porn:"

What happens next with feminist porn is anyone's guess. It's growing in popularity and influence, with more major porn studios beginning to take notice of the trend, but porn is at something of a crossroads at present, with declining revenues thanks to piracy and flailing world economies. Most feminist porn productions are independent, created on shoestring budgets and without major distribution outlets. Clearly, profit margins are a factor in the continuing growth of this kind of porn.

cupido international erotic film award 2012

Cupdio, Norway's leading sex-positive lifestyle magazine and retailer, is hosting its first Cupido International Erotic Film Award this fall. The award, which I'll be emceeing, will take place during the 2012 Cupido Festival in Oslo at Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania, September 7. - 9. This first year of the award, the focus is on short films. We are currently in the process of narrowing down the list of nominated short films; progressive erotic films released since Cupido's launch in 1984.