Access is that most elusive quality that is granted to some who wield cameras. The best seem to command it of their subjects instantly, effortlessly. The rest of us work for every scrap we can get and hire the best camera people to buttress ourselves. Perhaps as a cheat, a short-circuit, we who shoot things with cameras for a living decide to use our friends as subjects from time to time. It is simply too enticing not to do.
When accepting her Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, Juno scribe Diablo Cody proudly displayed her bicep tat of a bikini-clad + rope bound lass, a visual reminder to viewers at home that Cody was once a stripper. And the dark humor that actress Ellen Page spits in Juno is strongly rooted in the self-aware and acerbic style of writing oft found in sex worker literature.
Women in the sex industry have historically been labeled as Victim with A Heart of Gold, Radical Feminist or Dumb Slut. Rarely are they seen as having any agency or complexity. Spread Magazine launched in 2005 to flip the script:
We believe that all sex workers have a right to self-determination; to choose how we make a living and what we do with our bodies. We aim to build community and destigmatize sex work by providing a forum for the diverse voices of individuals working in the sex industry.
For those dear readers who may be clucking and saying Not My World, let’s look at the webstat counter Alexa.com to see the story of Our Nation’s online activity.
Megarotic has more visits than Amazon, AOL and Blogger
YouPorn beats Digg and The New York Times
Adult Friend Finder…gets more love than MapQuest?
With porn’s market position as an ‘outsider industry’, we may be inclined to think that some of these xxxsites are clickbotting. While we may question Ms. Alexa, her stats are bandied about like Mr. Nielson’s ratings. Fact is, porn is no longer just “finding Dad’s Playboys” (i looked, alas he had none) or a dusty VHS. It’s everywhere and we’re all, shall we say, touched, by it.
Now Sex & The City EP Darren Star has an upcoming HBO series based on Tracy Quan’s Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl. Also coming, Washingtonienne and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.
Given that Carrie Bradshaw spawned trends like drinking Cosmos, lusting after Manohlo Blahniks and hearting Marc Jacobs, I’m curious to see what details our pop culture might take from an expensive prostitute. Going beyond any new trends, maybe this show and Diablo Cody’s high profile will begin to remix the public discussion of American sex workers and this naughty little $12 billion industry.
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UPDATES
4/24/08
What does it mean when Nintendo’s Wii has a stripper video game?
5/16/08
Teens + Sex and the City
6/10/08
NYT and 365 days of sex
Below is the Pecha Kucha presentation I gave at Hall & Partners about remix culture via urban planning. Before working with brands and film, I was an urban planner and did research in a raft of cities round the globe.
One thing planners have learned is that people have an innate need to remix and customize any urban system or grid that they encounter. Rules will be broken, it’s not about ‘if’, it’s ‘when & how’. See below Jason Lewis’s pics of skaters, parking garages and rollerrinks. Or take a look at HBO’s The Wire. Both engage in this dance of spatial rules and regulations…and are far better executed than my YouTubed musings.
Much love to all who rocked with us on Valentine’s Day. Cupid was flying high, we saw spin-the-bottle, some closeclose dancing and heard stories the next morn that made us blush. Stay warm by thinking spring thoughts, as soon comes June Fun and more of Dr. Desedo’s Magical Mischief.
It’s the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s album Thriller and his premiere of The Moonwalk. (ir)Regardless of the man, his tunes have stood the test of time. And beyond the music, it’s MJ on the MTV that made him the King of Pop. Last year prisoners in Manila doing Thrilla went viral. In 2008 will we see an en masse Moonwalk?
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Our valentine’s day bash, Seven Minutes in Heaven, successfully in the books, the hour for reflection is upon us. Here at Desedo Films, these skinny tie times have demanded much of us and our closets (let alone our chiseled physiques), not least of which being that we have had to vacate the double Windsor in favor of the Shelby. Our most recent hire, Jared, takes to the instruction with all the aplomb of a true gentleman.
In a fantastic NYT essay about Islamic women’s writing, the author Lorraine Adams includes this 1925 observation from Virginia Woolf about Brits ‘exploring’ the USA: “Excursions into the literature of a foreign country much resemble our travels abroad. Sights that are taken for granted by the inhabitants seem to us astonishing. … In our desire to get at the heart of the country we seek out whatever it may be that is most unlike what we are used to, and declare this to be the very essence.†In the West, it’s the hijab that often stirs controversy and is interpreted as the visual ‘essence’ of Islamic women. I offer not commentary, but some pics of hijab rocking fashionistas. And to see far more, check the blog Hijab Style.
Pics thanks to Iranian, Sartorialist, Istanbul Street Style,
