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Showing posts with label Human sexuality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human sexuality. Show all posts

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Naked Pinays on the Internet


Some sort of a research reveals that women have wide-ranging sexual interests and are savvy enough to figure out how to harness technology to pursue their erotic desires -- and occasionally make some money doing it. This is not surprising, even for Pinays, but you won't hear this general assumption on the evening news. Yes, women are slipping into sex the internet, and while the rare cynical comment and the nifty draw on individual tales expands the speculative pitch, they don't undermine the seriousness of the work.

Most fascinating is how sex workers nowadays are beginning to ascertain themselves as legitimate voices in the changing sphere of female sexuality. The internet itself has changed sex work extensively, but it has also brought more Pinays into the field, many of whom don't think of themselves as "sex workers." If a Pinay models fetishy outfits once or twice a year for cash to spend on a new tattoo, is she a sex worker? If she dances naked on webcam in an adult community but don't get paid for it, is she a sex worker, an erotic artist or both?

While a number of Pinays explore sexuality online for personal reasons and have no intention of making it a side business, much less a career, there is much more to learn from their' stories. Real women, of various ages and backgrounds and moral codes, are finding their sexual power online.

The problem is how the mainstream media treat sex technology. Technology is bad, sex is bad and anything that combines women and sex and technology is some sort of triple-whammy threat. Yet when it comes to specifics, the media are remarkably fuzzy. There’s now a question rooted in crazy technophobia that's all put off on the internet. Meeting people could be dangerous. But what's the characterization of danger? Does it suggest that you are prone to get murdered or raped? Maybe not. But are you going to have a bizarre experience? Acquire an STD? Break your heart? Danger on that scale is realistic -- but not necessarily tied to the internet.

Probably, meeting people online is much safer than meeting in a bar. There's no alcohol involved (well, there can be). But when you meet a stranger in a bar, how much can you really know before you take him/her home? The idea that meeting online is dangerous is sometimes helpful because it gets people to take steps to make things safer. What's funny is that sex workers, before and after the internet, have always had very elaborate check-in systems, with other workers, with friends, maybe an agency or escort service. Someone else knows where they are at all times. They tell someone where they are meeting, as much as they can about who they are meeting, and set a time to call. They also tell the person they're meeting that they have given this information to a friend and that they will check in. The exact same advice is listed on a lot of dating sites -- the same safety tips go for online daters as for escorts!

Now, for our dear Pinays who dare the internet for what it can offer in terms of relationship and acquaintances, sexual connections is an issue that only you can handle with utmost care and candor. Cyber technology is such a convenient medium. The risk is there but also with any other relationship. When the time for you to reveal yourself and open up your character comes – getting naked so to speak – your personal reasons are your own lookout.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Take Back Your Body Image

Some of us are incredibly enthusiastic about our bodies. But for many of us it's a long and hard internal battle that we fight every day.

The promise of a "new sexy you" is the basis of the entire beauty and fashion industry. We are continually encouraged to "find our perfect palette" complete the "6-week body makeover," and change our hair color to "transform our life." The traditional makeover inevitably injects us with a serious dose of insecurity and inadequacy. Why must we feel prospectively bad about ourselves so that we can retrospectively feel better? Hmm. Something about the whole damn concept seems rather backward.

We are plucked, buffed, preened, and altered. But at the end of this elaborate, time-consuming, and often painful makeover experience, are we experiencing more sexual pleasure? We think not.

Our culture is obsessed with the female body. Today the bar for normality is set in the pages of InStyle, Vogue, and Elle. We should look just like celebrities and models. We need to be perfect. Free of cellulite. Free of wrinkles. Free of blemishes. Free of anything unsightly. Simply divine.

Let's get real!

This model of the female body is pure fantasy. Our bodies go through changes every day and every year as we grow as women. Some of these changes are related to our cycles, and others are unpredictable. We get PMS, we ovulate, we get pregnant, get fit, get sick, get tattoos, have surgery -- and our libidos are rolled up in all of these transformations. In fact, our reproductive capacity necessitates that our weight and bodily proportions naturally change from puberty to menopause, and for good reason. Ironically, most women spend their entire adult lives struggling against nature.

Pleasure Tip: Redefining what a sexy woman looks like is up to us. Let those women's magazines know how tired you are of the unrealistic images in their glossy pages. Sign an open letter to the editors of your favorite women's magazine, and cut the last strings of your bad-body-image dependencies.


About the author:
Melinda Gallagher, M.A., and Emily Scarlet Kramer are the cofounders of CAKE, an entertainment company dedicated to providing education and information about female sexual culture. Melinda Gallagher is a sexuality professional with a master's degree in human sexuality and public health from NYU. Emily Kramer received her B.S. in women's studies from Columbia University. They both live in New York City. They have spent the last five years writing, speaking as experts in the field of sexuality, and actively educating women on the subject. For more information, please check out www.cakenyc.com.
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