The first time I discovered the salacious attraction of porn I was young, perhaps 10. A friend next door found a pack of playing cards in her parents’ room, and a group of us huddled in hushed wonderment—filled with fear, fascination and disgust—staring at the photos of men and women engaged in various sex acts. Of course, this was the sort of secret no child could keep, and once my mother found out, she banned me from playing there ever again. I was furious, and secretly glad. It was scary.
The next time I ran across nude photos, we were visiting a friend in a remote, artistic community, the sort of town to have an eclectic and independent bookstore. That’s where I encountered a coffee table book devoted to “Nudes.” Big, bold and filled with hundreds of photos, I sat for a long time on the floor, mesmerized. Instinctively, I knew that these were okay to look at; these pictures were different. At the time, I couldn’t explain why.
A few stolen viewings of pornographic films seen when I was a young adult left me feeling emotionally bereft. That my body responded with the motions of arousal when I saw what I saw only worsened my shame. Whether someone was titillated by what we saw, even if we were unwilling to admit to it, was the result of people being exploited. For this reason, I mostly avoided it, preferring my private flesh fantasies to watching others fuck for money.
It would take years to realize that for many women sexual desire came from regions several inches above our genitals, and that lubricating vaginas did not necessarily pulse in tempo with our brains and our hearts.
The next time I ran across nude photos, we were visiting a friend in a remote, artistic community, the sort of town to have an eclectic and independent bookstore. That’s where I encountered a coffee table book devoted to “Nudes.” Big, bold and filled with hundreds of photos, I sat for a long time on the floor, mesmerized. Instinctively, I knew that these were okay to look at; these pictures were different. At the time, I couldn’t explain why.
A few stolen viewings of pornographic films seen when I was a young adult left me feeling emotionally bereft. That my body responded with the motions of arousal when I saw what I saw only worsened my shame. Whether someone was titillated by what we saw, even if we were unwilling to admit to it, was the result of people being exploited. For this reason, I mostly avoided it, preferring my private flesh fantasies to watching others fuck for money.
It would take years to realize that for many women sexual desire came from regions several inches above our genitals, and that lubricating vaginas did not necessarily pulse in tempo with our brains and our hearts.
Amazing article! And now I really want to see that film!
"in truly great sex, the idea of selfishness disappears because your partner’s ecstasy becomes your own; you become more and more aroused by seeing them aroused. It’s a purely generous feeling...."
YES, YES, YES, Shout it from the roof tops YES !!! So happy to hear you say this! Thank you...
YES! YOU ARE WELCOME MARTIN! And thanks for commenting - you too Darling Jen.
Isn't it funny? The quote I immediately seized upon was the same as Martin. There's a sense that one person's unselfishness feeds that same trait in a partner. It's a force so powerful, it may even plant seeds and grow a fulfilling sense of sexual generosity one where none existed previously.
Great piece.
(Let's try that one again, POST-coffee!)
Isn't it funny? The quote I immediately seized upon was the same as Martin. There's a sense that one person's unselfishness feeds that same trait in a partner. It's a force so powerful, it may even plant seeds and grow a fulfilling sense of sexual generosity where none existed previously.
Great piece.
PS: (I shared this one on my Facebook fan page.)
love love love this article! My views on pornography are constantly changing. It is a subject I struggle with. This has helped me open my mind up. I have never understood the phrases such as 'female centered' or erotica or porn geared toward women. It seems sexist to me. Everyone is different. Some females prefer genres typically geared toward men, and vice versa.
Well, geez, sister T, I read this a while back not realizing you wrote it - lol. I checked out whatever one could online about the Matinee movie and it certainly is intriguing.
A "Conscious Male" P.O.V.
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I have to admit that I have my male shorts (in my case briefs, not boxers) a bit in a wad when when things like this are deemed female-centric. Not that I don't understand why -- you know me well enough, misogynist I ain't by a long shot. I've seen the pain of rape and abuse of women in very personal ways.
I suppose it's more a kind of sadness-laced "Why can't 'we men' come up with more soulful stuff of this genre or beyond?" reaction woven into my reaction to female-centric. Sure, my personal albeit gently exhibitionist video/photo work points in that direction, but it is as you know, the versions that "show all" are a very private, very limited viewing thing. Why so?
In part, simple setting of boundaries. But truth is it is the fear of being judged as a perver or narcissistic "Oh, there goes another man infatuated with his penis. Sheeeeeezus, guys are such morons...." That being what I'd not like from the women side of things.
The men side, well, that could be even worse. From being seen as some "pinko commie new age faggot" to who knows what else. And I'm not even gay - though also not a homo-bi-trans or any other lifestyle phobe either. I may not be a wild guy who skates around the sexual buffet table nibbling at every entree (and/or sortie? ;o) but also no prude either.
I'm also turned off by the vast majority of porn -- there is too much underlying desperation-to-be-sexy going on. Not to mention the thing that really pisses me off... young, stunningly pretty women I'd die to touch yet that "look" in the eye as they "service" some guy: "God, I hate doing this but I need the money... and this guy kind of scares me too." Let's not even go into kiddy porn.
I can only watch something that you would in fact call woman-centric -- where I see that the woman is actually REALLY enjoying herself. Be it a blow job or whatever with her boyfriend. Even if its technically "porn". One can tell right away (or at least I can) whether there is actually some love in the room or not.
One more reason I'd be considered a "pinko commie new age faggot."
Point: Call it prudence, dicernment and/or my being a weenie, but I'm certainly not ready to go out and show myself in a public way- solo or with another at this point in the nude. The only way I could do it would be that there would be love in my own or her own room if she would like to co-star in some very sweetly passionate sacred sex, "sex-as-prayer" with me.
Yet even then... I don't know if I'd want her to be subjected to the lances of judgment either.
Maybe it's a matter of being patient and waiting until there is a sufficient opening in the collective to be able to start to show sex as sacred passion.
I wrote a scene in a TV mini-series script now shelved in a way that was actually PG to R-rated and it was really cool -not female-centric, not male-centric. It was human love-centric yet also mystical due to some nice light effects.
That was in 1999 or so and the story was pre-911 so a bit dated.
But that scene is also still shelved.
Thanks for reading and glow on, sister.
Philip Steven Knight
CompassionSensuality.Net
[https://www.compassionsensuality.net]
"The softest thing in the universe overcomes the hardest thing in the universe." ~ Tao Te Ching
Neat