Vintage Pulp Shoot Causes Friction
Is art portraying violence against women and men crossing a line?
Paying for It
Chester Brown is out about being a john. Here is his fascinating story in pictures.
Out About Being a Sex Worker
Are you out about being a sex worker? Why is it such a big deal?
Moongasm on Monks Mound
There's nothing like the magic of the full moon to make daydreams come true.
Vintage Pulp Shoot Causes Friction
By Kendra Holliday | May 21, 2012 at 4:00 pm
I’m a member of the STL Alternative Models and Photography Group (AMP) on Meetup. It’s led by Teya King, one of the most fearless and brazen women in town. She’s a tireless performer, model, and activist. She runs a workout boot camp that leaves Marines in the dust.
The group is always holding theme shoots, and one in particular caused quite an uproar in the local art community. Intrigued and amused, I asked Teya about it, and here is what she had to say:
“As I always do, I wanted to have a genre-specific photography event and I thought Vintage Pulp would be a fun and exciting genre for our group. Vintage Pulp is a classic genre, used on the covers of many, many crime novels and also, of course, the main genre of the movie Pulp Fiction (from where I got the idea).
The models and photographers were instructed to stay with the theme by dressing in Vintage Pulp costumes, and to do their best to recreate Vintage Pulp scenes from books and artwork. I was VERY specific that I wanted my female models to look “beautifully fucked-up” and for my male models to look like drug-addicts, thugs, gangsters, losers or a combination of all, ha. A lot of people brought their own vintage weapons, including classic sub-machine guns, realistic-looking plastic knives and guns and swords and syringes – you name it. The models were FANTASTIC. There was a lot of simulated violence, sexually suggestive scenes, blood and gore. It was GREAT! Here are some examples from the shoot:
Photo by Mike Estes, from Vintage Pulp photoshoot
His Favorite Lingerie
By Kendra Holliday | May 19, 2012 at 10:25 am
My man likes the sexy dresses, fishnet stockings and all that, but what he loves most is the casual, natural look.
Jeans and a tank top, no bra:
Hanging out at home wearing jeans & tank top
Stripped down just a little bit more:
Live
These boy shorts say: life . energy . intelligence
What attire do you find sexiest?
Improving Your Sex Life
By Kendra Holliday | May 18, 2012 at 4:32 pm
We all deserve happy relationships! Try something new! Photo by Steve Truesdell
Ed Note: The following is a guest post by Brandy.
Many couples who have been together for a long time have a problem that is difficult to admit to, let alone set about fixing: their sex lives become stale after a while. In some ways, this is perfectly normal. There are plenty of ways of avoiding the problem, but the reality is that lots of couples stop trying new things at a certain point, and not long after that they lose some level of interest in each other.
Of course, the important question becomes this: how do you reinvigorate a sex life that has lost some of its excitement? There are a number of things you can do to address this sort of issue, and fortunately most of them are quite simple. But here are a few ideas that often help couples who are struggling sexually.
• Communicate – It seems like the simplest thing you could possibly say to people who have been in a relationship, but at the same time it is something that many people need to remind themselves of. It’s okay to be open and honest with your sexual partner, and it is a simple fact that the only way to help your partner to better understand your needs and desires is to explain them.
• Try new things – Communication is important, but it isn’t enough on its own. You also need to be ready and willing to try new things in bed. This might mean simply doing something different for your partner, or it may even mean going a bit further, perhaps looking into sex toys and accessories some place like adameve.com. If you have never tried anything like this before, it may seem like a bit of a strange step to take – but at the same time, there are plenty of couples out there who would encourage you to try it!
• Have fun – Many people, especially struggling couples, find that sex becomes a bit too serious. Granted, there are times and moods for this, but in general, sex is supposed to be enjoyed by both people. Obviously, it is important to be passionate and romantic in your sexual relations with your partner, but if you try to also maintain the idea that what you are doing is fun, then you are likely to notice a reinvigorated sex life. Once you re-establish a fun attitude, you will likely find that you are more confident with your communication and experimentation as well!
Paying for It
By Kendra Holliday | May 15, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Chester Brown's Paying for It
In our society, the world’s oldest occupation – prostitution – is still such a taboo subject.
I do it, I have friends who do it, but we can’t really speak of it freely.
You’ll notice when Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a slut and a whore, all of us sluts rose to her defense and proudly declared ourselves sluts. But the whores kept pretty quiet. No one was ready to own THAT word.
Pretty much everyone has an opinion about prostitution, which is fine, but personally I care more about the opinions of people who have firsthand experience, as seen in this comments thread on a blog post by Greta Christina.
Cartoonist Chester Brown is out about being a john. What’s more, he’s unapologetic and unashamed. Oftentimes, men who pay for sex are thought of as losers.
“I’m very far from being sad or lonely,” he says in his memoir, Paying for It
Not only does this book allow us to peek into the world of prostitution (set in Toronto, where prostitution is decriminalized), but it also delves deep into the concept of polyamory, monogamy, jealousy and romantic love.
Brown came to form a series of relationships with various prostitutes (or “escorts,” as some huffily insist on being called) due to finally deciding that boyfriend/girlfriend relationships bring too much unhealthy baggage to the table. Better to be friends with someone and skip all the drama brought on by the false ownership of romantic love. (See the book Sex at Dawn for the history of marriage being a possessive endeavor with unfortunate consequences.)
The book offers an appendix that intelligently and logically explores the most common arguments against prostitution. (more…)
Out About Being a Sex Worker
By Kendra Holliday | May 15, 2012 at 6:19 am
Workin' it! Photo by Connie LaFlam
I received an interesting letter the other day:
Dear Kendra,
I was reading an article on your website where you talked about what life was like for you when you lost your job and the whole legal issues with your marriage. I was going through the list of jobs you have done to pay your bills and one caught my attention: ‘sex work’.
What was your thought about being a sex worker before you actually found yourself in the profession and now that you’ve been through that what do you think of it?
Was it an easy transition for you to make?
I’m glad that you have a job now and can pay your bills and take care of other things but I was wondering if you could make more money being a sex worker, would you leave you current job?”
Such a good question!
Well, here’s the long and short of it: I have a full-time job that pays $15/hour. After taxes and benefits, that makes each paycheck about $900. My monthly expenses are about $2500.
That means I need a part-time job to supplement my income. It’s hard to swing that when you have a kid, as your schedule needs to remain flexible. I do some writing and consulting gigs, but to be honest with you, I couldn’t get by without a couple of intimate sessions a month.
In other words, I still do sex work.
Moongasm on Monks Mound
By Kendra Holliday | May 11, 2012 at 5:31 am
Last Saturday was the night of the Super Moon, the one time of year when the full moon would be closest to Earth.
Full moon
We had spent the day hopping from friend to party to friend to parade, drinking and being merry – it was a full day. It was a LOT of day!
It was a great day.
After the craziness of the Cinco de Mayo festival on Cherokee Street, we chilled at our friend Shine’s house. It was a stark contrast to the packed street party that was jammed with people, bright lights, and HEAT – Shine’s house was cool, dim, and surrounded by resting plants. It was just the four of us.
Monks Mound - the largest human-made mound in the United States
She mentioned that the night before, she had been to Monks Mound to celebrate the moon. Monks Mound is in Cahokia Mounds, across the river in Collinsville, IL. Monks Mound is the largest human-made mound in the country. She spoke of how powerful it was to be so close to the moon, fog in the valleys, the energy of all the people who had once been there…. 20,000 people lived there, making it larger than London in 1250 AD.
After a raucous family dinner, we made our way over to Illinois. The surrounding area was a little eerie – rundown homes, race track, landfill, liquor stores, ghost towns – a lot of buried dreams.
It was dark. We parked near the mound. Technically the place was closed, but it felt like a free country and we meant no harm, so we ventured out into the moon-drenched surrounding meadowscape.
I was barefoot, wearing a soft, flowing moon dress. We held hands and walked toward the looming mound. No one was around.
Up the first level we went, then the second. Finally, we were at the top. (more…)
Lingerie from BodyKandi
By Kendra Holliday | May 9, 2012 at 11:46 am
I am such a MILF.
Here I am, modeling a seamless teddy-fishnet with detachable garters by BodyKandi. One size fits 80 – 160 lbs? I’m about 130 lbs right now.
It’s super comfy, stretchy soft fabric. I LOOOOVE fishnet!
One night I wore it without the garters:
Fishnet teddy by BodyKandi
Next, I accessorized with gloves and fishnet stockings (they were not included – got the gloves at Johnny Brocks and the stockings at Hustler):
Accessorizing with BodyKandi
Episode 22: Can You Tell Me How to Get to Beaver Street?
By Kendra Holliday | May 7, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Robert Rosen, author of Beaver Street, shares personal stories about what the New York porn industry was like during the Reagan administration. He also talks about interesting fetishes!
Should We Warn Our Children About Middle School?
By Kendra Holliday | May 7, 2012 at 11:00 am
Welcome to middle school
What was middle school like for you?
For me, it was hell.
In 5th grade I was popular, the class clown. In 6th grade, I was one of the best artists in my class.
In 7th and 8th grade, I was stripped of all humanity and treated like a total piece of nerd shit. And that’s coming from a “straight” middle-class white girl in a great school district. I can’t imagine what it’s like for minorities even more minor than me.
I tried so hard to fit in. I felt bad for being smart. I lost my ability to draw. I cringed walking down the hall. I shrank in my seat every time someone hissed, “NERD” at me. I put on lots of makeup and tried shaping my bangs into a poofy satellite dish with hairspray like the popular girls did, but it always split and drooped, sodden with AquaNet. I tried shopping at the malls, but couldn’t afford $60 sweaters and jeans, so I would try to make do with bargain sweaters and jeans. But the bullies were able to sniff out the off-brands and somehow KNEW I wore that same sweater five days ago.
I felt doomed and alone. I clung to the other outcasts and nerds. Somehow, we survived.
The other day I posed a question on Twitter: “What was middle school like for you? Adjectives, please.”
The responses came pouring in, raw as hamburger:
Terrible, miserable, horrible, emotional, painful, depressing. I could go on all day.
Beyond fucked. Heartbreaking, lonely, isolating.
I dropped out of school in both middle school and Jr high because school was such hell for me.
God-forsaken, flaming, conspiratorial
It sucked! so did JH & HS. I felt like my only choices were to stay loaded or die. I was so desperately unhappy.
terrible, miserable, horrible, emotional, painful, depressing. I could go on all day.
I had a miserable time in middle school
Middle school should come with a mental health warning! It was so soul-destroying for me.
Middle school orientation pamphlets should say to kids “this is gonna suck, people are mean, but just make it through these two years”
I had a friend commit suicide in 8th grade. It was the worst pain ever.
heinous. Heinous. Heinous.
middle school is a circle of hell all by itself.
Yeah, me too. (more…)
Update on No Shave May
By Kendra Holliday | May 6, 2012 at 11:34 am
I’ve been wearing a lot of sexy, slinky dresses lately sans stockings. I have to admit I felt nervous a couple times and wondered if anyone noticed my stubble. If they did, they didn’t mention it.
Here is my hairy leg, soaking in the tub:
Haven't shaved since late April
It also feels strange saving a few steps getting ready for a date or going out. I keep thinking I need to budget an extra 15 minutes for shaving in the shower, but nope, I get to skip it! One woman commented online that shaving was “classy.” I guess that means I’m being uncouth? Oh well, I never claimed to be a lady!
SIGH. I’ll never get this hairy!
This chest makes an excellent tuffet
This pic was taken on a lazy Sunday morning, lounging around in bed, feeling furry and loved….
