Category Archives: Body Politics

Boobs are getting a lot of press at the moment, between the new movement to ban The Sun’s Page 3 almost-nude photo, and the furore over Kate Middleton’s topless sunbathing. Both stories show how far we have not travelled.

The Sun began featuring an image of a topless model on Page 3 of its daily newspaper in 1970. Over the years, several attempts to ban this practice have failed. In August, author and actor Lucy-Anne Holmes began her ‘No More Page 3’ campaign. Her petition on Change.org is gathering signatures fast. Holmes is hoping that the tide of social opinion is ready to turn.

The problem with Page 3 is that it sexualises women generally. A naked woman is not a news story. It simply panders to a male reader’s sexual desires. How it makes the women feel, sitting on either side of him on a packed commuter train, is often different. Objectifying women in a newspaper reinforces the notion that all women are sexually available at all times and are ultimately “sluts”. It’s perhaps not the right media in which to address sexual desire.

I don’t think Page 3 should be banned – that’s yet another form of censorship – but it is outdated. If Britain is an equal society, and The Sun insists on printing semi-naked women each day, then where are the semi-naked men? Does only 50 percent of the population deserve to be titillated?

At least The Sun’s models are choosing to pose (and are getting paid) for appearing topless. Kate most certainly is not. But a naked celebrity is, it seems, newsworthy. And the higher up the social scale a woman is regarded, the greater the scandal when topless images (or worse) appear. This takes us back to the old dichotomy of women being either “whores” or “madonnas”, when in fact we are somewhere in between and our personalities are multi-faceted.

I think it is great that Kate enjoys sunbathing semi nude. I do too and sunbathe in my birthday suit whenever I can. I like to feel the warm rays all over my body and never mind about pesky strap marks! I took my kit off once for a Marie Claire story on female body confidence, but I would be very pissed off if images of me sunbathing naked in my garden were taken surreptitiously and plastered all over the tabloids and the Internet. I value my privacy and want to be in control of what I share with the world.

The Palace seemed to react faster to, and with greater condemnation of, publication of images of Kate topless, than to images of Prince Harry naked (and apparently having sex on cam) that appeared just a few weeks earlier. Perhaps the scandal was all the greater because Harry is just “one of the lads, letting off steam” (one of the prerogatives of men are in our society), whereas Kate’s reputation was unblemished and as a female expectations of “decency” are so much higher. Now she too has been sexualised.

I don’t envy Kate – A clotheshorse for British fashion houses, and one of the most photographed women in the world, must she always be judged for her looks rather than her brain? Kate did nothing wrong. Her privacy was violated. Now everyone knows that she is human, like the rest of us.

I was shocked to learn that apparently in the last 10 years the number of women who had through the surgery on their vagina to minimise their labia (labiaplasty) has increased fivefold. Last year, 2000 women had the surgery done on the NHS. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, as there is no data available as to how many women had this surgery done privately.

Sarah Creighton, a clinical gynaecologist at the University College London Hospital, states that there is a massive increase in teenagers and young women who request this surgery even though they have perfectly normal and healthy vaginas. Creighton and clinical psychologist Lih-Mei Liao confirm that one of the reasons why so many women think their vagina is “not normal” is because there are hardly any images of normal vaginas published anywhere that women could look at for reassurance.

Porn usually shows one kind of vagina with very small inner labias, almost like the vagina of a child. I realized how taboo the average vagina of a fully-grown woman is in porn when during the screening of my film “the Female Voyeur” there were gasps in the audience when the full and large inner labia of one of my performers becomes visible. I was surprised because that is how my pussy and the pussy of a lot of my girlfriends looks too.

I got the information on the increase in labiaplasties from the centerfold project. This project created a fantastic animated film about three women who had labiplasties. The film, directed by Ellie Land, features genuine interviews and illustrates these with animated pictures. It is an eye-opener as it makes clear that labiaplasty is no small cosmetic procedure and no quick fix as one of the women who had the procedure hates her pussy just as much as before.

Maybe this woman might have chosen not to have the painful procedure if they had seen the wonderful variety of pussies as documented in the fantastic ground-breaking photo book “Das Tor ins Leben” (The Gate to Life) by Grit Scholz. Or maybe the monumental sculpture “The Great Wall of Vagina” featuring the casts of 400 vaginas from all over the world can inspire other women to love their own unique vagina just the way it is rather than going under the knife. The sculpture features small and large labias, tiny and big clits, pubes and shaved skin – the variety is wonderful. And I am proud to say that one of the many pussies in this sculpture is mine.

Sadly the quest for the ‘perfect pussy’ can come at a high price: Sarah Creighton warned in an article in the British Medical Journal that “Incision to any part of the genitalia could compromise sensitivity!” Don’t risk losing sensitivity in your biggest erogenous zone just for the ‘perfect’ trimmed look but enjoy your pussy in all its magnificence.

The sun has just come out and I have nipped to the garden to feel the warm rays all over my body. I love being nude especially in the sun and sea – it makes me feel free. It is such a shame that there are so few places where it is Ok to be nude. Having grown up in Germany, I was used to nude mixed gender saunas. It was a shock when I walked into an all female sauna in London for the first time in the nude and all the other women were dressed in bathing suits. I learnt that nudity was not optional but forbidden – even in an all female environment.

In my gym’s female changing room the women wrap behind their towels when they take their clothes off and kids run around covering their bits in shame. I have fond memories of playing naked on the beach as a kid, blissfully unaware that this could be taboo, bad, wrong. Nowadays there is no nudist beach near where I live and as an adult I would be committing an offence if I took my kit off in full view of other bathers. So I swim out in my bikini and take it off when I am far out, so I can feel the sea over my body. It is incredible what a difference a tiny bit of material makes when it covers some of the most sensitive parts of your body. When you remove it, it awakens you senses and sets you free.

Not many of us are happy in our own skin. Many women and men feel extremely uncomfortable when naked. Women tend to compare their bodies with the much publicised images of models’ bodies that have been airbrushed to perfection. And because our bodies do not look like theirs, many of us choose to cover up rather than strip off.

Male nudity is an even greater taboo: Unless you go to a museum to look at ancient paintings or statues, we hardly ever see a nude man. Men’s bodies are mostly hidden. Even in most porn we do not see many the male bodies but usually just dismembered hard (and never flaccid) cocks. Even though magazines could publish shots of naked men as long as the ‘angle of the dangle’ is no greater than 45 degrees, we just do not see men in the buff. We see steeled torsos and abs on the cover of fitness magazines and that is it.

This is why I love the JUNGSHEFT which features photos of real men (in all shapes and sizes) fully nude with flaccid, semi erect and erect cocks. Women have a lot of catching up to do in looking at nude men. We all have plenty of experiences in being looked at. It is enjoyable to turn the tables and be the observer for a change.

Nudity has been sexualised. Female nudity is used to sell products and male nudity usually appears only in porn. But nudity does not have to be sexual but can be a way to reclaim our bodies and be body-positive – lumps bumps and all. I love to hang out with other nude people who are also comfortable in their own skin. At the small hippy festivals I visit in the summer, there are large groups of naked people sitting in a field, enjoying music and the sun – all of us reclaiming our birthright.

I find it unbelievable that the naked rambler has been sent to prison simply for enjoying taking hikes in the buff. How come it is such a huge offence not to wear clothes in public? Why do we have to lock a naked hiker up as if he were a criminal? Some brave non-conformists pay a very high price for their ideals. In order to defend their freedom, they lose it and get locked up.

This is why groups like the “naked vegan cooking” and events like the world-wide “naked bike ride” are so important. We do not want to restrict our freedom to be nude to our own four walls but want to be free outdoors too. We do not want to hide our bodies or be sexualised the moment we appear naked in public. Who needs fig leaves when there is nothing to be ashamed of?

What is it about cross-dressing men that creates such a fuss?

Alex Reid’s photo in drag (dressed up for a Fetish party) was front page news in the UK tabloids. He was called a “freaky gay… doing sick things” by his ex’s new boyfriend Leonardo Penna. He is now and forever referred to as a cross dresser, nudge, nudge, wink, wink – as if that discredits him for any professional achievements (in the oh so macho world of cage fighting) or sexual relationships with women. In chat rooms he is called “disgusting” and women tweet that “they like their men to look like men”.

But what does a real man look like? Do we really want to limit acceptable looks of the male gender to muscle mass and body hair? What is wrong with a guy who enjoys cross-dressing, wearing make-up or generally embracing his femininity?

In the mainstream media gender-bending women are considered “cool” and “sexy”. Lady Gaga’s alter ego Joe Calderone made positive headlines. But the androgynous model Andrej Pejic who walked in both men’s and women’s fashion shows for Jean Paul Gaultier, has been called “a thing” in FHM magazine. It is not surprising that a lad’s mag, firmly rooted in a world where “real men” rule and women are the only accepted objects of desire, can not handle a person with a male birth certificate and a feminine look. Pejic is strong and proud and refuses to be labelled in any shape or form.

In a recent interview with the New York Magazine he said: “I choose to leave my gender open to artistic interpretation. I just want to look like me. It just so happens that some of the things I like are feminine.”

Andrej also refuses to define his sexuality but confirms that straight men always hit on him (assuming he is female) and that a lot of “wild girls” who are bi-curious like him. He leaves it up to our imagination what turns him on.

The golden rule that men need to be “real men” or super macho is never more obvious than in straight porn. Men have to be tough and rough and always in control. They want to fuck her up the ass but will not even take a finger, let alone a strap-on up their bum on camera. The prostate is one of the biggest erogenous zone for men, yet in straight porn it is largely taboo. Male bisexuality is another massive taboo in mainstream porn. We see usually how two men “do a woman” and shake hands with their mate when the “spit roast” her but they make dam sure that they don’t touch each other anywhere in a sensual way. Not just penetration but also oral sex or just kissing and stroking are strictly forbidden.

In the world of mainstream porn it is as if sexuality is always clear-cut: there are the hetero pumpers and grinders or the gay porn studs. You have to choose. There is nothing in between. This does not just limit male but also female experimentation and pleasure. Guys are not allowed to play and women are not supposed to get off on a guy in a skirt or two guys getting it on. In reality many of my female friends and I find nothing hotter. Cue Buck Angel (The man with a pussy) who as is the object or desire for loads of women and men who mostly refuse to label or limit their sexual orientation or gender definition in any way. Ambiguity is exciting and arousing. If we cannot cross boundaries and strip ourselves of labels in sex and porn, where can we be free and fluid? Hostility towards gender-bending cements out-dated, sexist gender roles and limits our growth and fun.

Andrej Pejic understands that a man who is in touch with femininity and pushes negative buttons actually reveals a lot about underlying gender discrimination – of women. He says: “In this society, if a man is called a woman, that’s the biggest insult he could get.” And then he asks the question that hits the nail on the head: “Is that because women are considered something less?”

I have been saddened by the recent news of women dying due to botched plastic surgery.

20-year-old Claudia Aderotimi from the UK died in the States after (illegally performed) silicone injections into her buttocks. The surgery was performed by non-licensed practitioners in an ordinary (non- sterile) hotel room. Claudia died 24 hours later because the silicone that was meant to increase her butt actually got into her bloodstream and shut down her respiratory system.

Only six months before Claudia’s death the 22 year old Mayra Lissette Contreras also died in the States of an illegal injection of silicone into the buttocks. New York cosmetic surgeon Dr. Michael Kane told CBS news at the time:

“Stories like this are all too common. Every year someone dies in this country from illegal silicone injections. These buttock injections are usually done by unlicensed people, because I don’t know any licensed professional who would inject large amounts of silicone into the body.”

But the problem is that even if women book a fully licensed doctor for their surgeries a risk remains: they might lose their life.

Carolin Berger – a German adult performer better known as “Sexy Cora” – died during her sixth(!) boob job. It is believed she suffered two cardiac arrests after her breasts were enlarged from an F to a G cup. She had wanted to increase the size of her silicone breast enhancements from 500g to 800g (28oz) each.

Currently the anesthesiologist and the surgeon who performed the operation at the Alster plastic surgery clinic in Germany are being investigated on suspicion of negligent homicide.

Browsing the web for images to do with plastic surgery I came across a disturbing image ‘Syringe’ by Dorian Cleavenger: a woman on an operating table is hooked up to a blood transfusion and drip and whilst her body is pierce with countless syringes she masturbates. It is kind of surgery porn. On his website Cleavenger writes that the picture “…represents that adornment of ones body can be a way of self expression. It can also be a way of controlling your sanity and keeping ‘pierce’ of mind.”

I am all pro-choice that every person should look like they want but find it difficult to understand why someone would go repeatedly through the pain, expense and risks that any surgery implies.

When I recently had three kidney surgeries under general anesthetics I cried before every surgery like a baby because I was so terrified that I would not wake up. And even after I woke up the nightmare was not over yet – I was in A LOT of pain that even a drip full of morphine could not keep in check. The various catheters coming out of my body and collecting body fluids in various bags were also awful. So I cannot get my head around the fact that someone would voluntarily go through the pain and face the risks of surgery.

I am now in my late forties and accept that my body is changing and that even if I did spend a lot of money and time on having wrinkles ironed out or fat deposits removed, to recapture a youthful look would be an endless task. The body continues to change and age and to force it to change its shape or stay forever young comes with a hefty price tag: a lot of pain and the danger of permanent disfigurement or even death. I am vain, but not vain enough to pay that price.

To me, attractiveness and sexiness comes from individuality. I hate nothing more than the cloned bimbo look with surgically enhanced breasts, lips and face. To me this kind of look speaks for a lack of confidence and I find that unattractive and unsexy.

When I look at the casting questionnaires the first ones that end up on the “reject pile” are the ones that had lots of plastic surgery and conform to a certain look. I am interested in women and men that are unique and confident individuals who enjoy giving and receiving pleasure and are not fussed how they look during orgasm. What good is a wrinkle-free face if there is no light in the eyes, what good is G cup breast or 12 inch cock if you do not consider yourself worth much without those assets?