Remember when I was interviewed by SPIN magazine about Suicide Girls? Well, the new issue of has the article in it. SUM 41 are on the cover, but don't let it stop you from picking it up from your local newsstand and reading the piece.
What they included in the article give or take a few (okay, a LOT of!) edits is noted with *** below:
"I like Suicide Girls because of the way the models are allowed to represent themselves. ***There is something about the way the photographs are done that gives the viewer the feeling that these are women who are being celebrated, respected, and looked upon as more of an art form than merely sexual objects*** - like it was in the old days. Women in the arena of erotic entertainment were revered as beautiful, delicate, amazing creatures with exotic talents. They were fantasized about, but not in that blatant and sometimes even violent way that occurs so much nowadays.
Because the girls who model for SG are allowed to do as much or as little nudity as they feel comfortable with; there is still an element of mystery left to many of the photo sets, and I think that's attractive to women. We have many of the same desires as men do, but we're a little softer and we tend to appreciate the unseen sometimes more than the constant barrage of in-your-face "beaver shots" that other sites seem to depend on. I think women are naturally drawn to what is sensual as opposed to the overtly sexual.
Suicide Girls doesn't project the feeling of sleaziness the way so many porn sites out there do. There are no "money shots", no degradation, no explicit descriptions or language that makes the viewer feel dirty or guilty about paying a monthly fee to be a part of this. And there are none of those ridiculous, invasive pop-up adds that detract from your experience.
So many of the members are willing to go out there and promote the site, too, and we take part in the get-togethers, dinners, and parties that develop as a result of the conversations between members on the message boards. It's a community where people talk very openly about their desires, their fetishes, sexual taboos, even ask others for sexual advice! No one feels ashamed or judged by the others who are there because everyone is treated equally and with respect.
I'm sure every site of this nature gets their share of creeps, but that element is really kept to a minimum, which shows that the people who run the site really care about what goes on there and they care about providing a site with class and quality to their members. It's a safe place to come and be as anonymous or as obvious as you want, and because women are naturally very turned on by the cerebral (as are men, don't get me wrong!) this is a community where we can actually get to know one another.
The bonus is that the models actually take part in a big way in that as well. Several of the girls have joined in on the gatherings on a very regular basis, whether it's San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago - people love to get together, meet in person, and some even end up hitting it off well enough to start dating.
What I get out of it is the feeling of acceptance and positive attention, and I'm given the opportunity to not only express myself and have some fun with other people who enjoy the same things I do, but I get to look at gorgeous women with their clothes off who don't look like they were created from a Barbie cookie-cutter. I've always been drawn to the non-conservative variety men and women.
The guys that visit Suicide Girls also tend to sport a very unique sense of style and because SG has individual profiles on each member, including an area where you can upload your picture and post in a journal, it also sort of functions as a dating service for really cool people! Although I'm engaged, my fianc and I both really enjoy communicating with people all over the world, and the internet and sites like Suicide Girls make that possible.
Obviously, the people who come there already have something in common with you. The fact that you all enjoy admiring beautiful girls and talking openly about sex and about alternative lifestyles is a great thing. And, like I said before, I'm considering submitting a photo set myself, and I would never have done that for any other site on the 'net.
I don't know the member statistics, but in my experience, the number of "straight" and bisexual women who have memberships on the site is pretty balanced. Maybe there are a number of straight girls who have found out that the site exists because their boyfriends have memberships. Or maybe it's vice-versa!
***I don't know of many heterosexual women that won't admit to at least being able to appreciate the fact that a nude woman is beautiful.*** Women are beautiful, and just because you're not bisexual doesn't mean that you may not have the desire to see what a site like Suicide Girls is all about. I've mentioned the site to literally hundreds of hetero women and they've either joined, or they're asking a whole lot of questions because they're curious why everyone is so keyed up."
The SPIN version:
"I don't know many heterosexual women who can't at least appreciate the fact that a nude woman is beautiful," says Lesa Pence, a member almost from the start. "There's something about the site that gives the feeling that these women are being celebrated and respected rather than looked upon as merely sexual objects."
Thanks to Spooky for giving me the opportunity, however small, to represent for the SG hood.
What they included in the article give or take a few (okay, a LOT of!) edits is noted with *** below:
"I like Suicide Girls because of the way the models are allowed to represent themselves. ***There is something about the way the photographs are done that gives the viewer the feeling that these are women who are being celebrated, respected, and looked upon as more of an art form than merely sexual objects*** - like it was in the old days. Women in the arena of erotic entertainment were revered as beautiful, delicate, amazing creatures with exotic talents. They were fantasized about, but not in that blatant and sometimes even violent way that occurs so much nowadays.
Because the girls who model for SG are allowed to do as much or as little nudity as they feel comfortable with; there is still an element of mystery left to many of the photo sets, and I think that's attractive to women. We have many of the same desires as men do, but we're a little softer and we tend to appreciate the unseen sometimes more than the constant barrage of in-your-face "beaver shots" that other sites seem to depend on. I think women are naturally drawn to what is sensual as opposed to the overtly sexual.
Suicide Girls doesn't project the feeling of sleaziness the way so many porn sites out there do. There are no "money shots", no degradation, no explicit descriptions or language that makes the viewer feel dirty or guilty about paying a monthly fee to be a part of this. And there are none of those ridiculous, invasive pop-up adds that detract from your experience.
So many of the members are willing to go out there and promote the site, too, and we take part in the get-togethers, dinners, and parties that develop as a result of the conversations between members on the message boards. It's a community where people talk very openly about their desires, their fetishes, sexual taboos, even ask others for sexual advice! No one feels ashamed or judged by the others who are there because everyone is treated equally and with respect.
I'm sure every site of this nature gets their share of creeps, but that element is really kept to a minimum, which shows that the people who run the site really care about what goes on there and they care about providing a site with class and quality to their members. It's a safe place to come and be as anonymous or as obvious as you want, and because women are naturally very turned on by the cerebral (as are men, don't get me wrong!) this is a community where we can actually get to know one another.
The bonus is that the models actually take part in a big way in that as well. Several of the girls have joined in on the gatherings on a very regular basis, whether it's San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago - people love to get together, meet in person, and some even end up hitting it off well enough to start dating.
What I get out of it is the feeling of acceptance and positive attention, and I'm given the opportunity to not only express myself and have some fun with other people who enjoy the same things I do, but I get to look at gorgeous women with their clothes off who don't look like they were created from a Barbie cookie-cutter. I've always been drawn to the non-conservative variety men and women.
The guys that visit Suicide Girls also tend to sport a very unique sense of style and because SG has individual profiles on each member, including an area where you can upload your picture and post in a journal, it also sort of functions as a dating service for really cool people! Although I'm engaged, my fianc and I both really enjoy communicating with people all over the world, and the internet and sites like Suicide Girls make that possible.
Obviously, the people who come there already have something in common with you. The fact that you all enjoy admiring beautiful girls and talking openly about sex and about alternative lifestyles is a great thing. And, like I said before, I'm considering submitting a photo set myself, and I would never have done that for any other site on the 'net.
I don't know the member statistics, but in my experience, the number of "straight" and bisexual women who have memberships on the site is pretty balanced. Maybe there are a number of straight girls who have found out that the site exists because their boyfriends have memberships. Or maybe it's vice-versa!
***I don't know of many heterosexual women that won't admit to at least being able to appreciate the fact that a nude woman is beautiful.*** Women are beautiful, and just because you're not bisexual doesn't mean that you may not have the desire to see what a site like Suicide Girls is all about. I've mentioned the site to literally hundreds of hetero women and they've either joined, or they're asking a whole lot of questions because they're curious why everyone is so keyed up."
The SPIN version:
"I don't know many heterosexual women who can't at least appreciate the fact that a nude woman is beautiful," says Lesa Pence, a member almost from the start. "There's something about the site that gives the feeling that these women are being celebrated and respected rather than looked upon as merely sexual objects."
Thanks to Spooky for giving me the opportunity, however small, to represent for the SG hood.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
cypher:
i am creep.
prudence:
thanks so much for posting that! everything that you said is true, and explains the site in a way that only someone who is actually a member of the site, not an outsider, can do.