SPAIN – BARCELONA – His name has become a byword for extreme sexual depravity. But was there more to the French nobleman who spent much of his life in jail? Our writer finds out at a new exhibition in Barcelona investigating his shocking.
It’s a bright, sunny day in Barcelona and I’m in a dark gallery watching a woman pull a scroll out of her vagina. Outside, skateboarders circle the CCCB, one of the city’s foremost arts centres. Inside? A naked teenage girl is eating her master’s excrement in a clip from Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1975 film, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
USA – Have you ever played “Never Have I Ever” before? Here are the rules: Everyone puts up ten fingers, and you go around in a circle and one by one share something sexy or scandalous that you’ve never done before. When someone else shares something you have done, you have to put one finger down — and of course, drink. The first person to put all 10 fingers down loses (or wins, depending on how you look at it).
Well, AskMen is still playing Never Have I Ever, and the rules are simple: In each edition of this column, we speak to someone about doing something new in bed, whether it’s a long-time fantasy, something that just happened, or even something they regret. They tell us everything so you get an inside look at what some sexual experiences are actually like.
USA – NEW YORK – ‘At the beginning of the Surrealist Revolution, it was declared: “We live in the era of wireless telegraphy; we announce also the era of wireless imagination.” But it is not wires that confine us now — it is chains of oppression that we must break! In confirmation of the above, we announce these truths: that all men are equal in their madness, and that madness (visceral cosmos of the subconscious) constitutes the common base of the human spirit.”
When not playing video games with the bots, visitors to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City could admire the nudes at Nils T. Granlund’s Colony Of Naked Sun Worshippers and at Salvador Dali’s Dream of Venus Pavilion. The tribute to Venus, the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility, was signposted by the main door, which was flanked by pillars representing female legs wearing stockings and high-heels.
USA – Meet Charlotte Sumner, a vibrant 30-year-old woman from the bustling town of Bournemouth who has been stealing hearts on the latest season of Love Island. But who is this captivating contestant and what’s the intriguing twist to her past? Let’s dive deeper into the enigma that is Charlotte.
Born on May 31, 1993, Charlotte Sumner, a dental nurse by profession, has been making waves in the world of reality television since joining the Love Island cast. A long way from her home town of Bournemouth, she has become the villa’s seasoned veteran, playing the game of love with effortless charm and authenticity.
However, beneath the veneer of her vivacious and outgoing personality, lies a daring past. Before her quest for love on the popular show, Charlotte was leading a double life as a secret dominatrix, revealing another layer to her multi-faceted persona. Her adventurous spirit was hard to miss, even in her seemingly mundane day job, making smiles brighter as a dedicated dental nurse.
EXCLUSIVE: Lara, AKA Divine Theratrix is a Conscious Kink Facilitator and Certified Counselling Therapist at JOYclub.com. She works as a sex dungeon monitor as has given us the low-down on the racy job
Actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan starred in the 2015 film Fifty Shades Of Grey, which was followed in succession by movies Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018).
Speaking on ITV programme Lorraine, James talked about the release of the films and said: “There were some good bits there were some not so good bits, but it was a huge learning experience and I gained a lot out of it in those terms and hopefully we get to do it again.”
WORLDWIDE – I have qualms with the fact that The Fifty Shades Trilogy is considered a benchmark in making BDSM, short for bondage/discipline, dominance/submission and sadism/masochism, ‘cool’. Those who are aware of the concept know that the movie didn’t presented quite the blinkered view of BDSM, pointedly ignoring various undercurrents of the act. The movie glorified abuse under the guise of BDSM, a disservice to a sexual act that’s already garnered quite the notoriety. Done right, the act is one of power-play that also involves emotional vulnerabilities in its real essence.
If you’re turning to movies as references, I suggest starting with Belle du Jour with Severine acting on her pent-up fantasies of domination. Or even the iconic Secretary with Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader which showcased some intense scenes for the early aughts. These movies captured the intricacies of BDSM with enthusiastic consent and essential aftercare.
HONG KONG – Contrary to popular belief, shibari – a form of Japanese artistic rope bondage – is not just a sexual fetish; it’s a form of art and meditative practice that creates a deep connection between partners. Held from July 13 to 23, the Shibari Art Fair 2023 invites all to explore the art of Japanese rope bondage and its history, while showcasing the beauty, complexity, and artistry behind shibari through a range of activities.
Throughout the 10-day fair, participants can try their hand at life drawing sessions guided by illustrator Nou No; watch a stunning dance performance inspired by The Butterfly Lovers; and learn how to capture the art of shibari at photography workshops. Those who are new to the art form can get a taste of shibari at the live music night featuring Mexican band Deer Mx and z.a.m.p.a., or take part in Shibari 101 lessons, where basic tips and ways of rope tying will be taught.
UK = EDINBURGH -REAL-LIFE dominatrix Lane Kewderis admits she will be on the hunt for new clients when she brings her show Sex Job to the Fringe for the first time.
New York-based Lane has worked in Financial Domination – known as Findom – where men allow her access to their bank account as part of their submissive fetish.
USA – Let’s imagine some steamy scenarios real quick. Let’s say things are starting to feel real good during a sex sesh and you let out a loud moan. Then your partner commands you to be quiet by placing a ball gag in your mouth as punishment for being too noisy. Or what if you and your partner did some role play but only involving characters that share a superior-inferior power dynamic like boss-employee and teacher-student? Starting to notice a pattern yet?
If you read those fantasies and immediately thought, Ooh, yesss, that’s so me! then you likely have a humiliation kink—which essentially means someone is sexually aroused by being degraded or embarrassed to some extent, explains clinical psychologist Lisa Lawless, PhD, CEO of Holistic Wisdom, Inc. “A humiliation kink is a form of BDSM and is a psychological dance of dominance and submission. Ultimately, humiliation is about creating a power dynamic to excite the person being humiliated or both partners sexually.”
UK – WALES – A woman who told a court that she “was not a dominatrix” invited a man back to her flat for a night of drinking and then stabbed him as she was giving him a massage. Lwyanna Thomas, 47, went to a local shop to buy alcohol with James Hollingworth on the evening of September 14 last year, a court heard.
When they got back to her home they drank and listened to music. She then asked if he wanted a massage. He agreed and took off his shirt and Thomas began to massage his back. While he was lying down she stabbed him in the shoulder with a vegetable knife.
The victim did not immediately realise what had happened but he had suffered a penetrative wound of a few centimetres and ended up in hospital for five hours. Thomas denied a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and pleaded not guilty at a trial, claiming that she acted in self-defence. However a jury did not believe her version of events and she was found guilty.
USA – Sex work is work and plenty of people are navigating this industry in various ways, one of those being a dominatrix. These talented individuals work in BDSM role play, an umbrella acronym for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism, to bring pleasure to their submissive clients by bringing the pain as the dominant professional, consensually and safely of course. But what happens when one of your clients is unknowingly your father? Enter the short film Daddy Issues.
Directed and produced by Matthew Campanella and Stephanie Chloé Hepner, and written and starring Campanella, Daddy Issues follows Oliver (Campanella), a young dominatrix who just wants to impress his boss, Mistress (Milan Anderson). And while he wants to put his best foot forward with her, he takes on more than he can chew when he realizes his next client is his father (David Kelsey). Needless to say, this would be a traumatic experience for most people, but it definitely makes for a great short film, one that received its premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
New York’s preeminent film festival is pretty exclusive, but Campanella and Hepner’s Daddy Issues is currently developing into a feature length film. So if you don’t know Campanella and Hepner now, you will soon. A queer New Yorker and London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art actor, writer, and director, Campanella’s acting credits include the Tubi Series Great Kills and the short films PriestlyAspirations, Kaleidoscope, and Bird Set Free. Hepner, an NYU Tisch-trained Latinx immigrant director, writer, and actress, whose credits include Law and Order, NewAmsterdam, and TheEqualizer.
INTO chatted with Campanella and Hepner about their film’s Tribeca debut, their dive into BDSM research, and bringing new queer narratives to the acclaimed film festival.
USA – SAN FRANCISCO – Wicked Grounds, San Francisco’s first kink-and-fetish-friendly cafe, art gallery and boutique, shuttered its physical space near the corner of Eighth and Folsom streets in SoMa on Monday afternoon after 14 years in operation.
Owner Mir Bilodeau, who has been at the helm of Wicked Grounds for the past decade, cited declining revenue amid decreased foot traffic downtown over the past couple of years but was adamant the organization will live on through virtual community events and in-person workshops and classes at other venues throughout the city.
Opening just before Folsom Street Fair in September 2009, Wicked Grounds was known for its strong coffee drinks and housemade soups and paninis served alongside a selection of S&M literature, bondage rope and studded gags. In 2019, the business expanded upstairs into a flourishing event space focused on BDSM education — including classes on navigating the community, doing kinky dating safely, overcoming shame, learning about consent and respecting other players — with classes regularly selling out.
Playboy model Elizabeth Marie Chevalier, 29, from Los Angeles, says her comeback to the adult industry as an online dominatrix has been ‘like a rebirth’
Elizabeth Marie Chevalier says she feels reborn on her return to the adult industry, following a makeover which included going blonde and shelling out £8,000 on a boob job.
The 29-year-old, who has 3.8 million followers on Instagram, hit the headlines last year after claiming men are intimidated by her good looks.
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