Camille Crimson

No…  Not interview WITH oral sex.  I don’t do that sort of thing.  This is an interview with my friend TJ on his blog called Oral Sex.  He was kind enough to say some lovely things to kick off the interview, so I thought I’d share a little bit with you:

Utilizing engaging music, soft visuals and playful themes, Camille and her boyfriend create sensual oral sex videos. Rather than profiting on the less intimate oral sex content being produced by major adult industry studios, Camille Crimson has become successful by focusing on the art and eroticism of couples’ fellatio.

Of course, there are always a few of the same questions, but he asked some really interesting ones too, so I’m going to share a few of my favourites:

What do you think the major difference is between women who like giving blowjobs, and those who don’t?

Camille Crimson – I don’t mean to sound condescending, but I think women who don’t like giving blowjobs might have had bad experiences. Fundamentally, anyone who loves receiving pleasure should love giving pleasure. Maybe they aren’t getting enough pleasure or having their needs listened to. Maybe they’ve had selfish lovers. Maybe they’ve had bad experiences with smell, taste or gag reflexes. I think that more communication would make blowjobs at least palatable. They may never absolutely love it, but there is a way to get in touch with the eroticism of giving pleasure in the right context.

 

Why have you stuck to producing more oral sex than intercourse?

Camille Crimson – It’s a great niche to be in. Blowjobs are extremely popular, but it’s uncommon to see them done sensually and to be shot in an artistic way with a real couple. The response has been amazing. For now, we’ve got so much going on that we don’t really see the need to expand beyond blowjobs. That could definitely change, but for now, the site is keeping us very busy.

 

If you could change one thing about the way porn is made today, what would it be?

Camille Crimson – Well, I would probably change a bunch of things. The big thing would be that I’d want porn to be more contextualized. It’s fine if you want to have a rough blowjob site, but make it clear that the women are enthusiastic about this kind of rough sex, that it’s not the only way to have sex, that mutual pleasure is important… Like it or not, a lot of impressionable people watch porn and we have to try to make it clear that sexuality isn’t exactly what we see on the screen in mainstream porn.

 

Do you see yourself producing your style of pornography as a director with other models in the future?

Camille Crimson – Yes, in a way. We’ve already started with a new couple, but instead of directing them, we’ve given them the tools and tricks to make porn with the same artistic look and they can have full intimacy with what they do, no one else in the room! It works really well. Their names are Lilyanne and Max and they’re really amazing people. They’re really passionate about showing beautiful, romantic and sensual sexuality, so I think the site is going to be a huge hit. It’s at PornographicLove.com.

 

There’s a lot more where that came from, so I hope you’ll read the rest of the interview and leave your thoughts here because I would really love to hear what you thought, or if you have any other questions!

I can’t help but snicker when I see this.  I’m lucky because the site has come to a place where enough people know who I am and know not to tangle with me about these issues, but I certainly have still had my fair share of people try to lecture me about the “realities” of porn.  Porn and other forms of sex work can result in a huge variety of experiences, and pretending like you know better than someone who is actually living the experience is just ridiculous.  None the less, it happens a lot, especially among feminist or sexuality related online communities.  Even on Twitter sometimes!  Or from well-meaning people in my inbox who want to save me from my life of porn.  ;)  So, if you ever bare witness to someone trying to lambaste porn or another kind of sex work, whip out this handy bingo card and you might just win!

Hey everyone!

Today I wanted to share a really great blog post by a new fan who used to really dislike porn.  J looks into how different theories of porn shaped the way porn is perceived, especially when it comes to the constant one-upping of intense and violent subject matter.  She initially starts off talking about Pippa Middleton (Princess Kate’s sister) and how people just automatically started talking about her body and her sexuality.  That does tend to link well to the general “pornification” (her word) of society.  I’m inclined to agree.  As she continues, she gets more into theory:

Dines argues that with the advent of the Internet, the boundaries of porn have been pushed to extraordinary and often times deeply disturbing extremes. Now anybody with a will and a video recording device can be a porn star. As a result, websites are awash with ‘amateur’ contributions and, in order to cut through the clutter, people are doing more and more extreme and often times violent things to others.

As she states in the preface to her book, when Dines talks about porn she is referring to gonzo, ‘that genre which is all over the Internet and … which depicts hard-core, body-punishing sex in which women are demeaned and debased’.

 

Fair enough!  There isn’t anything wrong with that kind of porn if everybody consents and enjoys what they’re doing, but it’s true that there’s pressure to be more and more hardcore.  Even I get it from people sometimes.  The theory goes on a tangent about the possible reaches of how far porn will go, but I think that respectful but innovative porn is the antidote to that, and J agrees!

Recently I was mid anti-porn rant with a guy I know when he pulled me up with the argument that there’s all types of porn, a veritable something for everybody. He also pointed out that men are extremely visual creatures. Put bluntly, they like to watch.

From my own experience (seriously, who else’s would I be drawing from), women prefer to read or hear about what we or a character is feeling or experiencing. Hence the romantic fiction and Jackie Collins-esque ‘sex and shopping’ genres. Somebody has to be reading all those Mills & Boon that get churned out every year.

He sent me a link to some, as he put it, sexy, classy and non-skanky porn and invited me to watch. For the sake of research, I did and I have to say it was incredibly informative and educational. The clip he sent me featured a woman who owns and operates her own web-based company. The production quality was high and it could be best described as couples-based. There was no cheesy dialogue, crazy mugging for the camera or over the top screaming. It was just like watching a movie about a girl and her boyfriend together in their nicely appointed home doing something incredibly intimate.

 

Oooh, whose site is she referring to?  You may be familiar with it.  ;)

The discussion continues, going into how there will always be some people who push things to far in a non-consensual way or who objectify the unwilling (like Pippa Middleton) but that is not an indication of the general male population.  See?  Porn can be good!  But, you already know that.  So, read the rest of the article and let me know what you think!

Today, we have a special report from Sophie on her experience at this Sunday’s Montreal Slut Walk.

Thank you, Camille. Yes, I spent this Sunday enjoying what ended up being a lovely sunny afternoon with a bunch of sluts and slut supporters. Sounds peculiar? Maybe, but let me explain. The idea of the Slut Walk came after a member of the Toronto Police Department gave a lecture on sexual assault prevention at York University, stating that women should avoid dressing like sluts if they want to avoid being raped. Yes, someone actually decided to say that do a group of women.

 

The Slut Walk started in Toronto as a response to those comments, but it’s a much bigger issue than that and it quickly spread all over the world, with satellite versions of the demonstration in many cities all over the world. Why did it become such a big deal? Essentially, we live in a culture where sexuality is fraught with a lot of very bizarre and contradictory ideas, when it comes to all genders. We get taught to simultaneously hide and flaunt our bodies. We get shoved into rigid gender definitions which create internal conflict and bizarre social power struggles. We don’t know how to enjoy ourselves or let others enjoy themselves without judgement or abuse.

 

The main issue people have with the Slut Walk is just that, because it’s addressing several different problems, it doesn’t necessarily seem to have one clear message. (I think it does: Nothing justifies rape.) It’s easy to tease out the multiple valid messages, but by the looks of most commenters on news sites, it seems like people don’t like to think.  What I want to do is just address some of the frequent criticisms of the Slut Walk movement in an effort to dispel some of the confusion.

 

Slut is a bad word. Calling this the Slut Walk is demeaning and sets women back.

The Slut Walk is kind of twofold on this issue. Many people are using the Slut Walk as an opportunity to reclaim the word, taking away the negative power and replacing it with joy. Books like The Ethical Slut talk about a way to enjoy sex while being safe and without hurting anyone in the process, for example. Slut could just mean a person who enjoys sex and has a lot of it. What’s wrong with that. It’s pretty badass.

Then again, some people don’t identify as sluts and just go along with the name because it’s a direct link to the comments about dressing like a slut, which was the ultimate form of slut shaming. (Slut shaming = making someone feel crappy because their behaviour or dress is outside one person’s particular comfort zone.)

 

That police officer was right. Dressing provocatively is too tempting for some people!

This is victim/survivor blaming and it is unbelievably disrespectful. Anyone should have the right to live their lives in peace without fear of being attacked. Just as it’s pointlessly cruel to tell someone that they shouldn’t have been walking around with a cell phone if they didn’t want it to be stolen, it’s horrible to imply that it’s anyone’s fault but the person committing the crime. Why don’t we push it further? I’m a busty woman, so maybe I’m more of a target. Would you say that I shouldn’t have such big boobs if I didn’t want to be a target? Or someone who is exceptionally pretty? Would you say that they should hide their nice features so they don’t attract attention?

What about the fact that slutty to one person is perfectly chaste to another? We all have our definition of what’s modest or immodest. I feel judgement sometimes when I walk around in a t-shirt and jeans in my Hassidic neighbourhood because I know that my outfit is considered risky by people in that community. Just as many people would judge Camille for being on a porn site, you guys think she’s amazing for making such classy erotic material. Some people would strongly disagree with you and think she’s of low morals and asking for trouble. It’s all relative.

The sad fact is that rape and sexual assault know no skirt length. I recently read a comment somewhere (don’t remember where unfortunately) from an ER doctor who said that most of the sexual violence cases they saw were in sweatpants, jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, even footie pajamas. It’s also important to realize that a large percentage of sexual violence happens to children or the elderly. It’s an issue of control more than anything else across the board, so the whole idea of dressing like you’re “asking for it” is kind of a non-issue.

 

If you’re promiscuous or a sex worker, you’re sending out the message that you always want it.

Just no. No matter how many sexual partners you’ve had, whether you’ve had sex with this particular person before or whether you have sex for money, everyone has the right to say no. No behaviour justifies rape or sexual assault.

 

Why did you bother having a demonstration about it? Couldn’t you spend your time doing something more productive?

Sure, but then again, couldn’t we all just eat nothing but rice and give away all our worldly possessions and give all of our money to charity? The argument that this walk takes energy/time away from worthy causes is untrue. It’s important to bring messages like this to the public eye. Also, the proceeds from t-shirt sales and the event after the demonstration all went to Stella, a sex workers justice and advocacy group with initiatives in sexual assault prevention in schools and community centres all over Montreal. Most people involved in the Slut Walk are involved in projects and charities to support what they’re marching for.

 

This is all about hating men, isn’t it?

Not at all. Men can be sluts, men can be accused of dressing too provocatively and men can experience rape or sexual assault. Just because the majority of cases are men’s violence against women doesn’t mean that men’s experiences of sexual violence are any less respected or valid. Beyond male survivors, there were also lots of wonderful men there expressing their solidarity and respect. Signs like “Real Men Don’t Rape” were very popular. Consent is sexy, after all!

The most important thing is that the majority of slut walkers, especially the organizers and speakers, made it very clear that this is a societal problem. We are teaching don’t get raped instead of don’t rape, but this is bigger than that. We’ve created a very unfair society where people are getting all the wrong messages all the time. We need to teach consent, teach respect, teach fairness and raise children so that all their voices and feelings can be heard. I know I’m idealistic as hell, but it is possible, but only if we pay attention to these causes and get to the root of the problem.

 

My Sunday was spent in the company of people who really get it, and it couldn’t have been more spectacular. As one of the organizers and speakers said, “So call me a slut if you want to, but you can never use that word as an excuse to violate me.”

This video has been making the rounds on the internet and it really made me smile.  It’s meant to be funny, and it is, but it’s also just true!  So, true, in fact, that Fleshbot is trying to make a non-parody version of it through e-mails and even videos!  I know that a lot of you are men, but there are definitely more than a few women out there who read my blog, and I’d love it if you could pass along your declaration of porn love their way.  Whether anonymous or not, it’s adding fuel to the fire that women enjoy their sexualities in as many varied ways as men.  This is sexy and fun!  And men, if you know any porn loving women, be sure to point them in that direction.  Who knows?  Maybe it’ll spark a discussion on their favourite porn and lead somewhere sexy for the two of you…

(On a side note, I know my blog schedule has been a little off-kilter this week.  I’ve been very busy on the technical/development side, but I wanted to let you know that all is well!)

I hope you all had a happy Easter!  Eating is still a bit hard for me because of the root canal, but we made Kansas City style ribs, so I did my best!  Sophie’s back with the third and final part of her experience at the Feminist Porn Awards:

The Feminist Porn Awards themselves were a lot of fun! It was a really great opportunity to do a lot of networking and getting to talk more with some of the people who have truly inspired me in porn. Since I was 18 (or maybe slightly younger) I’ve been fascinated with the idea that porn could be more than what we understand it to be, so it was really gratifying to be surrounded by people who have shown me how true that can be.

 

I got all gussied up in my little garden party dress, put my hair up in a little chignon and headed out for the evening. First was a VIP cocktail hour, which was excellent for schmoozing and photo ops and generally being self-congratulatory for making it to this wonderful event. Once my friend date finally showed up, we got into our seats and the show began. It was full of burlesque (lady and gentleman varieties) and lots of genuine excitement for porn. Plus, the host of the evening happened to be on one of my favourite childhood shows, which was very unexpected and prompted some hilarious banter with her during intermission.

 

Awards went out to all sorts of wonderful recipients, all very deserving, and it showed that the selection panel really found a way to make sure that all sexualities were represented, that all bodies were represented and that everything from the tiniest DIY operation to a big company like Kink could win, as long as they’re showing that porn can and must be feminist!

 

Our category wasn’t until the second half, so I went around congratulating the amazing winners so far, grabbed another drink and got my silent auction on, all the while pretty nervous for what’s to come. I know I haven’t been too involved with the creative side of the site, but I still felt the nerves in a big way. Once we made it back to our seats, there were a few more awards and then it was our turn.

 

I didn’t know what to expect, but it turns out that they selected four websites instead of just one to honour, probably because there were so many amazing ones to choose from… Twelve in total, I think. They had a screen which showed the winners, starting fist by painstakingly spelling out the winning website. Once they had spelled “A-R-T-O” (they spelled it as Art of Blowjob instead of The Art of Blowjob, but no biggie…  That’s why we registered multiple domains!) I knew we had won, so I just started squeaking and hugging and shaking my hands as I made my way to the stage. The other winners (April Flores for Padded Kink, Tina Horn and Judy Minx Queerporn.tv and Shine Louise Houston for Heavenly Spire) joined me, but I was ushered to speak first.

 

I hadn’t done much speech preparation, but I knew what I wanted to say. I wanted to be succinct and to represent the website as best as I could. Through seeing the video (above) I think I achieved that, even if I managed to talk with my hands even more than the sign language interpreter. It was a really incredible moment and I’m very happy I got to be there to represent the site!

 

After that, there were a few more awards, a closing salute to the dedicated people from Good For Her who made the event possible, then lots more photo ops, schmoozing and dancing until the early hours of the morning! By the end, I won some badass toys/videos at the silent auction, I had met some of my biggest porn performer/director/journalist heros and managed to really connect nicely with a lot of them.

 

Holding that butt-plug shaped award in my hand made me feel like I really belong in the industry, and I’m happy to pass it along to Camille and Mike for all their amazing work. In just one week, I will have been working with them for a year and I can’t wait to see where we’ll go from here!