Beauty is Truth

It's an almost universal feeling among at least half of the population. It's our natural, biological programming. AND it's necessary to the continued survival of the species. It's literally our prime directive, and yet, somehow, we've drilled this idea into the core of our concept of civilization, that it's a sin for a man to look at a woman with lust in his heart.

Now, don't get me wrong, I fully support treating women with respect. There is a misogynistic culture in which men seem to revel in abusing - verbally, and worse - any woman that arouses his libidinal desires, accompanied by an undeserved sense of entitlement to their bodies. I think that if your compass causes you to feel pleasure in the fact of another's existence, then that alone, without promise of anything more, justifies the responsibility to treat her well. And, after all, isn't that a better strategy for befriending her, in the hope of being able to spend more time in her presence?

But treating women with respect also includes not shaming them for courting attention of a particular variety. Especially (but not exclusively) when they're not doing it consciously! Because this is how our species propagates, and it's interwoven into the very fabric of our society. The way women dress. The fundamental nature of dance. Things that they learn even from a young age, before they understand the underlying purpose of it. It's not some evil plan. It's just a fact of life.

And then we make men feel bad for feeling good when their biological instincts respond as they've been programmed to. Even when they exercise restraint, and practice good manners. An implication is posed, that there is some sinister intent at the heart of it all - at the heart of physical attraction, which drives flirtation and courtship behaviors. Civilization has taught us that these things exist to bond pairs together. But evolution knows the real truth: that all those precious babies are being made because men are designed to salivate over women's bodies. We should be grateful for it - not resentful of it. Because, without it, we wouldn't even be.

But we live in a culture where protecting the planet that cradles us, and shelters us from the lifeless void of space, is an unpopular stance. So I guess that's way too logical an expectation for our species. Life is already hard. Why do we make ourselves suffer more than is necessary? For the inscrutable glory of some imaginary character? Intelligence is a myth. We're just dumb, hairless apes. How did we ever make it this far? Oh, that's right - because desire is more powerful than shame. More powerful than any civilizing influence. And if the day ever comes when that is no longer true, then that will be the day that we go extinct. The forces of chastity would do well to take that lesson to heart.

The Cross-Dressing Uncle

So, my uncle passed away from an accumulation of health problems this year, and it turns out... he had an interest in cross-dressing. It wasn't, like, a real big secret (my mom knew all about it), but he wasn't very public about it, either. At least not within the family. I didn't even suspect the full depth of it until we were going through his stuff after the funeral this summer. I knew he had a lot of clothes and shoes, but nothing I'd ever seen that would interest me. Until, in a locked closet, we found (in addition to the expected stacks of porn) racks and racks of women's clothes and costumes stacked layers deep, and high heels lining shelves stretched literally from floor to ceiling!

[description: series of fashion portraits modeling dresses and heels in front of a large mirror]

My uncle grew up in a different era. Granted, there's still lots of progress to be made even today. I think it's sad that we sometimes have to hide parts of our selves, such that people don't get to know who we really are until after we're gone (if ever). I'm a pretty private person by nature, but I prefer to live my life authentically. I'd rather be hated for expressing who I am, than liked because people think I'm someone I'm not.

I never had a strong bond with this uncle, for reasons that have nothing to do with this subject (just because two people share an interest doesn't necessarily mean they'll get along), but I do regret never having had the opportunity to get to know this part of him. I think of the stories we might have shared, or the support we could have given each other, being "straight males" interested in women's fashion in a largely gender-conservative culture.

I'm doing my part to pay that support forward, by being the public and uncloseted cross-dressing uncle to a new generation. No secrets, no shame. I'm an open book. And whether any of them develop a similar interest in the future or not, I'm teaching them that there is dignity in gender fluidity, and the importance of being free to express your identity authentically, and to treat others who do with respect, as fellow human beings. And no amount of conservative legislature will ever change that - even if I end up behind bars for teaching kids that you don't have to conform to gendered expectations. Give me liberty or give me death.

Anyway, I've inherited this truly spectacular three-part mirror, along with a bunch of pretty clothes and shoes - finally liberated from the closet. Never before had I seen so many interesting shoes - that were all in my size! I couldn't resist modeling them for you. Just by happenstance, I ended up with the exact same number of shoes and items of clothing, so I tried to pair them 1:1. I did the best job I could, but I had to "shoehorn" in a few at the end. :-p

Tokka Fan Edits

Longtime fan Tokka made these edits of my photos, and I thought they were really cool, so I wanted to show them off (with permission). I love it when my work inspires the creativity of other artists!

[description: series of various photo collages]

While we're thinking about it, this would be a good time to reiterate and articulate my thoughts on copyright. As far as usage of my photos goes, I'm pretty lenient. I know it sounds vague, but use common sense. What does that mean? Well...

I don't mind other people sharing my photos - within reason. Free advertising is great, but don't undermine my subscription model. And make sure to give me credit. I want people coming to ME to see my work, not getting it from somewhere else.

As an example of what not to do, there was an account on Flickr once (this was a little while ago), that was passing my images off as their own, with minor edits that seemed designed to hide their source - like, a lot of my watermarks were deliberately trimmed off.

On the one hand, I was flattered that somebody liked my images enough to want to pretend to be me. But I work hard to create these images. I appreciate being given credit for them.

That said, I am okay with people manipulating my images with artistic intent. As long as you're respectful. I'm a pervert, so sexual themes don't bother me (on the contrary, they can be quite exciting). But if you're making fun of me, or using my images to express an idea I strongly oppose, I'm going to be less happy about it.

You don't technically need my permission to do this, but if you're working with my art, I want to know - because I'd love to see the results! And I'm totally willing to give you credit for your contributions, just as I expect to be credited for what I've contributed (in the form of the images you're manipulating).

I have no intention of passing off your work as my own, not least of all because I don't want your artistic vision to be mistaken for mine. Art is intensely personal. Credit is given where it is due.

But above all, I want to foster a positive and creative atmosphere for other artists to enjoy and even evolve the work I've produced. I want to believe my art is interesting enough to inspire other creative minds!

Fallen Empire

Insofar as the fallen empire of the United States is a world leader in cultural influence (although they don't deserve to be), I'm anticipating some hard times ahead - particularly on the front of freedom of sexual expression. Rest assured, I WILL die on this hill. Nothing will ever stop me from spreading sexual pleasure to the masses, short of locking me up or putting a bullet in my head. But there is probably a lot of frustration coming down the pike, as the Christofascists - emboldened by the stupidity of the American public - clamor to put into place their vision of a sexless utopia. I just want to warn you, so you can be prepared. There is a storm coming. Now is the time for us to brace ourselves, so we are not beaten down by the forces of chastity that are polishing their rifles for the hunt right now, as the Antichrist readies himself to take the throne. We shall prevail, by hell or high water. Or we go extinct. There is no other option. Let us make our adversaries the ones who will go extinct, once and for all time.