A recent evening at Good Clean Fun headquarters, led to a discussion between management and labor in reference to the past exploits of certain Good Clean Funployees and Friends. The debate was over whether or not the trends within the world of pin-up culture had a tendency to cross the lines into a category politely described as “adult”. Now on a personal note, I’ve never been one to claim to be conservative or prude in nature. In fact, I would go so far to say I am a fan of Pin-up artist and models, despite my lack of participation or advocacy for the lifestyle. However, I think that it can be concluded that there is a proverbial “line in the sand” that is crossed when the junior S&M kit is broken out on the photo shoots that came into question on this particular evening. Now before everyone becomes a philosophy scholar and claims that art can be anything you want it to be and that pornography is a construct of the socially conservative, please note that I am in no way making claims that any of the depictions I have seen in pin-up culture, should be categorized as perverse.
Bet they wish they didn’t forget their safe words |
I also don’t think that any of the pieces I’ve seen point to an inherent badness or are in need of censorship. I simply observed that certain pictures cross into a space that has distinct erotic characteristics. When I say erotic it doesn’t mean the obvious incidents of nudity, however certain scenes and situations lead the viewer to extract only the sexual characteristics from the work. I believe that this is where the line is crossed from appreciable art, to simply erotica. I think the differences can be clearly defined by the interrelationships of the artists, models, and finally the viewer of the work. To offer a last bit of perspective, I have to reference GCFL co-founder, Natalee Dehart. This dedicated wife, and mother of 3 has previously explained her philosophy as it pertains to her participation in pin-up culture. While it’s easy for some (read: most) people to reach snap judgments when seeing her modeling for these risqué photos, it’s also a form of art that is passionately sought after by its participants. Natalee in particular has spent her hard earned money to book photography sessions in which she covered herself in fake blood and posed provocatively in a bath tub. I assure you, the viewer, this is not for the sole purpose of making you feel all funny in your downstairs mix-up. Despite my own or anyone else’s inhibitions, the photographers and models have a different way of approaching the world, and THEY enjoy and find fulfillment in it.
I still laugh when I hear someone say “ball gag” |
I think either way it’s a healthy endeavor for the people involved and I personally will continue to enjoy the work myself. However, if YOU find yourself having to view certain types of pin-up works in a way that gets you your jollies perhaps the title “art enthusiast” no longer applies.