![]() This article is dedicated to the archive of the American artist Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989), stored since 2011 at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Although such commodification is offered up as aspirational, it is potentially highly problematic in the ways that it attempts to further render Smith’s blackness ‘safe’ for audiences." Mythic phallic power and desire is displaced onto clothes and accessories that function to construct Smith’s on-screen personas as a new male hero with cross-over appeal in order to maximise his celebrity commodity status. In starting to readdress this absence, I will argue that whilst Smith’s body initially appears to be fetishised, his representation is characterised by performance and fragmentation which renders the body and blackness a construction, rather than a naturalised / essentialist object of desire. Despite Smith's popularity with audiences, together with the on-screen product placement and off-screen promotion of fashion brands such as Ray-Ban, Puma, Belstaff and Converse, the intersection of Smith, black masculinity and fashion does not appear to have been the subject of extended academic attention. Building on existing critical work on costume, identity and cinema (Bruzzi, Church Gibson, Gilligan), the article forms part of my wider research project, which includes a forthcoming monograph, that responds to calls for further interdisciplinary work exploring the ‘new nexus’ of film, fashion and consumption that has emerged as cinema ever increasingly ‘bleeds across’ different media (Church Gibson 2008, 2010). Through comparative analysis with examples drawn from photography, I argue that Smith’s representation enables the black body to be rendered as fashionable and aspirational, rather than simply objectified via sexualised visual discourses. In summary, being a gimp is the most strenuous, physically-demanding submissive BDSM role that someone can experience, and the capacity to endure sweat, bondage, penetration, sensory-deprivation, physical labour, being used as furniture, and pain are attributes that make the top gimps renowned for their abilities."The article examines the ways in which the representation of Will Smith in I am Legend and I, Robot constructs post-colonial performative visual narratives that both follow and disrupt existing discourses of sexualised black masculinity within visual culture. It just makes it more exciting for the wearer. Gimps often have a sexual fetish for latex or leather, which helps the gimp to endure the discomfort and restriction of being in the gimp suit, but this fetish is not a requirement to be a gimp. ![]() Sex Toy - A gimp should always be prepared to be used as a sex toy – all gimp orifices are simply holes to be filled by the Dominant in whatever manner He or She chooses* ![]() Storage - When not in use, gimps are often stored away in a cage or box until it is time to "bring out the gimp" (immortalized in this classic scene from the movie Pulp Fiction) Silence - Gimps should remain quiet unless their Dominant requires them to speak (a gag is often used to prevent noisy gimps from being heard) Suffering - Gimps are born to suffer and should offer their pain and discomfort to their Dominant as a gift to the Divine Service - Gimps should always be of service and provide utility to their Dominant Gimps exist as servants, playthings and recipients of torment for their Dominant and must adhere to the 5 S's of Gimpitude: Harnesses, gags, posture collars and other restrictive gear is often used to further objectify and subdue the gimp for his or her Mistress or Master.Ī convenient phrase to understand the role of the gimp in BDSM is that all gimps are submissive, but not all submissives are gimps. A gimp can best be described as a sexual submissive who is dressed in a rubber or leather suit that covers the entire body, including the hands and head.
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