Abstract
For many individuals, because kinky sexual activities remain relatively unexplored territory in their everyday lives, mediated images can contribute substantially to their perceptions of such activities and the various individuals who willingly participate in them. Accordingly, this paper analyzes cinematic images of kinky sex lives in influential offerings of exploitation cinema pertaining to gay men who participate in the New York City’s S&M subculture as well as consenting adults who engage regularly in the phenomena of fat fetishism and feederism. In doing so, it explores the power of such images in depicting atypical lifestyles and ways of being to (primarily) mainstream audience members and their contributions to the social construction of the kinky phenomena they represent, leading to the conclusion that their imagery ultimately serves to give those who choose to engage in such activities a bad name while simultaneously suggesting that they must either be contained or eradicated in a civilized society.
Presenters
Kylo-Patrick HartProfessor and Chair, Film, Television and Digtial Media, Texas Christian University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Cinema, Containment, Deviance, Exploitation, Kink, Representation, Social Constructionism
