This week I had three—count ’em, three—articles published at MEL Magazine. I basically took over the magazine, and you know what? I kinda liked it.
This week saw the beginning of two new series, both of which I’m majorly excited about:
The “Normal” Person’s Guide to Sex:
With a heavy emphasis on the quotation marks around “normal,” of course, because in sex there basically is no “normal.” This monthly guide will focus on people who are “normal” in more mundane ways. Folks with not a whole lot of time to devote to making their sex life perfect. People who can’t spend thousands on the finest in lingerie and sex toys and exotic getaways. Those who want better sex but can’t pay experts to figure out how for them. You know. Everyday humans like you and me.
Anyway, we take these “normal” people’s pointed questions about how to improve their sex lives, and pair those questions up with sex experts. We pick experts with knowledge in that particular area to give them specific advice for their situation.
This month, we paired up a cis woman who was battling pelvic pain and low libido with the amazing, indefatigable, loving, wonderful, glorious sex educator and porn star Nina Hartley. The results were so heartfelt that I teared up while I read her replies, and the question-asker did, too! Thank you, Nina!
(PS – If you’re a “normal” person and you have an issue in your own sex life, hit me up! I’d love to pair you with an expert to help you overcome your obstacles in the bedroom. DM me on Facebook or Twitter, or e-mail me at misslagsalot[at]gmail!)
Porn Around the World:
This amazing series is going to take readers around the world, looking at the adult entertainment industries that exist in places that we Americans don’t often think about. And I took over the magazine by making two installments of it this week!
It started on Wednesday with a sort of introduction to the idea that porn is not exclusively American, even though many of us tend to think of it that way. I spoke to scholars from around the globe about why American porn has been considered mainstream for so long, and wrote “How American Porn Came to Rule the Industry.” From pre-photographic French novels to Budaporn, there’s lots of porn history in this article, and I’m really proud of it!
Then, on Thursday, we launched into what porn and its production looks like elsewhere in the world, starting with the world’s newest porn industry, in “The Newest Porn Economy Is in Nigeria.” This article looks at the offshoot of the prolific Nollywood film industry, called Naija Porn or “Nude Nollywood,” which is just getting started. Several filmmakers there are diving into hardcore porn after years of tiptoeing around the issue, and even the grand matriarch of sexuality in Nigeria—an expat named Afrocandy—is getting in on the explicit action.
All in all, I’m glad I took over MEL this week. More of both of these series will follow next month! I can’t wait to share them with you! Check out MEL Magazine for lots of other goodies!