Archive for the ‘Opinion/Editorial/Blog/Essay’ Category

Weight Issues- A Vicious Circle, From a Man’s Perspective- pt 2

you can read part 1 here http://www.ladieznight.com/2958

by Ray Garton of http://preposteroustwaddlecock.blogspot.com
It’s happened to so many women in movies and television – gorgeous, voluptuous women who apparently begin listening to all the wrong people and suddenly show up looking like they should have little numbers tattooed on their forearms. Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Connely, Minnie Driver, Christina Ricci – the list is too long.

What is the purpose of this unrealistic, unhealthy female image that the media has been bludgeoning us with for so long? All you have to do is look around to see that most women simply do not look like that – which is fortunate for all of us. What’s unfortunate is that so many women have been made to feel that they should look like that. Why? Who benefits? Doctors? Eating disorder clinics? Jenny Craig? Morticians?

I’ve known so many women throughout my life who are beautiful, desirable, but who are ashamed of their bodies because they’ve been made to feel that their asses are too big or their thighs are too thick or their belly isn’t flat enough or their breasts aren’t big enough. At the same time, most of the men I’ve known have been put off by the media’s malnourished, skeletal female ideal. Bones are not sexy. Women who look like they puke on a regular basis are not a turn on.

It seems to be changing a little here and there, but not without resistance. In April of 2010, ABC and Fox balked at airing a commercial for Lane Bryant lingerie. The commercial featured a drop-dead gorgeous full-figured model in lingerie. ABC and Fox said it was just too hot for primetime. Fox refused to show it during American Idol and ABC wouldn’t show it during Dancing with the Stars until the very end. There was too much skin in this ad, too much cleavage, they claimed. As we all know, American television networks do all they can to avoid showing things like bare skin or cleavage during the primetime hours. No one ever wears anything revealing on American Idol. You never, ever see any exposed skin on Dancing with the Stars, where all the dancers are always completely covered from head to toe. Right? So that must be the reason Fox demanded some serious editing on this commercial and ABC refused to show it during one of its most popular shows. Right? It probably had nothing to do with the model’s size, which didn’t exactly fall within network television’s norm. Or maybe the networks thought they were doing their viewers a service. I can imagine some network suit saying, “Nobody wants to see that!” Or, “We certainly don’t want to give women the impression that it’s okay to look like that!”

It seems a big part of the media’s job is to make us unhappy with our lot. We need this car, that gadget, this TV, that video game system, and if we don’t get them, we are somehow failures as human beings. It’s one thing to do that with material goods. But it’s quite another to set an unrealistic standard for the human body and hold it up as the ideal so that those who do not meet that standard are made to feel inadequate.

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Watch for part three coming up soon…

Weight Issues- A Vicious Circle, From a Man’s Perspective

by Ray Garton of http://preposteroustwaddlecock.blogspot.com

I was watching The Big Bang Theory last night – which, by the way, is one of the funniest shows on television and if you haven’t seen it, you should remedy that posthaste – and a young woman appeared who looked familiar. I frowned, wondering where I’d seen her before. For about five minutes, it drove me crazy because I just couldn’t figure out who she was. Suddenly, it hit me. That’s Eliza Dushku! I thought. Then I thought, Oh my god, she’s dying of cancer.

I remember Eliza being a little more plump, curvier, more voluptuous. Dawn said I was mistaken, but I wasn’t. I quickly Googled her and found pictures of a much softer Eliza. But the Eliza on The Big Bang Theory was not soft. She was … well … rather unsettling. “You’re just remembering her babyfat,” Dawn said. No, I’m sorry, that’s not true. I’m remembering a healthier looking Eliza, that’s what I’m remembering. I’m remembering an Eliza whose bones were not vividly apparent. The Eliza I saw last night had a jaw that could cut glass. I could play pool with one of her legs. And win.

If your jaw can cut glass? I’m sorry, but you’re not hot. If I can play pool with one of your legs? You’re a woman in crisis and you need to eat some goddamned sandwiches.

What in the hell has happened to us? I’m going to be 48 soon, and in my lifetime, I have watched as the popular image of the female form has gone from one of voluptuous curves to … well, to Keira Knightley. I was channel surfing not long ago and I came across a movie in which a scary skeleton was flailing about. For a moment, I thought it was the Nicolas Cage movie Ghost Rider. But no. It was a Keira Knightley movie. I’m not even sure which one. All I know is that as soon as I realized what I was watching, I wanted to make that poor girl a plate of spaghetti. Don’t get me wrong – Keira Knightley is a beautiful young woman. It’s just that she’s not a whole beautiful young woman. She looks like she’s been animated by Ray Harryhausen and should be crossing swords with Jason and the Argonauts.

Back in the 1980s, a handful of Alfred Hitchock movies that had been out of circulation for decades were finally rereleased to theaters. One of them was Vertigo starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. I saw it in the Liberty Theater in St. Helena, California. Back then, the Liberty was an art house that showed foreign films and old black-and-white movies that featured genuine movie stars from another time. It had a snack bar that offered bagels and unusual coffees with the usual theater snacks. I had never seen Vertigo – or Rear Window or The Man Who Knew Too Much or Rope or The Trouble with Harry, which were also rereleased around that time – and I was giddy with excitement. Kim Novak was a jaw-slackening, eye-popping goddess with an hourglass figure, an image of soft, strokable femininity. There were no rigid tendons in her neck, no angular bones poking out, none of the things that had become the norm by the mid-‘80s. This was 1958, just a few years before I was born, a different world, when women in movies had curvy, definable shapes. I remember thinking as I sat in the theater, She probably would be considered overweight today. Sure enough, a few minutes later, someone a couple of rows behind me said, “My god, she’s such a cow.” I nearly tossed my popcorn.

Kim Novak? A cow? What the fuck?

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Watch for Part two coming up soon…

by N’jaila Rhee of http://BlasianBytch.com/

I’ve been asked to write a opinion or advice piece for Asian men on many occasions this is the first time I’ve taken a serious approach to the subject.

I know for many I might be a strange woman, I’m a Black identified woman who through fate and circumstance found myself involved with almost exclusively Asian men.   I don’t think this makes me any kind of expert on Asian Male Black Women relations but J.T the Asian Playboy asked me to write and so I shall.

I think the first thing that should be obvious is that like “Asians” there a wide range of cultures that fall under the umbrella of “Black” and those culture effect people but at the end of the day we are all individuals. There is no monolithic hive of thought governing the thoughts, desires and personalities of all Black women.  So take everything I write with that in mind.

There are three basic things I think all the Asian men who appealed to me and eventually got the booty mastered and I’ll try to explain them to you.  First, they were never douche bags about race. Second they made an effort to try to understand some of our cultural differences.  Lastly, they were comfortable being who they were and respectful of their own people and culture.

It’s easy for people to assume that just because two people in a relationship are not the same race that somehow they’ve discovered the cure for racism, I know first hand that’s not the case.  Plenty of men that chose to date interracially can be total cunts when it comes to issues of race, some without even realizing it.

It can be little things like turning to the hip-hop station that you would never listen to as soon as I get into the car.  A pretty solid rule of life is if phrases like  “boo”, “girlfriend” or, “oh no he didn’t” aren’t in your everyday vocabulary don’t try to adopt them to be “down”.  If these terms are in your everyday vocabulary punch yourself in the face, please. This type of racial pandering has for me been a red flag when it comes to dating…

by Kylea Killeen of www.kyleakilleen.com

While a large portion of women dream of having a more buxom bosom, many are concerned with complications, scarring, & the replacement surgeries associated with saline & silicone implants. Finally the options are beginning to expand thanks to science & technology. Wish you could take that fat from your hips & put it in your breasts? Now you can! Want a temporary increase in your bust line? Its already available in other countries! Or would you rather just grow more fat in your breasts? That’s coming too! Below I’ve outlined some of the current & future options for those wanting to enlarge their bust without going the route of traditional implants.

Fat Transfer
Expect an increase of: 1 cup size
Expect to pay about: $10k
Fat transfer was what many women wanted for years, even before it existed, but it does bring a range of problems of its own. For many years the FDA did not approve of fat transfer breast augmentation because of problems with fat cells dying after transfer & causing calcification. The calcification interfered with mammograms, making it hard to discern if a woman had developed breast cancer which can also lead to calcification. The technology has come a long way though & now most of the mammogram machines work much better, so the doctors can get correct readings without as much worry over the results of implants or fat transfer. Fat transfer can generally take you up about 1 cup size per procedure. If you opt for fat transfer you aren’t just paying for one surgery though, you are paying for two. Both surgeries are pretty non-invasive & can be done quickly. First the doctor will do use a form of lipo-suction to collect the fat, then a second surgery is performed the same day to re-inject the fat into the breast tissue. After the surgery patients may be required to wear a breast pressure splint for a bit to keep the fat in place. The one major set back to fat transfer is that a good percentage of the fat often dies, leaving the patients with results that are less than desirable. On the plus side, Europeans have been using this method for many years for patients recovering from breast cancer.
Pros: Non-invasive, one time surgery, general anesthesia not required, available in the U.S.
Cons: Cost, minor increase in size, possible calcification, possible fat loss, pressure splint

Fat Transfer with Stem Cells
Expect an increase of: 1 – 2 cup sizes
Expect to pay about: $18K
Fat transfer with stem cells is the newest rage for natural breast augmentation in the United States. While it is similar to regular fat transfer it does have numerous bonuses that tend to make it better. Rather than a two part surgery the procedure occurs in three parts. First the doctor uses lipo-suction (often Body-Jet water assisted lipo) to remove the fat, the fat is then cleaned to optimize the use of the stem cells, which are then re-injected into the breasts. After surgery patients may be required to wear a breast pressure splint for a bit to keep the fat in place. The major advantage to this procedure over the regular fat transfer is that stem cells have a better survival rate (85-90%), & a much lower chance of calcification (less than 10% of patients).
Pros: Non-invasive, one time surgery, general anesthesia not required, available in the U.S.
Cons: Cost, minor increase in size, possible calcification, minor fat loss, pressure splint

Macrolane
Expect an increase of: 1 – 2 cup sizes
Expect to pay about: $5K plus travel expenses
If you are looking for a temporary breast enlargement Swedish science has the answer for you… Marcolane by the makers of Restalyn. Basically it is a dermal filler of gel-like substance created from large amounts of stabilized hyaluronic acid. Patients can remain awake while Macrolane is being injected into the breasts & actively decide how big they want to go. The results of the injections last about 1 – 2 years after which it is metabolized by the body. This is perfect option if you aren’t sure how large of permanent implants you want, or if you want to increase your wages by increasing your bust at a temporary job such as working as an exotic dancer, adult actress, model or bartender. Macrolane does come with the risks of palpable lumps & capsular contractions, some of which can be massaged out..
Pros: Non invasive, general anesthesia not required
Cons: Minor increase in size, temporary, not yet available in the U.S.

Laboratory Grown “Implants” With Stem Cells
(Not yet available to the public)
Expect an increase of: unknown
Expect to pay about: unknown
The newest advancement being tested is the idea of growing an “implant” with the assistance of stem cells from the patient. Doctors are turning stem cells into adipose (fat producing) cells, which can be put into molds of different shapes & sizes. The implant grows over the period of about eight months, & can then be inserted under the skin. Trials are just now starting to begin in Australia & will first be offered to recovering breast cancer patients who have be cancer-free for two years or more.
Pros: A more natural implant
Cons: Risk of scaring similar to current saline/silicone implants

Neopec Stem Cell Assisted Breast Growth
Expect an increase of: unknown
Expect to pay: unknown
This procedures is probably one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of cosmetic surgery for implants. Doctors create a pocket in the patient & insert a biodegradable scaffold or mold in the shape of the breast, which is where the new breast tissue will form. Blood vessels which are located near the implant are re-directed to the mold to increase circulation to the area & stimulate growth of new fat cells. Stem cells are injected into the ends of the blood vessels near the mold. Myogel is then injected into the mold to help stimulate the the process for the body to create new fat tissue in the area of the mold. Over the next 4-6 months the new breast tissue forms, after which the mold either dissolves on its own or is removed by the doctor. Researchers in Australia are expecting the procedure to be available to cancer patients within three years, and a few years after that expect to see it on the cosmetic surgery market.
Pros: Natural growth shaped to your breast
Cons: Not yet available

The last thing to realize with any of these technique is that while your bust-line is increasing, the shape won’t really change. If you love the look of the high profile implants sported by many glamour models & actress then traditional implants will provide you the results you want. Most of the options listed above are best suited for women who are already happy with their current shape, but want more of it, or women who have lost fullness from age or breast-feeding. However, some of these options can be used in addition to a traditional breast lift to give the appearance of younger & fuller breasts. If you love the look & feel of natural breasts look into your options carefully. When contacting doctors offering these services you’ll need to have a lot of patience since there are very few of them, & they are swamped with customers who are booking appointments up to six months in advance. Or, if you don’t see something that is right for you now, consider waiting until the technology you want is available. Science is rapidly changing the cosmetic surgery industry & you never know what will be available tomorrow!

Dears,

It all started with Barney.   Y’know, he’s the cantor out here at B’Nai Savings & Loan in Walnut Creek and when he’s not singing like an angel or working on someone’s stock portfolio, he’s a professional mensch.  He always involved in one charity or another
and he’s constantly pitching in to help those in need.  And his largesse is not limited  to humanity, it also extends to the animal kingdom, too, which, not surprisingly, is where  I came in.

One day, Barney calls me up and he’s all aflutter to help the pandas.  A series of  earthquakes in China had seriously damaged their habitat and there was an  emergency international call for funds to help create a new home for all these  struggling, dispossessed pandas.  “House the Pandas,” the drive was called and I  gave generously to the fund.  Initially because Barney asked, but later simply because I think that pandas are some of the coolest animals on the planet.

Then came the rains.  The new housing for the pandas was built on a flood plain in one  of the outlying Chinese provinces.  Unexpected flash-flooding completely destroyed  the “House the Pandas” new location.  It was a total loss.  Desperate Chinese officials  responded with the “Adopt a Panda Project.”  Temporary homes all over the world had to be found for 187 pandas until the conclusion of the rainy season when all of these  flood waters would recede.  Don’t let anybody tell you that global warming is not real.   We are only beginning to see these dire consequences all over the world.

And that’s when little “Moo Shu” came into my life.  Many adult pandas were loaned  out to zoos all over the world.  Forty-three of them alone came to be assigned to  the United States.  Among them, were eleven baby pandas who would require  24 hour care.  They had either lost or been rejected by their mothers and without human intervention, they would die.  Three of these panda babies came to the  Oakland Zoo, where I have been a member and supporter ever since my kids  were born.  The over-populated and under-funded Oakland Zoo decided to solicit  community support by allowing these three panda babies to be temporarily cared for  in private homes .  Our application was accepted and “Moo Shu” came to live with  us seven weeks ago.

At first, Moo Shu would not allow us to milk feed her here from a bottle.  She would  only eat sporadically and was not gaining her appropriate weight.  That’s when I  began taking the female hormone therapy.  I also at that point decided to have my  breasts enlarged.  When my breasts finally started producing their own milk, Moo Shu  accepted them and began gaining her badly needed weight.

I have taken to motherhood like it has been my all along one true destination in life.  While it seems  perhaps a bit too late to have the genital replacement surgery to complete my metamorphosis, I’m still  positively delighted that Jehovah has given me this blissful opportunity to wet nurse my little Moo Shu.    It’s going to be very difficult to wean her, but she’s already up to 16 pounds so that day will be coming  soon.  Besides that, she’s taken to chewing on my nipples and they’ve both become cracked and sore,  but it’s a small price to pay to have been part of such a wondrous miracle.

In case you fellows out there were curious, at this stage, I haven’t exactly become gay.  In fact, it’s  really been real fun to have my own tits to play with instead of having to put up with a woman for that  opportunity.  Masturbation now has so many more options.  I still love my wife, by the way.  Since I’ve  become a chick-with-a-dick, our sex life has completely re-invented itself.

Go Stillers!
Good Shabbos,

Howie Gorton aka Richard Pacheco author of soon to be released-

Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Writes me-

Cindi- I want you to know about a recent decision in Washington that could endanger the health of women all across America.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new regulations as part of health care reform that would deny
coverage for abortion to some of the most medically vulnerable women in America. HHS has banned coverage for abortion, except in the cases of rape, incest, and endangering the life of the woman, in new insurance pools set up to provide coverage to
women with pre-existing conditions. This means that women with AIDS, breast and cervical cancer, and other conditions will be
denied this coverage. This abortion ban is part of an extremely limited category of excluded procedures — procedures like cosmetic surgery, which are almost never covered by health plans today.

You know as well as I do: abortion is not cosmetic surgery. It is necessary care. It is health care that is generally included
as a part of a basic benefits package, and all women — regardless of health status — should have the option of purchasing a health plan that includes it. If you haven’t yet, sign our letter to HHS now, and tell them to reverse this decision before it goes into effect and does real harm to women.

http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/hhs2010ban/wn6x38s4q753n8kb?source=enews_aug10_ppol

It’s up to each and every one of us to protect the gains made for women’s health in the health care reform law, and I hope you
will stand with us.

Cindi writes- Do you agree or disagree with this? Do you want more political issues concerning women covered on LadieZnight? Or should we stick to the adult industry?

FEMALE PATRONS OF PORN

by Jon

Richard McLeary and Richard Tewksbury have recently published a study titled Female Patrons of Porn. They wanted to find out the percentage of men to women that visited adult stores. 33 were targeted in Southern California. 9 research assistants were employed to observe them day and night over a period of 162 hours. Men it seems prefer to go to sex shops at weekends between 11 00PM-2 00AM Women go on weekdays between 3 00PM-7 00PM. It makes you wonder if the two sexes are trying to avoid each other. 1,258 patrons were observed entering the stores. 83% were men and 17% women. Two other studies found that 50% of sex shop patrons were women.

Men mainly went to the stores alone. They were probably going for sexual relief in one of the private booths. There was a tiny percentage of women observed going to sex shops alone. They mainly went in groups that were for the most part same sex. The rest visited the stores either as mixed groups or couples. Men mainly go to strip clubs alone. Women who want to see male
strippers treat it as a social event and go in large groups. Stores with security guards outside had the largest number of female patrons. Sex shops with viewing  booths had the least probably because they were considered sleazy. Women were also less likely to visit stores with a large number of female employees. This is probably because they feared being judged. It will be interesting to see if with further studies the numbers of solitary women and couples visiting sex shops increases. Or will the shops disappear because of zoning restrictions and people preferring to buy on line.

by N’Jaila Rhee of BlasianBytch.com

Manhattan Madam & Gubernatorial Candidate Kristin Davis Had Birthday Party

July 17- Manhattan Madam and New York gubernatorial candidate Kristin  Davis celebrated her first birthday since her release from prison at Manhattan lounge 49 Grove.  Davis also used the event as a launch of her petition drive to get on the ballot.

Partygoers were greeted with semi nude models decorated with Davis’  name as well as marijuana leaves.  Campaign workers made rounds asking  everyone registered to vote in New York State to sign a petition to get Davis   on the ballot.   Davis needs 15,000 signatures to run.

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A driver picks up the arriving thespians at the Toronto airport and delivers  Bubba Smith (whom I had not recognized on the plane) to the hotel and me to the  production office of the set. There I meet Mr. George Gains, who is playing the  Chief of the Police Academy.

“My script says you are to perform an unspeakable act upon my person in our  scene together tomorrow. I thought perhaps we might get to know each other a bit  first over dinner this evening, if you’re available.” Mr. Gains is positively  Victorian in his demeanor toward me as we shake a hello.

I don’t know what I expected. Leering? Slathering? I’m so damn defensive about  my image as a so-called star of the Golden Age of Porn that I become what I’ve  been told comes across as stand-offish when meeting new people as my alter ego. When I’m just Chele, I’m fine.
So I said, sure, and we met for dinner.

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Natural Porn Killers

Op/Ed by Karen Kougar on her sexual encounter with murder suspect Jason Andrews & on meeting  his girlfriend murder suspect Sunny Dae

(This article was originally posted on LadieZnight June 5th. I pulled it right back down when I realized that Jason was not in custody. Karen gave me permission to repost it.)

From the Wonderland murders to the bizarre and tragic rampage that took the life of Tom Dong and injured two others earlier this week, the adult industry has always been shadowed by a small, vague cloud of violence. The public frequently includes this in their stereotypes of the business; but I believe that we as performers often minimize or ignore the additional risks posed by various characters we encounter in our work.

As I browsed an industry trade website earlier this week, I happily recognized the photo of a woman I had worked with last year, Sunny Dae, before I realized the headline read “Prostitute Performer Arrested For Murder”.  As I read on, it became clear that the other primary suspect in the case, Jason Andrews, was another performer on that set. In fact, the shoot was where they had met. Having been there when “Bonnie first fucked Clyde”, so to speak, Cindi asked me to share my feelings about the story.

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