An Interview with Vic Wiseman

the delicious Editor of sexilicios.com

By Girlphoria

continued...

Olivia : Absolutely. For me it's the whole package when I think about what is sexy. There are some very hot women out there (buy current cultural standards) that are just dreadful people or are really ignorant and that's a total buzz kill for me. So tell me what you think of the cosmetic surgery explosion. The whole, building a better body through silicone and plastic bits is a fascinating concept. I mean, I figure, live and let live, but I have to say that breast implants in particular look as bad as they feel.

Vic: Oh lord, I pray never to come into face-to-boob contact with a pair of those plastic jobbies. I think I'll die laughing. Have to surpress an urge to make a childish squeaking sound "Er-ee! Er-ee!" No offense to all the siliconed ladies out there, of course. Just my personal weirdness around fake boobs. Cosmetic surgery is, sigh, something I don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole? I think a woman's body is hers to muck around with as she sees fit. If she wants a new chest size, well who am I to sing the praises of natural beauty at her? Personally, I'd much rather snuggle up to a convincing A cup than an implanted C. but that's my preference. I mean, we've all got little pet peeves about our own bodies, right? The photos that I had taken recently were a perfect example of how critical a woman can be of her body. As the photographer and I flipped through the 100 digital shots, I would screech with horror over the state of my tummy in one shot and squeal with delight over it in the next. "Ugh! I look flabby!" was a recurrent theme. But just as often, I'd say "Oh my god! I'm so hot!" Same body part, different reactions depending on the picture. It's a matter of perspective again. So, do I think plastic surgery's a good/healthy choice? No. An option I'd ever pursue? Maybe, as I get older, yes. But I recommend a good photo shoot first. You'll be surprise what a little artsy nudism can do for your self esteem!

Olivia : Women of colour, older women and larger women seem to be marginalised in modern western culture. How do you think we, as women, can help to level the playing field and also how do we empower women who may fall into one or more of these categories to, feel good about themselves, to feel sexy?

Vic: Erotic space should be created for these women. And there are sites doing it, bless them. There's not much we can do as a group to help though. Sexual empowerment needs two things: the forum and the personal drive. Maybe we could help by promoting and publicizing the forums available.

Olivia : Would you call yourself a feminist?

Vic: I'm not sure I'd call myself "a feminist" since that implies a lot political knowledge and an acute drive to activism - which I don't have on either count. But I would certainly say I was "feminist" in my leanings. Fortunately, the nature of Sexilicious.com doesn't lend itself to anyone pointing "liar liar pants on fire" fingers at me for calling myself feminist. There's nothing in it that's strictly "feminist" but I suppose that reflects my own position on the matter. I like women. I like being a woman. I believe in our equality and support our rights. Beyond that, I'm probably too young to feel the anger, resentment and other drivers that used to be the key factors of feminism. My mum did all that work for me, I suppose. Since I'm not peddling pornography in the strictest sense of the word. And even if I were, is pornography written by women, for women unfeminist?

Olivia : Well, it depends upon whom in the feminist movement you talk to. As a long-time feminist activist I'd say that generally no, porn or she-rotica by and for women is not degrading to women though you'd find a lot of women in the feminist community who disagree with me on that.

Vic: If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you really can't avoid offending someone. No matter what you do, what political views you uphold, your decisions are going to go against the wishes of someone. The trick, I suppose, is to find your own political/moral ground, be prepared to defend it and stick. I agree with you. Erotica and porn "for" women isn't degrading. at least, it doesn't degrade me. But I can't speak for everyone. There are women who will pronounce any image of the nude female form degrading. Personally, I think that's sad and closed-minded. I'm willing to defend and support my version of feminism - which is that a woman has the right to be sexual, that women have a right to enjoy sexual images and words. My own site, for example, supports my personal version of feminism. Problem: women don't get to be sexual in a public forum. Solution: Give them a forum to do it. Anyone who says that's degrading is off their rocker.

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