This came by way of the AdultRopeArt Yahoo group this morning, and I thought it worth sharing. I’m not sure what exactly the shoot was for (there’s speculation it’s for the new movie Hana no Hebi 3) but what did strike me was the way it was so professional.
The actress is obviously put in positions of physical duress, and follows the Japanese erotic aesthetic of looking pained, shamed, and unhappy. I find that often even kinksters forget that this is a skill – it is called acting. The minute the shoot is done, people rush in with no other purpose but to make her comfortable again. It is a recognition of the work she is doing, and also a re-affirmation of her own dignity and worth as both a human and a professional. I think that certain sex-negative anti-porn voices would have us believe that in between the shoots the women and men who do this kind of work are kicked to the side, or made to service the crew, or some bullshit like that.
They forget, conveniently, that this is a business, a profession, and that there is skill involved, training, and work.
And for those who might forget how this process really works, there’s Sir Ian McKellen to explain it:
This was work done for “Flower and Snake 2” (2005) with the work shown in the video inspired by the art of SM illustrator Kyodo Miyabi. The actress is Sugimoto Aya, who plays Shizuko in the movie.