ABUSE - ( SCARLET LETTERS ).COM
( This page was on our original site . After 4 years , we have decided to partially reconstruct it . )
Heather Corinna, on Scarlet Letters :
( From : JANES GUIDE )
Basically, Scarlet Letters happened out of another one of my little visions that seems to create a lot of work for people I never anticipate. Whoops. As I said, there is a forum in which I have showcased my fiction, most of which is very dark, and some of which has very strong language, but there really wasn't a place for me to post anything erotic. Not surprisingly, you can toss four-letter words around and no one blinks, but bring up anything that has to do with our favorite three-letter word, and people go bananas. My computer was jam-packed with my own erotic poetry and short stories, and overflowing with scans from the photo sessions I do, and all of it is work I cherish more than any other, but it had nowhere to go. I approached some of the people online whose work I had respected in other venues, and my best pal (Suzeanne) about doing it, and everyone agreed (albeit reluctantly, knowing what my "little" projects usually end up becoming). Thus, an e-zine is born.
As of right now, we now have a cartoonist on staff, as well as another few contributing staff. The input we have gotten from readers has been truly flattering, and in general, we are finding men appreciate it just as much as women.
As far as sex and the internet, to a large degree, you have here what you get in near every other media as well. A large part of this country is trapped in the notion that the only way to get excited about sex is to go for the taboo, and make it "bad" or "dirty". There is a pervasive attitude out there that circulates around people seeing what they ought not to. Unfortunately, that doesn't do very much for those of us who DON'T think there is anything wrong with consensual sex, and the rape/paedophile/bestial fantasies and so forth that near always involve women are just plain unhealthy, and not conducive to enjoyed sexuality by all parties. The interesting thing about the internet as a media for erotica is that it offers a greater cross-section of culture than using print media. A lot of our readers would spend time in bookstores, and perhaps pick up an erotica journal, or a collection of short stories. On the other hand, some of the users of the internet either live where that literature simply isn't available easily, or would not be inclined to spend hours in a bookstore at all. Essentially, what we can do here is not only cater to a portion of the internet community who want their minds tantalized as well as their eyes, but offer up something you may not even find in another media.
Because I paint a lot of nudes, I often have found myself perusing the internet porn sites for graphic reference when I can't find anything here, and in spite of the lack of quality you see on a lot of the sites, the beauty of it is, there is a lot of attention being given to sexuality, something that in our culture is repressed to the point of ridiculousness.
What we're really trying to do, and what a large part of my aim is, at Scarlet Letters, is portray sexuality for what it is: intimate, rich, complex, varied, and celebratory. In doing things like displaying my own portraits, fiction and poetry, I am taking a risk. I teach during the day, and there are certainly those who would say that what I do with other aspects of my life should disqualify me as a teacher. I would feel confident setting forth Scarlet Letters as a clear example that is not so. I find people shocked at times to see this, merely because their perception of what erotica is is so narrow. Often, people do not expect to see beauty, intelligence, emotion and soul in this genre. In y mind, however, that is what it SHOULD be. I'm hoping a few years from now we will find this isn't a genre at all, but finds itself moving beyond such things. I hope what we do sets erotica one foot out of the label.
I grew up essentially surrounded by sexuality, both the negative aspects as well as the positive. I am an abuse survivor, but I am also someone who, perhaps due to knowing full well what is NOT healthy sex, enjoys and celebrates what is healthy, enjoyable and fulfilling. I was raised very openly in regards to my sexuality, and never had questions unanswered about sex. I really believe simply being honest and open about sexuality is the answer to the problems we have with so many of the problems there are surrounding it. Again, that is a large part of what I hope Scarlet Letters can offer. There is a level of trust involved. When I set forth a photograph of myself exposing my sexuality and vulnerability, or another contributor puts a poem down that is a fantasy, we are trusting our readership as one would trust a lover: to see these things, and to appreciate them for the insight to our souls that they are, and respect them accordingly.
That is what I find lacking in a lot of art, writing and sites centered on sex: if all of this is masked in makeup, fictional names, fees, taboos and basically, a product designed to try and meet a reader demand without really giving anything from the creator/creatrix, you have what you would have in a lousy sexual relationship, a lack of balance and give and take. Sex involves vulnerability and intimacy. Without those things, all you have is a farce, and we end up with a million sites showing us Madonna giving a blow job. While that may do something for someone on some level, my premise is, it really isn't going to give them what we're all really looking for, which is something we can relate to ourselves and our own sexuality, and which will enrich our sexual lives. I insist here, as I would to any lover I had, that I am seen for what I am, and trust enough to show that. If it is rejected, perhaps I am not with the right lover, but if I don't give all that, I don't really get anything back.
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