EXPLORATION OF DESIRE
ISSUE 1
I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.
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Editor’s Letter
Bibliophilia Could Be Saving Books
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Darker Side Of Books
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Meok Bang = Your New Dinner Partner
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Discovering The World Of Adult Babies
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
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EDITOR’S LETTER Sophisticated, subtle yet sexy. Hello and welcome to the first edition of our normalised fetish magazine. This is your new quarterly supplement designed especially for people who would never normally consider picking up a fetish magazine at their local kiosk. We created this publication for the people who want to know what they can get away with. While reading in public transport or comfortably sitting home, the magazine let’s you sink into the world of fetishes. The most common use of the word fetish is probably the sexual meaning which we would like to overcome. Whether they are innocent or not, we have collected them all for you and created a new universe full of clear, sensible and reliable information from writers that you can trust. So whether you’re in it to explore new ones or just to learn about them, this is the magazine for you. We have created a lifestyle magazine. We want it to be exploring, informative yet entertaining, but above all bring a little bit of light in the dark world of red & black publications. The inside contains mixture of features, reviews and regular columns on a wide range of fetishes and fetish-related topics. Our writers not only dig deep into the topics but also debunks some of those common myths. While Hiroki Takano lets you experience routines through the lens of a person with fetishes, Johanne Hald and Céleste Andersen let you dig deep into the world of food, Japanese fetish scene or innocent sounding-like world of adult babies.
We have not created this as a manual how to better in whatsoever fetishes you might have, rather an interesting reading you do not have to hide from the world. It is the different approach we take to the tabooed topic that is typical for this magazine. Not only we strive to be different but we also want to look different. Our designers team has created a sophisticated and outstanding design that will not fall into the category of predictable red & black sex publications. Something you will not mind leaving on your desk in the office. Something appealing to both men and women, rather artsy than vulgar. Our focus is on diversity and normalisation. All issues will cover an overall theme of fetishes but the fetishes explored within the magazines will not fit within a specific theme. Each of our writers have specific way of self explanation but that is not stoping them from providing you the very important details. From here, you are setting yourself onto a journey through visual and informational universe that can be discovered from whichever corner, as you are the creator of your own journey throughout this magazine. I hope you enjoy this first issue and do let us know if there are any topics you’d like to see covered in the future.
Words by Martin Malek Illustration by Eliska Muchova
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Desire [dihis a longing as for somet brings satisf
-zahyuh r] g or craving, thing that faction.
Words by Johanne Tønner Hald Illustration by Karolina Sikorska
We live in a world where e-readers and audiobooks function as alternatives to the traditional book. For years it seemed that the e-reader’s increasing popularity would be the death of the book, but books seems to be on the rise. It is especially the younger generation that have taken an interest in the physical book. Could this be an indication of a young generation of bibliophiles? Bibliophilia falls within the category of fetishes, since it is all about obsession with books. However, bibliophilia does not belong to the category of sexual fetishes, as it is more an obsession with collecting books. Bibliophiles get a satisfaction from buying and owning books, and they tend to have large collections of these in their home. There is a difference between the enjoyment of reading books and the obsessive collection of said books. While most homes have bookshelves with at least a few books, to a bibliophile the ability to read the book is not enough, because there is also an obsessive need to own the books. It is the need to obtain and own books that separates a bibliophile from a regular book lover. A bibliophile may want to read the contents of their books, but this interest is not a necessity when they are deciding whether to purchase a book. Many people with a fetish for books will buy them purely for aesthetic reasons. They are often collector’s items,
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special editions, old or rare books. DRBibliophile put it simply in his Youtube video ‘What is a Bibliophile?’ …and I like the way it looks on my shelf. I just consider it more a display piece rather than a utility piece.” Many bibliophiles will collect multiple copies of the same book. This may again be for aesthetic reasons since the artwork of each edition tend to differ. For some it has to do with owning both a special edition, but also owning a book specifically for reading. People may also have a specific version that is purely a loaner copy. Bibliophiles need physical books to exist in order to invoke the strong physical sensations that come from interaction with books. An important aspect of having the large book collections is the ability of being able to touch and smell them. These physical sensations are just as important as the contents, if not more so, and they can never be replicated by the modern conveniences of e-readers and audio books. In this everchanging technological world, bibliophiles have stuck with what they love. Even if technology should once again overtake physical books in terms of popularity, the true lovers of books will find a way to enjoy their treasures. As Julian Barnes put it in The Guardian ‘…though perhaps the e-reader will one day contain a ‘smell’ function, which you will click to make your electronic Dickens novel suddenly reek of damp paper, fox marks and nicotine’.
“and I like the way it looks on my shelf ”
B O O K S Words by Hiroki Takano Illustration by Lumir Spanihel
R
Darker side of books Darker side of books
Ark Books is a small bookstore located on Møllegade, a quiet side street off Nørrebrogade. The bookstore, known for its intimate literary events and impromptu street parties, specialises in English and world literature. The store’s hand-crafted shelves are replete with a carefully curated selection of literature from around the world. Friendly and attentive booksellers offer up cups of free coffee, while talking effusively about Chris Kraus’s latest book. Ark Books is the closest thing to a bibliophile’s nirvana that you can find in Copenhagen. The bookstore, founded in 2014, is nonprofit and run by a dedicated team of volunteers. As a community bookstore, it functions as an inclusive a space, where anyone is welcome to come and read and talk about books. Ark Books are part of a growing literary scene which has made Møllegade its home, alongside, Det Poetiske Bureaus Boghandel, Møllegade Boghandel, and Literaturhaus. . But don’t let the light airy exterior fool you, Ark Books is also the perfect place to indulge in your literary fetishes. The bookstore ran a month-long event dedicated to Georges Bataille’s controversial and taboo novella, Story of the Eye. I spoke to Macon Holt, the event organiser, about the darker side of books.
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Do you think that literature gives us the opportunity to explore our fetishes? Yes, I would say so. Fetishes act as a kind of fiction about who we are through what we desire. Literature can definitely help us explore this side of ourselves. Story of the Eye does this, and so does 50 Shades of Grey. For example, the fetish in 50 Shades of Grey is the thrill owning things and being owned. So there is a connection between fetish and literature? Yeah, because there is always an element of fantasy. There is a psychoanalytic theory from Lacan about how when we can’t get what we want, we place it in objects that seem like they contain it. Books are this exactly. Those moments when you are reading somethingand feel some kind elation were because of how you relate to the text. You can be chasing this feeling in the next book for a long time before you find that again, a bit like an addiction. In your opinion are there any topics which are taboo? Naturally this changes with culture, but currently is there anything that writers “can’t write about”? In literature, nothing is off limits but that doesn’t mean you should write about everything. It is about how you pull it off. As an author writing today, you have to be prepared to weather the storm if you fuck this up. But this makes writing interesting, fetishes are exciting because they are dangerous.
Meok Bang = your new dinner partner
Words by CÊleste Victoria Bøgelund Andersen Photography by Karolina Sikorska & Lumir Spanihel Model Marcela Cierkosz
The Internet shapes our everyday lives like never before and connects us to each other across demographics. The boundaries between private and public are in dissolution and today we have the opportunity to get an insight into the most personal situations, along with millions of others online. Virtual fellowships arise, where we share our interests and fetishes with each other. In 2009 in South Korea the phenomenon and fetish, Meok Bang, developed. Meok Bang transforms the banal act of eating into a live-stream marathon show, where a typically young and slim woman eats enough food to feed a whole soccer team. Meok Bang combines the Korean word for “eating” (muok-da) with the word “broadcast” (bang song). A host, who calls oneself for a BJ (Broadcast Jockey), consume a meal consisting of a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, 12 fried eggs, three bowls of Korean kimchi stew and a salad. The enormous amount of food is eaten, in an easy-going tempo, in front of a camera to an internet audience paying to see it, depending on what platform you watch it on. The host makes slurping, chewing, smacking and swallowing noises, while she or he eats and describes the food.
Meok Bang is a combination of competitive food eating, gastronomic voyeurism, online porn and social entertainment. The most popular hosts tend to be young and attractive women, which is the defining element in these broadcasts. The audience derives a satisfaction from watching them eating huge amount of food where the sound is also a crucial factor. South Korea ranks on top of the rankings when it comes to digitalization. The 99,6% of young people in South Korea are considered to be digitally native, placing them in a first place in the world where you find the most digital natives. To understand South Korea’s integration of technology into all aspects of life, you must understand the country has had the world’s fastest internet for several years and that most of South Koreans view live streams on their phones - and it is a constant companion as another shadow. The online video broadcasting channel Afreeca TV is home to Meok Bang. Here, viewers have the opportunity to donate money to their favorite BJ’s by using virtual money called Star Balloons, which subsequently will be converted to real money. The most popular BJ’s can earn around 7,000 pounds sterling a month without sponsorships.
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BJ’s can earn around 7,000 pounds sterling a month without sponsorship.
Meok Bang’s presence in South Korea, but also globally, has grown drastically over the past decade and is still rising upward. It was almost unknown in the US until 2015, where the media network Fine Brothers Entertainment uploaded a video of popular YouTube stars that responded to the Korean food broadcast. Meok Bang represents a shifting culture in South Korea, where many people eat meals alone and a fourth part of the households are occupied by one single person. Meok Bang is an example of how technology paves the way away from face to face interaction - and where the dinner, as we know it, seems to be in a dissolution. However, humans have a natural desire to share a meal in good company and the Meok Bang trend seems to fill the young Koreans social gap. Unlike many videos on YouTube that are edited and polished, live streaming seems more real and honest. South Korea is a spectacular community. The number of suicides is steadily rising and it’s the highest in the world measured per capita. Stress is one of the reasons for this, it’s being seen as a weakness if you cannot cope with the pressure of the education system or/and family. The young Korean people are too busy and too engaged individually to eat with family and friends. Meok Bang is more than just a fascination with young and attractive people who binge-eat, but still watching the videos, it’s impossible not to talk about the sexual aspect. On online streaming services, it is typically men who pay to see a young woman binge-eat. There is no nudity in the videos, but the women are remarkably attractive and there is no doubt their appearance, the sounds and perhaps also the innocent teenage like room they are filming in, is part of it. Critics believe that Meok Bang objectifies women and encourages them to binge-eat. The fascination of the slim ideal that can resist temptations can also be a part of the explanations for the popularity of Meok Bang.
The videos can make the viewer feel better because the BJ’s do something you never ever would do. If you feel that you have been eating too much or wish to eat like a crazy - but can’t or will, the visual satisfaction of seeing Meok Bang can make you feel satisfied or justify if you have been eating too much. However, there is no doubt that the excessive eating habits are unhealthy. One of the most popular Meok Bang hosts, calls herself “The Diva”, however, she denies that Meok Bang is about eating disorders and she stays online for a few hours after the meal to chat with her audience about the food and prove that she does not throw it up afterward. Looking at the American version of Meok Bang, it’s not the body and the act of eating that’s in focus. Unlike the hosts in the Korean live streams, US hosts speak a lot more and the American YouTube `Meok Banger´ Trisha Paytas represents a rounder female body. Meok Bang can be a part of the global food occupation, where it is cheaper to buy take-away than to cook the food yourself, and share pictures of the food on Instagram. Fried Chicken is a popular Meok Bang dish and often the videos contain a combination of take-away and traditional Korean luxury food, such as octopus. A fetish for food exists across cultures, but Meok Bang is a pleasure that extends beyond the world’s food programs. Meok Bang is still relatively niche in the US, but I think, despite how modern Asian culture rarely crosses Europe, that we in the future will invite technology and the internet into our satisfaction of the most basic needs as food, sex and friendships. Meok Bang is just a taste of this.
slurping, chewing, smacking, swallowing noises
DISCOVERING THE WORLD OF ADULT BABIES
Words by Johanne Tønner Hald Illustration by Ásbjörn Þorsteinnson & Lumir Spanihel
A lot of people choose to keep their sexual fetishes hidden, and adult babies are no exception. Many members of this community keep it to themselves in fear of judgement from family, friends and colleagues. But what is an adult baby and what kind of judgement do they fear from their peers? Adult babies, also known as paraphilic infantilism, is a sexual fetish that involves adults dressing-up and pretending to be infants. Paraphilic means an intense sexual arousal towards atypical situations, objects or individuals, and it is often associated with sexual fetishism. In the case of paraphilic infantilism, it is related to sexual arousal from using items like diapers, dummies, etc. The people who practice this as a lifestyle are varied, but studies show that there is a larger amount of than women living as adult babies. There are different types of fetishes that could belong in the world of adult babies.
Some people from the community have a fetish for wearing diapers, also called ‘diaper lovers’. People with this fetish do not necessarily identify as adult babies, as they do not always show infant-like behaviour. Within the world of paraphilic infantilism there are also individuals who identify as sissy babies. They are closely related to other types of adult babies, but they do differ when it comes to certain behaviour. They prefer female pronouns and they dress up in clothing that would be considered typically feminine.
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Duck
Parts of the community identify with BDSM culture, so this means that some adult babies consider themselves to be sexual masochists. Being an adult baby does not necessarily involve having sex dressed as a baby. As Jakob says on Spørg mig om alt (Ask Me Anything), “Being a baby does not have a lot to do with sex. I can use these fantasies later, when we do have sex.â€? It is far from everyone who practices paraphilic infantilism who identifies with BDSM culture, as not everyone gets sexual satisfaction from being an adult baby, nor does paraphilic infantilism always involve sexual humiliation. For the people who do not practice the fetish for sexual satisfaction, the fetish has more to do with comfort. Some people mistakenly associate being an adult baby with being a paedophile. People with paraphilic infantilism may want to have sex dressed as children, but it always in the context of consenting adults. There is no evidence of paedophilia being involved, in fact, there is a tendency towards the opposite, and a lot of the members of the community tend to be protective of children. Adult babies are varied in their expression of their fetish, and they identify in many types of ways. While there are misconceptions about their fetish that could impact the public opinion about their lifestyle, they continue living and expressing their fetish in any way that they want.
MISSOURI
3 BILL BOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING Words by Hiroki Takano Photography by Lumir Spanihel & Karolina Sikorska Model Nela Riess
After watching Martin McDonagh’s latest film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, I found myself wondering if we have forgotten about what it means to go to the cinema. The answer is not immediately clear. The more I thought about it, the more questions I had. Would I have enjoyed Frances McDormand’s performance in as much I did, if I had streamed the film on my laptop? Would I have laughed as loudly as I did at Sam Rockwell’s character, if I was seeing the film at home? Was I developing a fetish for cinema? Had Martin McDonagh converted me to cinephilia? While I am not yet ready to self-identify as a cinephile, I must admit I enjoyed watching the adverts before the film started. I felt a droll nostalgia for the Lexus hybrid I would never own, and all the exoctic places I would never visit with the help of Turkish Airlines. Like everybody, with perhaps the exception of media professors and middle-aged CEOs, I find adverts annoying. They are an inconvenient reminder of all the products and services that I need to buy and consume. But at the cinema they seemed almost pleasant. The adverts, projected onto the big screen, took on new meanings full of promise and possibility.
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The sheer size of the screen, like the film’s eponymous billboards, changed the meaning of what was being communicated. I found myself appreciating the sleek, polished curves of the Lexus. I marvelled at how effortlessly the car stuck to the tarmac. I nodded in dumb agreement with the dubious tagline which said “it’s not where inspiration comes from, it’s where it leads”. With Lexus, I too had the chance to “experience amazing”. Despite the flashy visuals and corporate copy, I was not convinced to swap my plush velour seat for a Lexus. Another thing I noticed about the cinema was the abundance of carpet. Cinemas are dark, thickly carpeted places. Maybe it is the type of cinemas that I frequent, but I think they share some similarity with nightclubs. Is it the musky smell of popcorn and all the spilt coke on the furnishings? Or maybe the salacious lighting which permits so much? Nevertheless, cinemas are comfortable places, designed to be inviting and soft to the touch. I need to visit more cinemas (and perhaps more nightclubs) to test my observations. When it comes to watching films at the cinema, size does matter.
Size Does Matter
This publication has been created by
Ásbjörn Þorsteinsson Eliska Muchova Karolina Sikorska Lumir Spanihel with words by
Céleste Andersen Hiroki Takano Johanne Hald Martin Malek
Special thanks goes to
Jan Slonka Katarina Bradacova Marcela Cierkosz Marcell Gulyás Nela Riess 49 56
2018