HBO revived its groundbreaking series Real Sex this week (NSFW):
Lila Seidman reviews the pilot:
Inspired by the near-extinction of classic peep shows that once dominated Times Square, and which were featured in an old episode of Real Sex, [director Chris] Moukarbel kicks off the pilot with a long segment focalizing their modern counterparts — cam girls and boys, who monetize their sex, and sometimes their interpersonal relationships, armed with little more than a webcam. Moukarbel manages to illuminate how “camming” has created one of the safest and self-empowered forms of sex work.
“The cam models are essentially crowdsourcing sex work so they only need a small amount of money from a lot of people,” Moukarbel says. “In an industry that traditionally favored men or the paying client, camming has shifted power in the direction of the sex worker. In the past you would have to share physical space with a client, and that brings a lot of potential hazards. If someone is disrespecting you while camming, they can be blocked forever.”
Christopher Glazek talked to Moukarbel about what viewers can expect in upcoming episodes:
One thing I’m very interested in is Grindr and dating apps like Tinder, which are creating this unified language for hooking up. Apps are super-convenient, of course, and also give you an opportunity to be more discerning or more specific about what you’re looking for. They can be great for people in rural areas who have a harder time meeting people. At the same time, they’re arguably killing street cruising culture. Even attendance at gay bars is affected. Part of the second episode would focus on hook-up apps. Its seems like something that people are really curious to learn about.
I’m also starting a segment on Ceara Lynch. Shes a Humiliatrix. Basically she’s an entrepreneur Cam model that provides online psychological humiliation. She doesn’t even really get naked. One service she provides is called “ignore.” For a couple dollars a minute, she’ll ignore you. She might turn on the cam so you can watch her ignore you, or maybe she won’t.
Previous Dish on the show here.
(Hat tip: Dan Savage)
The Dish 