Tuesday, December 31, 2013

31/12/2013

Review do ano:

Eu ia fazer uma review do ano mais pessoal, até que pensei nah... Tenho de fazer uma review sobre este blog.
Este blog esteve parado durante tanto tempo. Ficou esquecido, negligenciado durante anos.
Este canto começou por ser uma brincadeira. Os blogues começavam a ser conhecidos, toda a gente tinha um blog. Criei este.
Ao longo de algum tempo foi visitado por amigos. Pois bem, este blog era direccionado para esses amigos.
Eram poucos os posts, vinha cá quando me apetecia desabafar ou dizer algo. Teve o seu pico em 2010. Talvez tenha sido um ano de transição. Depois disso, ficou abandonado. 2011 e 2012 foram anos muito maus.
Não passava neste blogue. Não passava nos outros.
2013 foi outra vez ano de mudança. Trouxe blogues outra vez. Trouxe vontade de escrever, de divulgar de voltar a este cantinho.
Aos seguidores, aos que vão passando por acaso, aos que vão espreitando sem dizer nada, sejam bem-vindos a este blogue. E obrigada.
2013 trouxe o renascer. Este blogue não fica morto. NO WAY!


Feliz 2014, minha gente!!!


(post agendado)

Monday, December 30, 2013

Not a fashion blog #4

O fim de ano está aí... Não este não é o post the final de ano. Este é um post para preparação de final de ano.
Eu sou uma make-up junkie. Adoro make! E adoro ver tutoriais no youtube e depois reproduzir.
Adoro coisas dramáticas. And so, trago-vos uma make-up dramática. eyeliner glitter, sem se comprar. Pode ser feito de todas as cores!
Fica o video e em baixo a descrição do que é necessário e como fazer em português (video em inglês)




Vão precisar de:

1 pincel de ponta fina
adoçante liquido (que podem comprar em qualquer supermercado)
glitter à vossa escolha
eyeliner (o que usam normalmente preto, azul, verde, etc)

Primeiro coloquem o eyeliner como mais gostam. Se gostam do look dramático do video, é só seguir os passos mostrados no video e ficam com esse look.
Em seguida, coloquem o rimel.
Depois, coloquem um pouco de adoçante liquido num recipiente e molhem o pincel. Em seguida, coloquem o pincel no glitter. Coloquem bastante glitter no pincel.
Para colocar o glitter, basta seguir a linha que fizeram com o eyeliner. Coloquem o glitter por cima da linha até ela estar toda coberta. Podem depois colocar mais rimel ou pestanas falsas.


Música #18

Sunday, December 29, 2013

O Império dos sem Sexo

Gosto de documentários. Este espantou-me. Mostrou-me um mundo que desconhecia. Aqui fica.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Stoya e as suas opiniões

Soube quem era a Stoya através do Projecto Hysterical Literature. Depois disso foram as crónicas na VICE Magazine. Depois fui até ao Tumblr que ela tem. É uma espécie de diário. Está também activa no Instagram e no Twitter.
É também actriz pornográfica. Aqui fica o relato dela sobre gravidez, escolha, contracepção, sexo e como a sociedade lida com isso. 

"The Choice Of Motherhood and Insidious Drug Store Signage
I had the privilege of growing up with a second wave feminist/reformed hippy mother. Before I sprouted my first pubic hair she handed me a mirror and a flashlight and told me to get to know my vagina. I was raised to believe that my body was mine to share with whoever I chose, whether that was one man, a couple of women, or a whole bunch of people over the course of my life. My mom home schooled me for most of my childhood, and the parts of history that most excited her were the struggles for social change. When I was in 4th grade we drove down to Atlanta and took a tour of an old plantation. Afterwards we stood on the giant lawn and my mother’s bright green eyes turned an unsettling shade of yellow from emotional overstimulation as she educated me about the history of -isms in America and how important freedom and tolerance are. 
A year or so later we found this book, ‘The Movers and Shakers,’ in a used bookstore outside of Charlotte. It was about activists in the sixties. The black cover with orange and yellow writing made the contents seem urgent but the dust and used book smell made it seem old and historical, like something important had happened in the distant past. This book prompted my mother to share her own experiences of being a young adult in the early seventies. She’d fought for civil rights, she’d celebrated when Roe vs. Wade was decided in favor of reproductive rights, and she’d been the only woman working in the engineering department at a nuclear plant when she got pregnant with me. I was ten or eleven when I first heard these stories. I thought my mom was positively ancient and I had little contact with other kids or the outside world. I believed she’d helped make the world a better place a very long time ago and thought that everyone was accepting of everyone else now. I thought that all the battles for human rights had been won already and I imagined prejudice as a relic of the past; if it still existed it must have been decaying next to a gramophone or ice box in a junkyard somewhere. I saw the effects of the sexual revolution and the right to abortion as gifts that my mother’s generation had given mine.
The first time someone tried to shame me for sexual activities, I thought they were the cultural equivalent of the missing link. It took me years to really understand that there are at least as many anti-equality, anti-sex work, anti-homosexual, and anti-all sorts of other things people in the world as there are people who think like me. Sometimes I still forget. For instance, when I said in my first article for Vice that “I’ve been pretty successful at avoiding pregnancy.” I was surprised when people assumed that meant I’d never had an abortion. What I should have said was that given the amount of sex I’ve had (and without doing the actual math) three abortions seems statistically low. In the same way I feel entitled to have the kind of sex I want to have, purchase condoms, leave the kitchen, wear shoes, and put my body through attempts to find a hormonal birth control method that works for me, I feel entitled to have an abortion when necessary. They’re a last resort and I do try to avoid them, but an abortion is still a better option in my opinion than an unwanted child. All three of my abortions were medication induced. Taking RU-486 to end a pregnancy is more painful than my worst period but less painful than a burst ovarian cyst. 
Just like I prefer to avoid getting pregnant at all, I’d prefer to always catch unwanted pregnancies as early as possible and avoid the more invasive aspiration or dilation and evacuation procedures. I will take a pregnancy test if I don’t see my period for 29 days or if it’s suspiciously light. I’ve been on Loestrin 24Fe (a kind of hormonal birth control) since January 7th. I take my pill every single day between 7 and 9 am. I missed one of the placebo/iron supplement pills about a month ago and took a double dose the next day. I’ve heard that this pill occasionally causes women to stop menstruating entirely, but I haven’t seen anything resembling full-on menstruation for a suspiciously long time and I have actually taken pregnancy tests when I haven’t even touched a penis for months just to see the little minus sign or the “not pregnant” and be happy that there’s at least one thing that isn’t currently a problem if I’m having a bad week. So I went to the drugstore a couple of days ago and got a pregnancy test from the family planning aisle. 
The phrase family planning hanging on a sign above the pregnancy tests and condoms irritates me because it implies that everyone plans to have a family at some point. As the cashier was ringing me up another woman behind the counter asked me how my day was going. I told her that I was on birth control, pointed out that I was purchasing a pregnancy test and a bottle of Aleve, and said she probably didn’t want to hear the actual answer. She chuckled awkwardly and wandered off. I usually go for EPT or Clearblue, but this time I went with First Response. When I pulled out the test and instructions, a cardboard gizmo fell out. First Response has taken the presumption that everyone wants to have a baby one step further by including a congratulatory contraption that tracks one’s due date and has a helpful form on the back for “Moments & Milestones” including possible baby names, birth time, and weight. I’d hoped that the asterisk next to “A general guide for your enjoyment.” would lead to a footnote saying “You know, if you’re interested in having a baby.” but it was a disclaimer stating that only a physician can determine due dates. I grumbled while I waited three minutes for the results and seethed when both tests came up with error messages. 
Inferior products aside, the thing that makes me angry is the insidious suggestion that all women want children and the subtle shaming of people who exercise their reproductive rights. This is part of the reason women feel the need to say things like “I only had one abortion” or “a baby at that point would have ruined my college prospects.” I resent the way this sneaky societal pressure has wormed itself into my brain enough that I feel the need to explain my mild latex allergies and issues with hormonal birth control or follow the number of pregnancies I’ve terminated with a reminder of how many sexual acts I’ve engaged in when talking about my own abortions. I’m uncomfortable about the way that I’ve allowed these messages to undermine my belief in my rights enough to feel defensive about exercising them. Every time that a woman like Molly Crabapple or Chelsea G. Summers vocally stands behind their decision to abort, it’s a drop in the bucket that maintains balance against people like Todd Akin and Jack Dalrymple. It reminds me that the freedoms we do have are precarious and that a sizable chunk of America sees women, homosexuals, and anyone who is different than they are as lesser beings… and that sucks."

Friday, December 27, 2013

Dry Cappuccino


Thursday, December 26, 2013

Música #17

The Great Wall of Vagina by Jamie McCartney


"Female genitalia have long been a source of fascination, recently of celebration but generally of confusion. Today it seems that creating images of the vagina is the sole preserve of pornographers, erotic artists and feminists. Step in British artist Jamie McCartney who has grasped the nettle to create a monumental wall sculpture all about this most intimate of places. For 400 women their privates have gone public...
Half a decade since its humble beginnings, The Great Wall of Vagina has enticed women from many different countries and all walks of life to volunteer to be cast by McCartney in an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the project.
The 9 metre long polyptych consists of four hundred plaster casts of vulvas, all of them unique, arranged into ten large panels. McCartney set out to make this project as broad and inclusive as possible. The age range of the women is from 18 to 76. Included are mothers and daughters, identical twins, transgendered men and women as well as a woman pre and post natal and another one pre and post labiaplasty.
It’s not vulgar, it’s vulva! This isn’t just sensation, it is art with a social conscience and McCartney wants people to stop, look and listen. This is about grabbing the attention, using humour and spectacle, and then educating people about what normal women really look like. Described as “the Vagina Monologues of sculpture” this piece is intended to change the lives of women, forever.
“For many women their genital appearance is a source of anxiety and I was in a unique position to do something about that.”
Vulvas and labia are as different as faces and many people, particularly women, don't seem to know that. McCartney hopes this sculpture will help to combat the exponential rise, seen in recent years, of cosmetic labial surgeries. This new fashion for creating 'perfect' vaginas sets a worrying trend for future generations of women.
The Great Wall of Vagina makes for fascinating and revealing viewing which is a far cry from pornography. It is not erotic art. It is not about titillation. McCartney has pulled off an amazing trick - to deliberately make the sexual nonsexual and take you much deeper. One is able to stare without shame but in wonder and amazement at this exposé of human variety.
“It’s time our society grew up around these issues and I’m certain that art has a role to play.”

Podem ver aqui o site do Projecto.


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Bom Natal

Por esta hora ando a entregar prendas que ainda não foram entregues e a limar os últimos preparativos para o jantar de Natal com a família.
Para quem festeje, para quem não festeje, para quem seja religioso, quem não seja, Bom Natal.





Com muitos doces!!!







(Post agendado)

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Natal #10

Monday, December 23, 2013

Casablanca

O filme pré-natal!

Em 2009 o filme pré-natal foi tudo menos natalicio. "Gamer". Eu e 3 amigos numa sala de cinema quase deserta. Worst film ever.
Aqui está o trailer.



Este ano, graças às sessões clássicas dos cinemas UCI, o filme pré-natal vai ser mais friendly!
Eu adoro filmes antigos. Adoro películas a preto e branco. Adoro as histórias. Vai ser então "Casablanca".





" A Columbia TriStar Warner, joint-venture em Portugal dos estúdios Warner Bros. Pictures e e Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures), irá dar continuação ao seu programa de “Sessões Clássicas” de cinema, que pretende levar ao grande ecrã filmes que fazem parte da história do cinema. O início do programa de “Sessões Clássicas” deu-se no passado dia 9 de Abril com a estreia de TAXI DRIVER de Martin Scorsese (1976, Columbia Pictures), seguido de LAWRENCE DA ARÁBIA de David Lean (1962, Columbia Pictures), a 9 de Maio, ATÉ À ETERNIDADE (FROM HERE TO ETERNITY) de Fred Zinnemann (1953, Columbia Pictures) e 2001: ODISSEIA NO ESPAÇO, uma estreia exclusiva nos cinemas UCI El Corte Inglés e UCI Arrábida 20. --- A 19 de Dezembro irá estrear nos mesmos cinemas e também em versão restaurada digitalmente, CASABLANCA de Michael Curtiz (1942, Warner Bros.). Considerado como um dos maiores filmes da história do Cinema Americano, Casablanca ganhou vários Óscares da Academia, inclusivé o de Melhor Filme em 1943. O filme retrata um drama romântico, passado na cidade marroquina de Casablanca sob o controle do da França de Vichy. --- Durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, muitos fugitivos tentavam escapar dos nazis por uma rota que passava pela cidade de Casablanca. O exilado americano Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) encontrou refúgio na cidade, dirigindo uma das principais casas nocturnas da região. Clandestinamente, tentando despistar o Capitão Renault (Claude Rains), ele ajuda os refugiados a fugir para os Estados Unidos. Quando um casal pede a sua ajuda para deixar o país, ele reencontra uma grande paixão do passado, a bela Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). Este amor irá reacender-se e eles farão de tudo para fugir juntos."

Natal #9


Sunday, December 22, 2013

Menstruação #10


Natal #8



On the first day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the third day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the fourth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the fifth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the sixth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the seventh day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the eighth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Eight maids a-milking, 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the ninth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Nine ladies dancing, 
Eight maids a-milking, 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the tenth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Ten lords a-leaping, 
Nine ladies dancing, 
Eight maids a-milking, 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Eleven pipers piping, 
Ten lords a-leaping, 
Nine ladies dancing, 
Eight maids a-milking, 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree. 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Twelve drummers drumming, 
Eleven pipers piping, 
Ten lords a-leaping, 
Nine ladies dancing, 
Eight maids a-milking, 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree! 

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Natal #7


Friday, December 20, 2013

Safe sex

Sou a favor do sexo seguro. Protecção contra DST, contra SIDA, de uma gravidez não desejada.
Existem tantos métodos contraceptivos por onde se pode escolher que muitas vezes ficamos perdidxs.
Recentemente houve uma polémica na indústria de filmes para adultos, por ter sido passada uma lei em Los Angeles que obriga a que sejam usados preservativos na indústria de filmes para adultos. Podem ler sobre a Measure B.
Sempre fui apologista do uso do preservativo. Em casos de uma noite, em namoros rápidos, em relações duradouras. Não que não confie no meu parceiro, se não confiasse não estava com ele, mas sou demasiado sensível. Um ph diferente do meu e está tudo estragado. Contacto com cloro ou outros químicos, até mesmo do gel de duche e está tudo estragado. Mesmo que seja esse contacto feito através do meu parceiro. Sou sensível. Infecções urinárias, outros problemas depois, eis que uso do preservativo, se faz favor. Não quer dizer que não abdique dele, porque abdico e uso outros meios contraceptivos. Mas estamos a falar de uma relação entre duas pessoas, onde não há contacto com terceiros.
Mas voltando à indústria dos filmes para adultos. Houve a polémica com a Measure B. É obrigatório usar preservativos em filmes para adultos. Não chegam só os testes feitos regularmente. E eu estou de acordo com esta medida. Muitos foram os actores e actrizes desta indústria que se opuseram a esta lei e que se recusam a cumpri-la. E por isso, e seguindo directores que também se recusam a cumpri-la fazem filmes no underground ou fora de L.A.
Cada um tem direito à sua opinião, ao seu desejo, mas neste caso, tem a ver com a saúde dos actores. Não é só SIDA que é um fantasma. Muitas doenças sexualmente transmissíveis podem gerar infertilidade. Testes positivos podem levar actores a ficarem suspensos das filmagens e logo não podem ganhar o dinheiro que usariam para pagar a renda da casa, a educação dos filhos, a comida do gato, o que quer que seja.
A desculpa que se dá é que pornografia com preservativos não vende. Pornografia vende fantasias, não alerta para o resto. Na minha, humilde opinião não devia ser assim.
Encontrei então este artigo na Salon:  Porn director: I changed my mind about condoms. Aconselho a leitura. É um artigo interessante e vai de encontro a algumas ideias já aqui expostas.
Deixo-vos o artigo aqui neste blogue ou podem seguir o link para a Salon aqui.

"“My chlamydia and gonorrhea test results aren’t back yet,” a 19-year-old I’ll call Cheryl said in a raspy whisper, her small hand covering her cellphone as the nurse at the clinic waited on the other end.
“Well, when do they think the results will be in?” I asked, trying not to sound panicked. My entire cast and crew was in the next room waiting for the results, which would clear her to perform hardcore sex on camera with a male costar.
“Probably not until Monday,” Cheryl said. “I’m so sorry, Nica.”
“Fuck,” I whispered, walking into one of the dark, empty rooms on the soundstage. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
I was already several thousand dollars over budget due to production disasters and “no call/no show” performers. It was crucial that I finish the movie, but by law, there was only one way I could allow Cheryl to perform a sex scene without a current STD test: by allowing her costar to wear a condom.
I’d been told many times that condoms in porn meant certain death to sales. Conventional wisdom suggested that nobody wants condoms in their sexual fantasy. Porn was supposed to be an escape, not a public service announcement or a reminder that sex is dangerous or risky.
This was prior to 2012, when the controversial Measure B made condoms mandatory in porn — a law recently upheld, though it is still being fought by adult film producers who believe it’s catastrophic to our industry. For a long time I agreed with them, and though I’ve long struggled with the subject, here’s how much I didn’t want a condom in my film that day: I replaced Cheryl.
Actually, it was the president of the parent company who made that decision, but I’m the one who accepted it and had to break the news to Cheryl, who was surprisingly gracious about it. I’d come to porn hoping to change the way it was made, but that day, I felt like a scumbag.
* * *
I compare my career ascension in porn to falling into the rabbit hole,à la “Alice in Wonderland.” While working as a litigation paralegal and moonlighting as a journalist seven years ago, I got an assignment to write about the making of a fetish video. In order to do the job right, I decided to audition for a role in a spanking video and perform in it myself.
The experience was life-changing: Instead of feeling degraded, I’d left the shoot feeling oddly euphoric and — even more oddly — empowered. I began working for other adult film studios, including a small, unknown lesbian porn company whose owner operated out of his modest Encino, Calif., home. After using me as a model for several shoots, he offered me a job as creative director. My mission, he explained, was to transform his company from a niche studio into the “leader in lesbian erotica.” It meant quitting my job at the law firm and taking a huge pay cut, but I felt destiny knocking. Within a year, the studio was the talk of the adult industry and I was being hailed as a trailblazer in a “new era” of adult films.
And so, along with “suburban mom,” “journalist” and “paralegal,” I added “pornographer” (a label I proudly, defiantly claimed) to my résumé. My overnight success gave me the confidence (or was it arrogance?) to think I might change not only what kind of movies fans watched but also how adult performers would be treated on set.
I’d heard stories of performers forced to have sex on dirt roads and in back alleys, on dirty carpets infested with fleas, and on semen-stained couches. I’d heard tales of porn “stars” being denied access to soap and showers, and given no food or drinks after 12 or more hours on set. Most adult performers also accepted as par for the course that they’d be sexually harassed not only by producers but also the lowliest members of the studio’s production crew.
Not on my set. It was time to borrow a playbook from the corporate environment I’d left behind.
My first rule: No one on my crew can “hit on” the talent. I explained to them that doing so places the performer in a tricky position, much like when a boss asks his secretary out and she agrees for fear of losing her job.
“Our performers are naked, and you are clothed,” I reminded my bewildered crew. “You’re in a position of authority, and you’re not to abuse it.” This rule made me instantly unpopular with male crew members, but I didn’t care. If they broke it more than once, they were fired.
Another rule: Nude performers would never be told to sit, lie down or perform sex acts on unwashed or unprotected surfaces. Counters and desktops would be thoroughly washed with anti-bacterial soap or spray, and beds and couches would have clean linens — either straight from the washing machine or brand-new from the store (I provided these myself). It was alarming how strange and even unreasonable my crew found these requests to be, despite the fact that staph infection was a constant problem on adult film sets and performers routinely canceled shoots citing a “spider bite.” (“Spider bite” had become something of a euphemism for “staph infection” in the adult industry.)
But the one thing I didn’t insist on was condoms. It was a given that we didn’t use them; that’s what our mandatory 30-day STD tests were for. It was the “industry standard,” and while I didn’t hesitate to question other industry standards that might place performers in harm’s way (or just create an unpleasant environment), for some reason the condom issue sounded no alarms for me.
Perhaps that’s partially because I’m allergic to latex myself. If I have sex with a man who’s wearing a latex condom, within 24 hours of the encounter I’ll be in the throes of a painful urinary tract infection requiring powerful antibiotics. In my off-camera sex life I rely on STD tests, so why not rely on them at work, too? I’d performed in adult films myself and felt fine about simply verifying my scene partner’s current, negative STD test.
But there may have been a deeper, darker reason for my refusal to consider the question of condoms. While I’ve always said I wasn’t in porn for the money, the truth was that as my success grew I was increasingly concerned with career failure. I wanted my movies to keep selling, and on a practical level, I wanted to continue paying my rent and my child’s school tuition. I had worked hard to get where I was, damn it, and I wanted to build on that success, not sabotage it.
Which is of course what happens to many people who finally “make it.” They start drifting from the values and ideals they once stood for, and which may have even directly resulted in their success. I cherished the image I’d built of caring about performers’ welfare, but if “taking it too far” was going to threaten my chance to stay in business, why not just hide behind the old way of doing things? Why was I so hell-bent on being a saint? I suddenly (conveniently) wondered.
I actually kept a box of condoms on set in case a performer should request one. I’d assembled “hygiene kits” filled with items like baby wipes, shampoo, tampons, nail clippers, deodorant, douches and spermicide, so why not include condoms, just in case? But on the rare occasions a performer asked for one, I felt anxiety, even as I smiled and handed one over: Would I get in trouble with my studio for allowing it? What would it mean for sales? Why was the performer asking for a condom, anyway — didn’t she know it was a “condom-free” shoot? Why didn’t she tell me she had issues with it before accepting the role?
So, when the Measure B “condom law” was passed in November 2012, I loudly objected, along with thousands of other adult industry producers. Measure B was both dangerous and absurd, we argued. First of all, our testing system works, we reasoned, because we had successfully kept HIV out of the talent pool since 2004. Secondly, the condom law would simply force pornographers “underground,” where they could no longer be monitored or held accountable for violations in safety protocol (as if everyone in porn was already held accountable for any number of random, unethical behaviors). Our hard-won testing standards would erode as performers opted not to share their STD test results, or even to test at all. And not only that, what if the condom were to break and you didn’t know your scene partner’s HIV status? What if you were (like me) allergic to condoms and the condom law would end your career as a performer?
I made these arguments more than once, and I believed them, but on a deeper, quieter level, I felt conflicted. What I knew was that, despite the validity of these “what if?” scenarios, and despite the fact that our testing system had been successful at keeping HIV out of the porn talent pool for nearly a decade, it had been far less successful in keeping out other STDs. I knew that condoms would help prevent the spread of diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea, both of which are so common in the adult industry that a performer who learns he or she is infected doesn’t even bother to alert recent scene partners to their possible exposure. And while porn’s most commonly transmitted STDs are admittedly “curable” with a course of antibiotics, they can still have some fairly serious complications (e.g., infertility and increased vulnerability to the HIV virus.)
I also couldn’t help noticing that while some performers seemed all but immune to porn’s most common STDs, others seemed to struggle with “dirty tests” constantly. I knew this because sometimes I’d try to book a certain performer only to be told by her agent that she wasn’t available until she could “take her medicine and re-test.” Even if I’d been told the same thing about the same performer multiple times within the span of a few months, I wouldn’t miss a beat. “Tell me when she’s up and running again,” I’d say, and simply ask if one of my alternate choices was available instead. While I was vigilant about keeping my set staph-and-sexual-harassment-free, apparently chronic cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea — some of which might have very well been transmitted on my set — didn’t faze me.
But after a few heavily publicized HIV scares in the past few years, including four within the past few weeks (none of which turned out to have been contracted on set, nor transmitted to other adult film performers in the course of shooting a scene), it has become harder for many of us to avoid the question of whether condoms might not be such a bad idea. In terms of sales they’re risky, but when considering performer safety, is there really a solid argument against a testing/condom combination? Yes, some producers might continue to shoot condom-free porn anyway, but is that any excuse for the rest of us to avoid taking steps to protect our performers?
Now, as the president of my own production company (which partners with the online broadcasting network AEBN.net), I’ve been given an opportunity to follow my own conscience and to control my own career and financial future. Should I refuse to bow to “the Man” and go underground like many of my peers have already started to do? Shoot without legal film permits and operate in the shadows? Or do I search my soul for truths that don’t stem from a need to rebel against authority or protect my own bottom line?
I’ve concluded I want my performers to be safe more than I want to be “the most successful porn director.” I want them to leave my set feeling good about participating in my movie and to never look back on it with regret. I don’t want them to experience a surge of fear and shame when they learn their next STD test results. And most of all I don’t want to encourage them to be nonchalant about their health.
“What if?” arguments aside, condoms, along with a current, valid STD test, will do a pretty good job of ensuring that performers on my set will go home without anything new to worry about.  Are condoms foolproof? No. Neither is an STD test, even if it’s a very recent one. But would requiring condoms and a test make for a safer work environment? Yes — by a very wide margin.
But what if nobody buys my “condom porn” movies? What if my competitors continue to shoot “bareback sex” in secret locations, avoiding detection and forcing me out of business?
That’s a possibility I fear. But nowhere near as much as I fear exposing already vulnerable, stigmatized performers to preventable STDs on my set. Not as much as I fear being directly responsible for a performer’s inability to pay their rent as I go on paying mine, indifferent to their struggle. I don’t want to live that life. I don’t want to be that person.
Yet, I do believe there are valid First Amendment arguments in favor of condom-free porn. As an artist it bothers me that I can no longer film completely nude bodies or “all natural,” explicit lovemaking, even when shooting monogamous, married couples. It bothers me that those of us with allergies to condoms will not be accommodated and will be completely shut out of performing. I believe there should be room for accommodations; there should be exceptions made if, for example, adherence to certain rigid health and safety standards can be verified. Just as mainstream directors are allowed to put actors and stunt people at increased risk as long as increased safety protocols are followed, a similar provision could apply to the adult industry so that we might maintain our right to freedom of artistic expression. (Some of us do actually venture to make art, believe it or not.)
But the catch is, we have to prove we’re responsible enough to follow such rigid safety standards and to take rules and laws seriously. (Not just those we “want” to follow or have imposed on ourselves.) We have to show we can operate within the law and not angrily threaten to break it when there’s a ruling we don’t like. We have to demonstrate that we care about the health of those we work with more than we care about making a quick, sleazy buck. If we want legal rights and protections we have to accept the reality that, like any legitimate business, we will be supervised, held accountable and penalized if we don’t conduct ourselves professionally — and ethically.
We have to do something that an industry obsessed with being forever young, wild and free is loath to do:
We have to grow up.
Nica Noelle is a writer, producer and director of adult films. She won the 2012 Adult Video Network (AVN) Award for Best New Line, and her transgender-focused film, "Forbidden Lovers," won the 2013 Feminist Porn Award for Steamiest Romantic Movie. She has a blog on HuffingtonPost.com and her "safe for work" website is NicaNoelleStudios.com."

Natal #6


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Guess the Movie #1

A que filme pertence esta imagem?


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Americans....

País maioritariamente protestante e que não segue a confissão...
Podíamos argumentar a favor e contra, blá blá blá...
A confissão faz parte do catolicismo. E portugueses, bons católicos confessam ao padre. E os americanos protestantes confessam a quem?
Pois bem, confessam num site que se chama RawConfessions.
E aqui ficam algumas confissões.


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Portugal vs Outros Países

Portugal: processos de recrutamento que demoram, demoram e demoram e nunca mais dizem nada. Se é que chegam a dizer.
Outros Países: primeira fase de recrutamento demora 3 dias. Depois tem de analisar. Uma semana e tem resposta. Sempre.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Conversas #13

Ele: Tem alguma coisa a esconder ou alguma coisa que não quer que se saiba?
Eu: Acho que não.
Ele: Acha ou tem certeza? É que achar e ter certeza são duas coisas completamente diferentes.
Eu: Tenho certeza.
Ele: Ainda bem. Se procurarmos não iremos encontrar nada de estranho.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Natal #5

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Menstruação #9

Descobri um site, que por si só merece um post, mas que não entra nesta rubrica.
Mas nesse site descobri algo engraçado. Os autores resolveram brincar com uma já muito conhecida tabela periódica e transformá-la noutra tabela periódica sobre o período menstrual.
Achei a ideia hilariante. É uma maneira de desmistificar e de encorajar os mais novos (e mais velhos) a enfrentarem sem medo este período.

Podem ver aqui o artigo no blog original (em inglês).


Podem ver aqui a tabela. E podem fazer o download da mesma aqui (formato pdf).



Friday, December 13, 2013

the Everyday Sexism project

Vale a pena dar uma vista de olhos.
Deixo aqui a descrição dos criados do Projecto, que podem ler no site.

"The Everyday Sexism Project exists to catalogue instances of sexism experienced by women on a day to day basis. They might be serious or minor, outrageously offensive or so niggling and normalised that you don’t even feel able to protest. Say as much or as little as you like, use your real name or a pseudonym – it’s up to you. By sharing your story you’re showing the world that sexism does exist, it is faced by women everyday and it is a valid problem to discuss.
If you prefer to e-mail me at laura@everydaysexism.com I can upload your story for you instead. Follow us on Twitter (and submit entries by tweet) at @EverydaySexism."

"O projeto Everyday Sexism foi criado para catalogar situações sexistas vividas pelas mulheres diariamente. Desde situações graves, extremamente ofensivas até aquelas que são tão corriqueiras e intrínsecas em nossa cultura que você pode achar desnecessário protestar. O relato pode ser curto ou longo, fale o quanto você quiser, use seu nome ou um pseudônimo . Ao contar sua história você está mostrando para o mundo que sexismo existe sim, que é vivenciado por mulheres todos os dias e é sim um problema para ser colocado em pauta. Fique à vontade para escrever em português ou inglês, ambos idiomas são aceitos. Você também pode mandar um email para laura@everydaysexism.com e eu colocarei seu relato no site. Siga-nos no twitter (e faça seu relato por lá também) no perfil @EverydaySexism."



Thursday, December 12, 2013

50 Shades of Grey

E quando achava que a histeria estava acalmar (visto que o filme só sai para o ano), eis que, uma empresa decide lançar uma linha de roupa interior inspirada nas descrições do livro.
Se querem lingerie, vão a uma loja chamada Intimissimi ou Triumph ou outra coisa qualquer. Estas lojas têm este itens há muito tempo.



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

American Horror Story: Coven

«I am a millennial. Generation Y, born between the birth of AIDS and 9/11 give or take. They call us the Global Generation. We are known for our entitlement and narcissism. Some say it’s because we’re the first generation where every kid gets a trophy just for showing up. Others think it’s because social media allows us to post whenever we fart or have a sandwich for all the world to see. But it seems that our one defining trait is a numbness to the world, an indifference to suffering. I know that I did anything I could to not feel — sex, drugs, booze. Just take away the pain. Take away my mother and my asshole father and the press. Take away the boys I loved who wouldn’t love me back. Hell, I was gang-raped, two days later I was back in class like nothing happened. I mean that must have hurt like hell, right? Most people never get over stuff like that, and I was like, ‘Let’s go for Jamba Juice.’ I would give everything I have or have ever had just to feel pain again. To feel hurt.» - Madison Montgomery

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Natal #4


Monday, December 9, 2013

Música #16

Sunday, December 8, 2013

A moda da virgindade

Parece que ser virgem voltou a ser moda. O fascínio da primeira vez. De ser o primeiro a tocar, a ver, a tirar aquele bem tãoooo precioso. E por isso mesmo multiplicam-se os sites com anúncios a produtos que são hímens falsos e que servem para restituir a virgindade. Já para não falar nas cirurgias.
Mas ficando pelos anúncios a produtos, encontrei este...

Este anúncio está acompanhado de um artigo no site Dangerous Minds. Vale a pena ler.

E para terminar, deixo o vídeo que mostra como funciona.


Saturday, December 7, 2013

HIV/SIDA

O dia mundial da Luta contra a SIDA foi no dia 1 de Dezembro.
Estou atrasada, mas não queria deixar passar. A cara dos portadores já não é uma cara desfeita, de pessoas doentes. E ainda bem. esperemos que isto ajude a passar o estigma.
Fica o registo em video de uma pessoa que foi infectada.


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Doctor, doctor...


Natal #3


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Conversas #12

Ele: Cuidado se forem sozinhos visitar casas ou apartamentos em Londres. Não é muito comum, mas acontece, pessoas desaparecerem.
Eu: sim, existem buracos negros e as pessoas desaparecem aí...

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

De volta!

Pois, desde de dia 19 de Novembro que os posts são agendados. Sorry....
Fui até um país um bocadinho mais frio que este. Sim, se acham que aqui está frio, deviam ter estado onde estive....

Creme de Rosto Benamôr


A minha mãe já me tinha falado dele. Que ela usava, a minha avó usava. 
Elas diziam que era óptimo. Eu nunca tive curiosidade. Até que a curiosidade bateu. Experimentei outros produtos. Marcas conhecidas, produtos caros, mas nada parecia resultar. Pesquisei na web e só vi coisas boas acerca deste creme.
Fui comprar e adorei! Deixa a pele macia, protege contra agressões e tira manchas.
É barato (5,37 euros) e podem encontrar em lojas como a Mass.

Ficam imagens das suas antigas publicidades.






Monday, December 2, 2013

Behind the Music: Courtney Love