Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Prince · 08-25-2004, 03:30 AM

I've been frequenting the Exhibition forum pretty much from the day I got access to it. I've even made a contribution or two, but have mostly commented on the work of others. I've a high regard for those who contribute to TE, and to those who don't contribute but comment in a respectful and intelligent fashion.

However, one thing has and continues to bother me. If you look at the thread listing, you're likely to notice that threads started by women span out to 5-10 pages, easily, while threads about male exhibitionism wither and die, scoring a couple or few pages of comments, at best. Is this because the majority of the viewers and spectators of TE are heterosexual male, checking out and commenting mainly on threads started by females; or is it because, as suggested on Seinfeld, the female body is a thing of beauty, a work of art, while the male body is simply utilitarian?

Possibly the biggest difference is the fact that women actively comment on women's threads, but men are less likely to compliment on the looks of another male. There are some exceptions to this, especially Art, whom does not seem to have an issue with what gender the person is.

I think this 'culture' creates an on-flowing tradition, where regular pale-assed stocky men are held back from expressing their exhibitionist side, because of what they've seen happen to the threads of their peers: a couple of "thanks for sharing" replies, and the thread drops off the first page to give room to what must be conceived as "real beauty".

But let's face it, you cannot tell people what they should like, what they should want to see. Besides, a compliment is only worth something if it is honest, right?

What it all boils down to, is what we think beauty is. Or what we experience beauty to be. Is there anything that we, as a society, outside of TE, can do to try and change the common perception of beauty? And furthermore, should we even try and change it, if we have no other justification for doing so than to even the scales?

I don't know if anyone but me views Tilted Exhibition to be the quiet social commentary that it really is. Those of us who have posted there, have we done it for ourselves, simply for ourselves, for the gratification of opening up and sharing a private part of ourselves (no pun intended), or do we also need the gratification of having others stroke our egos? In fact, how clear are we on when something is simply exhibitionism, and when it is amateur pornography? By this I mean, some pictures seem to be taken in a fashion and from an angle that seems intentionally to attempt to portray an individual in as flattering way as possible. But for what purpose?

I think that TE is a fabulous forum, and I appreciate the ideology behind it, but I do have to question whether we've collectively done all that we could do in order to have it continue to be something more than just the Amateur Titty Board.

08-25-2004, 03:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	Random thoughts on Tilted Exhibition. I've been frequenting the Exhibition forum pretty much from the day I got access to it. I've even made a contribution or two, but have mostly commented on the work of others. I've a high regard for those who contribute to TE, and to those who don't contribute but comment in a respectful and intelligent fashion. However, one thing has and continues to bother me. If you look at the thread listing, you're likely to notice that threads started by women span out to 5-10 pages, easily, while threads about male exhibitionism wither and die, scoring a couple or few pages of comments, at best. Is this because the majority of the viewers and spectators of TE are heterosexual male, checking out and commenting mainly on threads started by females; or is it because, as suggested on Seinfeld, the female body is a thing of beauty, a work of art, while the male body is simply utilitarian? Possibly the biggest difference is the fact that women actively comment on women's threads, but men are less likely to compliment on the looks of another male. There are some exceptions to this, especially Art, whom does not seem to have an issue with what gender the person is. I think this 'culture' creates an on-flowing tradition, where regular pale-assed stocky men are held back from expressing their exhibitionist side, because of what they've seen happen to the threads of their peers: a couple of "thanks for sharing" replies, and the thread drops off the first page to give room to what must be conceived as "real beauty". But let's face it, you cannot tell people what they should like, what they should want to see. Besides, a compliment is only worth something if it is honest, right? What it all boils down to, is what we think beauty is. Or what we experience beauty to be. Is there anything that we, as a society, outside of TE, can do to try and change the common perception of beauty? And furthermore, should we even try and change it, if we have no other justification for doing so than to even the scales? I don't know if anyone but me views Tilted Exhibition to be the quiet social commentary that it really is. Those of us who have posted there, have we done it for ourselves, simply for ourselves, for the gratification of opening up and sharing a private part of ourselves (no pun intended), or do we also need the gratification of having others stroke our egos? In fact, how clear are we on when something is simply exhibitionism, and when it is amateur pornography? By this I mean, some pictures seem to be taken in a fashion and from an angle that seems intentionally to attempt to portray an individual in as flattering way as possible. But for what purpose? I think that TE is a fabulous forum, and I appreciate the ideology behind it, but I do have to question whether we've collectively done all that we could do in order to have it continue to be something more than just the Amateur Titty Board. __________________ Who is John Galt?