Beauty Abused ...

[Halo_n_horns]

Whenever possible I've helped out a particular group of people, namely: Abused women and children.

I've had a particular idea rattling around in my skull, like a beebee in a spittoon, for a number of years that involves artists, photographers, story and poetry writers, and the bringing together of works to raise money specifically for women and children who have been abused in any number of ways.

Here's the hook: All the works must depict beauty; beautiful women, the beautiful innocence of children, but with obvious and/or sublime signs of those beauties being abused in whatever ways the creators are capable of depicting.

While with the depictions of women there may be obvious eroticism, or not. And with the depictions of the children, obviously there can be nothing that would even hint to eroticism, though sexual abuse should be addressed in the subject matter as one of the types of abuse that children in the world endure, and often die from.

To say the least this type of material would be contorversial. As a matter of fact that would be an understatement as there are places where such material, despite any good intentions, would be considered flat out illegal.

And that's just one consideration ...

Other considerations would be anonymity for the contributers;

How to go about getting such works collected into a single work for publishing;

How to get that work published;

Doing a proper forward to explicitly explain why such a collaborative work was created in the first place;

Finding the right organization for such victims, to donate all the proceeds to;

And then there's the rest of the iceberg under all that.

One of the notions that got me onto all of this was the number of people out there who say that erotica, and those who create it, generate nothing productive or positive. Such works, be they called erotica, pornography or just plain smut only further the objectification of women and help to inspire those who would otherwise not be tempted to lose control against those who do not deserve it; namely women and children. I've long seen this idea as having more than enough potential to show that those who create such material can indeed create it for positive and highly productive purposes. Its no secret that the porn industry itself has created many works where performers completely wave their fees and production staff volunteer their time to get as much money as possibly generated for charities that they donate to anonymously. Not to mention that the works I have in mind can illustrate in blunt terms the horrors that all too many women and children are subjected to, while at the same time creating works that would otherwise be pleasant to view.

So, opinions, thoughts, discussions ... I am simply too ignorant of all the ins and outs of such a project to think about it alone anymore.

 

[cherries_on_snow]

I'm all for it.

Could be like the biker toy run for erotica, right? did that make sense? or is it just me?

 

[Cathleen]

H&H here are the two posts I left on the GB thread.

It is a very intriging idea. I think I understand what you're getting at and agree the how to do it is complex but I think somehow it can be done.

I've written some things that deal with some of what you mentioned. I'll look at those and think further on it.

It's a very worthy idea.

My thoughts on it did not include anything erotic had to be included except bringing forth the beauty of women -- the internal spirit of beauty actually. It seems to me what H&H is getting at is how, despite the many abuses women may have suffered, the beauty of that woman can be celebrated. A story that can convey the real scars just as clearly it can express the amazing survival of the woman. The woman who more then overcomes the effects of abuse but soars in her own life.

 

[Cathleen]

Could be like the biker toy run for erotica, right? did that make sense? or is it just me?

I get it cherries. Women that have been abused can survive and have a full and healthy life that can and does include sex (unless for personal/religious reasons they choose to abstain).

Maybe someone can brainstorm off the biker toy run idea to name this endeavour.

 

[English Lady]

It seems like a great idea, but i'm afraid i've nto got many ideas on how to set it up.


Now impressive and others got the "coming together" books organised and self published, so she might have some helpful hints and tips on the publishing front.


My only comment is this -it'd be best to concentrate souly on women over age if you plan to make the material erotic in any way. If you have any erotic image and then something about a child -even if totally unconnected -you're going to get accused of child abuse or encouraging peadophilia.

great idea though, hope you manage to see it thru

 

[Halo_n_horns]

Thank you kindly for the thoughts thus far. I've gotten some good feedback in a couple of the other threads I've posted to bring attention to this one.

Cherries, your thought is pretty much right on the money. Thank you.

Cathleen, thank you very much for being a reasonable voice on the GB. Their typical knee-jerk reactions kicked in very quickly last night when I posted the link. It was nothing unexpected from the rest of them, though.

The concept of showing such material isn't new by any means. Its been done one way or another in countless TV shows, movies, books and photography. I've not seen it done specifically to raise awareness and funds to combat it, and that's the actual idea I want to promote.

English Lady, I definitely see your point and its something that I wanted to see come up from somewhere other than my own id. It wouldn't be easy mixing the two subjects at all, IF at all. It is something that I'd like to get more imput on until we determine that either it can be done in the right way, or that it shouldn't be done at all.

Thank you all again. Gotta go do some bumping to see what else will come out of this.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

This is a fabulous idea, so many women are in this situation and can only convey their pain through art. Women's resource groups are excellent for providing shelter and help.

 

[Nostalgy_Prince]

Treading cautiously, after all I'm a man

I think it's a great idea, that will demand some efforts, time, and precautions (for exemple, English_Lady'S comment -> the safest route might be NOT to mix the two sides of the coin, ie women "of age" on one side and children on the other)

I'll see if any ideas come to me (if I'm not considered as the devil )

Good Luck with this project

*friendly bump*

 

[Typo Fu Master]

Sign me up as another that thinks combining children and erotica, no matter how noble the cause, is a bad idea. One or the other, but not both. Perhaps two separate projects?

I also question combining eroticism with abuse. You are attempting to help abused women by creating works that highlight abuse, yet are supposed to also be arousing? It sends a mixed message to me, so perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you are after. I can see someone that is interested in the degradation of women being interested in art like that, but they may not necessarily be in your target audience. And those that are in your target audience might be offended by the nature of the art.

Just my thoughts. I'm not trying to poo poo your efforts here because I think it's great that you're motivated to do something about abused women and children.

 

[Harrowborg]

why not do it for all victims of abuse? seems your gonna alienate further males victims of abuse. its a good idea, could just be expanded to take onboard everyone.

 

[Halo_n_horns]

Treading cautiously, after all I'm a man

I think it's a great idea, that will demand some efforts, time, and precautions (for exemple, English_Lady'S comment -> the safest route might be NOT to mix the two sides of the coin, ie women "of age" on one side and children on the other)

I'll see if any ideas come to me (if I'm not considered as the devil )

Good Luck with this project

*friendly bump*

I'm of the male persuasion myself. Don't tread lightly. There's definitely some people in these boards who are of the opinion that I'm the anti-christ, or something lower and slimier. Check out the commentary about me and this idea in the GB some time.

Actually, your wording has given some inspiration concerning mixing, or not mixing the "of age" works with the works concerning children. First let me explain something about the eroticism aspect ...

The idea of eroticism in this project is more of something that the viewers' minds should pick up on afterwards, or not at all. At very best it should be as sublime as possible with the illustration of the abuse being the main subject above and before all else. The best example of what I mean is something that I remember from an episode of CSI (Las Vegas; the really cool one ); A woman was beaten to death and the scene had her laid out on the coroner's slab. They vividly showed the bruises and broken skin on the woman's face as well as the other parts of her body. With strategic camera shots they gave a full view of the woman without shaming her, so to speak. The make-up effects were friggin' brilliant and it was the depiction of abuse that was first and foremost in the scene. Only as the scene was coming to an end did my mind even begin to wander into the territory of how gorgeous the woman was who was laying naked on the slab.

See where I'm going with that? My level of eloquence may not be enough to properly explain, but I think that says what I'm after.

As far as having both subjects addressed in the same collection of works, why not have two front covers; half the book dedicated to "of age" works, the other dedicated to the children, AND to further separate the subjects, have each portion of the book inverted to the other?

Just throwing out ideas ...

Harrowborg, the intent is not to leave anyone out. I've had a great deal of exposure to women and children who have been through these things, so they're in the forefront of my mind for this project. Also, though I'm having trouble finding one that is nation-wide, I haven't run across any organizations that deal with this subject matter for both genders of adults. Obviously both genders of children are inclusive because they're children, not adults. I remember once being told that the organizations that cater to women and/or children don't cater to men because they felt that doing so would cause the women who were abused by men to feel that they ultimately couldn't trust the ones they were seeking help from. I do not know how true that was and I do find it to possibly be flimsy reasoning, but in the end far more women and children are abused than men are, so that's my primary focus with no ill will intended towards anyone else.

 

[RhymeFairy]

conversation ...

It scares me ya know.

What?

I don't think I will ever be able to let someone have that kinda
*control over me again. How do you know where the line is?
And when its crossed how do ya get back to the other side
without someone going Bobbit on your booty?

You don't have to EVER let anyone have control over you.
But that doesn't mean that you won't be able to trust someone
deeply. Someday you'll meet someone normal that you can love
and trust.

I trust you. You know that. You are truly my best friend.
You have never ask anything off me that I would not freely give
and I know you would never.But friends and lovers. Big big difference.
Lovers, husbands ... bigger difference, lmao.

Not really.

You know when one loves someone they give their whole selves
when that bond is misused ... it can never heal. At least
I don't think mine will.

I really, really hope it will.

When someone is broke, how do you really piece them back
together? Time I guess. That's why I ran so fast from W.
and I see myself doing the same again. Too fast too soon.
No bonds. I try but just somehow does not *fit ya know.
I just can't find it in me to let go and really try ... fear.

That's what it is. I know that is what it is ... How do I fix that?


It will just take time and the right person coming along
at the right time.

..

 

[Halo_n_horns]

It scares me ya know.

What?

I don't think I will ever be able to let someone have that kinda
*control over me again. How do you know where the line is?
And when its crossed how do ya get back to the other side
without someone going Bobbit on your booty?

You don't have to EVER let anyone have control over you.
But that doesn't mean that you won't be able to trust someone
deeply. Someday you'll meet someone normal that you can love
and trust.

I trust you. You know that. You are truly my best friend.
You have never ask anything off me that I would not freely give
and I know you would never.But friends and lovers. Big big difference.
Lovers, husbands ... bigger difference, lmao.

Not really.

You know when one loves someone they give their whole selves
when that bond is misused ... it can never heal. At least
I don't think mine will.

I really, really hope it will.

When someone is broke, how do you really piece them back
together? Time I guess. That's why I ran so fast from W.
and I see myself doing the same again. Too fast too soon.
No bonds. I try but just somehow does not *fit ya know.
I just can't find it in me to let go and really try ... fear.

That's what it is. I know that is what it is ... How do I fix that?


It will just take time and the right person coming along
at the right time.

..

Wow.

 

[Nostalgy_Prince]

H&H : okay with what you've said.. and I remember this episode of CSI, probably for the same reasons as you

RhymeFairy: as always, powerful words

 

[Cathleen]

It scares me ya know.

What?

I don't think I will ever be able to let someone have that kinda
*control over me again. How do you know where the line is?
And when its crossed how do ya get back to the other side
without someone going Bobbit on your booty?

You don't have to EVER let anyone have control over you.
But that doesn't mean that you won't be able to trust someone
deeply. Someday you'll meet someone normal that you can love
and trust.

I trust you. You know that. You are truly my best friend.
You have never ask anything off me that I would not freely give
and I know you would never.But friends and lovers. Big big difference.
Lovers, husbands ... bigger difference, lmao.

Not really.

You know when one loves someone they give their whole selves
when that bond is misused ... it can never heal. At least
I don't think mine will.

I really, really hope it will.

When someone is broke, how do you really piece them back
together? Time I guess. That's why I ran so fast from W.
and I see myself doing the same again. Too fast too soon.
No bonds. I try but just somehow does not *fit ya know.
I just can't find it in me to let go and really try ... fear.

That's what it is. I know that is what it is ... How do I fix that?


It will just take time and the right person coming along
at the right time.

..

Amazing, powerful, honest and true.

Thank you.

 

[RhymeFairy]

As ya'll can guess I had a lil help with this one.
Sometimes I keep things.
Esp if it speaks to me. This did.

I have been thinking about your new thread Halo_n_horns. If I can help please let'me know. I do know that AnnaSwirls did a public thing in her hometown a while back. She had ask for writing, stories, poetry like this.
She might be of some help.

Peace be with you and yours.

 

[CopyCarver]

Whenever possible I've helped out a particular group of people, namely: Abused women and children.

I've had a particular idea rattling around in my skull, like a beebee in a spittoon, for a number of years that involves artists, photographers, story and poetry writers, and the bringing together of works to raise money specifically for women and children who have been abused in any number of ways.

Here's the hook: All the works must depict beauty; beautiful women, the beautiful innocence of children, but with obvious and/or sublime signs of those beauties being abused in whatever ways the creators are capable of depicting.

While with the depictions of women there may be obvious eroticism, or not. And with the depictions of the children, obviously there can be nothing that would even hint to eroticism, though sexual abuse should be addressed in the subject matter as one of the types of abuse that children in the world endure, and often die from.

To say the least this type of material would be contorversial. As a matter of fact that would be an understatement as there are places where such material, despite any good intentions, would be considered flat out illegal.

And that's just one consideration ...

Other considerations would be anonymity for the contributers;

How to go about getting such works collected into a single work for publishing;

How to get that work published;

Doing a proper forward to explicitly explain why such a collaborative work was created in the first place;

Finding the right organization for such victims, to donate all the proceeds to;

And then there's the rest of the iceberg under all that.

One of the notions that got me onto all of this was the number of people out there who say that erotica, and those who create it, generate nothing productive or positive. Such works, be they called erotica, pornography or just plain smut only further the objectification of women and help to inspire those who would otherwise not be tempted to lose control against those who do not deserve it; namely women and children. I've long seen this idea as having more than enough potential to show that those who create such material can indeed create it for positive and highly productive purposes. Its no secret that the porn industry itself has created many works where performers completely wave their fees and production staff volunteer their time to get as much money as possibly generated for charities that they donate to anonymously. Not to mention that the works I have in mind can illustrate in blunt terms the horrors that all too many women and children are subjected to, while at the same time creating works that would otherwise be pleasant to view.

So, opinions, thoughts, discussions ... I am simply too ignorant of all the ins and outs of such a project to think about it alone anymore.

I have no clue what particular organization(s) would be the most deserving recipient(s) of the proceeds, but the other issues are the proverbial pieces of cake. This sounds very much like plain old anthology compilation/book packaging.

I've done this many times--both as the "talent" and as the editor--and the process is far from complicated.

The key factor with mixed media projects is coherence. Obviously, you don't want to--and shouldn't--narrow the focus to a single tiny aspect of such a huge nightmare, but publishing realities are such that formatting can't sprawl across the entire lower 40 acres. As a rough guideline, just think integrated anthology.

Anonymity for the contributors is essentially a non-problem. You'll need written documentation from each of the writers/photographers/artists that they are the legal owners of the works' copyrights and that they are authorizing you to use their work for the stated purpose, i.e. a boilerplate contributor's contract. Once you have that paperwork, you won't need to show it to anyone except the publisher--under strict confidentiality. Bylines in the finished work could be obvious pseudonyms, initials, or any other form of pen name.

The forward is absolutely crucial, but it requires nothing more than a good writer who understands both the nature of the problem and the intended thrust of your project. In my view, the forward should not only demonstrate the raison d'etre of the project but should also provide hard facts and figures on the nature and extent of abuse, suggest ways of solving the problem, etc. This not only would attract greater support from readers, but would also provide "talking points" for book reviewers, talk-show hosts, and others who can offer tons of free publicity both for the cause and for the book. (This isn't purely theoretical--a forward I wrote recently transformed a biography of a Catholic archbishop from merely a "religious book" into a manifesto for human rights, that sold primarily to non-religious buyers).

Getting the work published is 99.99% a matter of choosing the appropriate venue and pitching an extremely good proposal package. I could probably suggest some publishers off the top of my head, but any final list would require much more detail about specific content as well as research into specifics of tomorrow's market needs at the various houses. This is a bit time-consuming but not difficult when one knows how/where to look.

The remainder of the "iceberg" is s.o.p.--the kind of things that sink the Titanic if one isn't aware of them, but which are easy to anticipate and solve with a good pencil-whipping.

I hope some of this helps. If you have questions, don't hesitate to shout.

Good luck with what sounds like a very worthwhile--and badly needed--project.

 

[Cathleen]

CopyCarver, your post is a great motivator. I'm excited about this project and I hope the story I've been working on will express that there is life, good and happy life, after such events.

Thanks for sharing how this can happen.

 

[RhymeFairy]

Good Morn my friends ~

Halo_n_horns ~ Just wondering if you have gotten anywhere with this? I have a curious mind, and it's ah killin' me.

This is a very serious subject, I know it warrants looking into, and possibly shining a spotlight on it could help a lot of people men/women. Also, there are dozens here at Lit who are familiar with this. I see it written about on every couple of threads. Whether it is a good thing for some, or an experience they wish to forget. Yes, some get a kick outta controlling and manipulating, even beating others. So I am wondering why this thread has not just jumped off the charts.

Sorry had to be said. There are too many of us here not to have better resources than this. Hmm, a thought just occurred. Maybe that is it, here at Lit ... an escape for some of everyday life. Light and free, be who ya wanna be kinda place. So in saying that, maybe ... it is too deep a subject for Lit.

Ya think? Hoping this is not true, but maybe it is. I bet I could talk so many circles around this I would be in knots before lunch time ~ lol

Have a great one, and if I can help .... give me a shout ~

 

[Halo_n_horns]

My apologies for not getting back to everyone in a timely manner. Life has been really busy these last couple of days.

CopyCarver, great post and it looks like you'd be the person to come to for some of the work that would need to be done. It sounds you know a lot of the ins and outs that I'm currently too ignorant about to do any real good. Should you wish to volunteer your time and knowledge it would be greatly appreciated.

RhymeFairy, you've brought up a really big point that I've been wondering about. That being participation. While we do have a couple of people that are ready to jump into this and produce work for it, we are actually a very long way from having the numbers of contributors that we would need to make this any kind of substantial work. Being that people use the net to escape rather than face the real world, so to speak, this type of project may never get anywhere just because no one wants to bring anything to the picnic.

Its also occured to me that anyone who wants to tell their story, but doesn't feel they could write it out for any number of reasons, may want to have an author from here write out it for them. Like maybe someone wants to get their experience off of their chest, but they need some to dictate to? Just a thought.

 

[CopyCarver]

My apologies for not getting back to everyone in a timely manner. Life has been really busy these last couple of days.

CopyCarver, great post and it looks like you'd be the person to come to for some of the work that would need to be done. It sounds you know a lot of the ins and outs that I'm currently too ignorant about to do any real good. Should you wish to volunteer your time and knowledge it would be greatly appreciated.

RhymeFairy, you've brought up a really big point that I've been wondering about. That being participation. While we do have a couple of people that are ready to jump into this and produce work for it, we are actually a very long way from having the numbers of contributors that we would need to make this any kind of substantial work. Being that people use the net to escape rather than face the real world, so to speak, this type of project may never get anywhere just because no one wants to bring anything to the picnic.

Its also occured to me that anyone who wants to tell their story, but doesn't feel they could write it out for any number of reasons, may want to have an author from here write out it for them. Like maybe someone wants to get their experience off of their chest, but they need some to dictate to? Just a thought.

I'll be glad to help any way I can. Just let me know what you need.

RhymeFairy makes an excellent point. I know of several Lit authors who have websites discussing their experiences/thoughts. Perhaps a few of them could be invited to share their stories?

It occurs to me also that many amateur writers don't fully understand the concept of author rights. They may be thinking that contributing material to your project might legally preclude publishing it elsewhere, or, conversely, that material published elsewhere wouldn't be acceptable to you.

Also, it might not be a bad idea to post on the volunteerr editor's board as well. There are good people over there, and it's possible some of us might be able to encourage "our" writers to contribute

 

[EvesParadise]

Great Idea.

To say the least this type of material would be contorversial. As a matter of fact that would be an understatement as there are places where such material, despite any good intentions, would be considered flat out illegal.

Halo, i think this is a great idea. i'm not promising anything to you, but i will only say that i will do whatever i can to contribute and help out and not only for this cause, but if you mentioned that you're going to do this for contribution to cancer cure research, AIDS cure research, i will definitely try to help, yes. but of course, the thing that you mentioned, which i quoted above is also one of my concerns as are the other concerns you have pointed out. other than that, i think this is good, positive, and, again, i will try to help. but i will have to follow your lead and also my other main work gets in the way as well, along with my Sims2 addiction, but, other than that, yes, i think i can put in a portion of my time and try to allocate it for this. i think this is a great idea but things must be ironed out first of course. take care and hope this idea takes flight. Okay, i'll check this thread again later.

 

[Kcar]

I think that this is a worthy cause! Good luck!

I don't know that I could do anything right for this project, unfortunately, untill I knew more about the parameters of the drawings needed.

 

[RhymeFairy]

Dare I take another chance?
Can I not just slip him on
for wear, see how the fit
feels. Take him out on the town, walk
talk about inconsequential things.
Maybe a chocolate malt, movie
then a walk in the rain, for that is where
I feel at home.

So many times I see myself tuning in,
inside to where the pain has been pitted
deep. I run, fearful of what could happen.
Then here I sit, an open can of worms
with no pole to cast.

Feeling like my luring
days are over for who would want
only half a woman. The half
that lives in fear of taking chances
who already knows deep inside
her fishing days are over ...

 

[Halo_n_horns]

Dare I take another chance?
Can I not just slip him on
for wear, see how the fit
feels. Take him out on the town, walk
talk about inconsequential things.
Maybe a chocolate malt, movie
then a walk in the rain, for that is where
I feel at home.

So many times I see myself tuning in,
inside to where the pain has been pitted
deep. I run, fearful of what could happen.
Then here I sit, an open can of worms
with no pole to cast.

Feeling like my luring
days are over for who would want
only half a woman. The half
that lives in fear of taking chances
who already knows deep inside
her fishing days are over ...

Thank you.