Sex Stories We Love: #WeTheNipple, Empowerment Through Erotic Photography, & Deepfake Is Disturbing

Smile for the camera! Sexual imagery has been with us for as long as...well...forever. We've been painting on walls, drawing, etching, sculpting, and for the past could of hundred years, photographing and filming our sexiest moves. This week's Sex Stories We Love explores the different reasons and outcomes of our love of sexual imagery.

Porn's Influence Waning

The internet truly revolutionized how the world consumes sexy photos. Even back in the day, if you happen to remember these best-forgotten times, it could take many minutes to load one naked photo onto your screen. Dial-up probably cost all of us valuable time in the scope of our lives. And we realized that because we wanted more. We wanted faster. We wanted better quality. Our hope to consume sexual imagery has driven many technologies since the dawn of time. So we keep inventing better, cheaper, and more reliable ways to do just that. Right now, we're at the peak of porn. Its influence has started to fade. We're just waiting for the next wave of sex tech to come along and sex will again be a major influencer.

#WeTheNipple

Who here is completely baffled by Facebook's ridiculous ban on breast and nipple images? Wait, let me rephrase that: female-presenting breast and nipple images. I'm not even talking about sexual imagery, either. It could be breastfeeding, innocuous nudes, artistic photography... If you've posted such images on the social network giant, there's a good chance you've been warned or banned and also had your images removed. Of course, if you're male-presenting, you can let those nips run wild. Because, somehow, that's different. Well, after frequent pressure, it looks like Facebook might actually be starting to listen. ArtistSpencer Tunick and the National Coalition Against Censorship held a protest outside Facebook's headquarters and their message has been noticed. Fingers crossed for the upcoming meetings so we can all #FreeTheNipple.

Empowerment Through Erotic Photography

For many, our own body image is a challenge. We live in an age where the "perfect' body is still the accepted norm—though we are starting to make progress toward a more accepting culture. But we still have a long way to go. When blogs and digital cameras became popular, their self-publishing capabilities became the ideal format for many to explore nudity and sexuality as a way to explore their own body image issues. OpticalLoveStory recounts her own journey through erotic photography and offers some wonderfully encouraging words. Do you think you'll ever create your own sexy photos for sharing?

Porn Against Leaks

Now, posting your own photos and videos can be both stimulating and empowering. Some folks upload their own sexy pics because they take great joy in being seen by others. Some do it to feature their artistry. Unfortunately, when someone else posts your nude images, they claim and steal your agency. Rapper Iggy Azalea recently had her naked photos stolen and posted. And she has an unlikely ally coming to her defense. Popular porn site xHamster vowed to ensure that Iggy's nudes do not end up on their pages. Given the wild west nature of porn on the net, this is difficult to police, but the site is doing their best. They've offered to help Iggy in keeping the spread of her photos as minimal as possible.

Deepfake Is Disturbing

Not only do celebrities and, well, everyone have to fear someone gaining access to your intimate images, but new technology emerged that just might make you the unwitting stare of some of the hottest porn around. Deepfake is some seriously disturbing shit. This AI-generated tech can literally put words—among other things—in your mouth. Sure, the idea of creating content that fulfills your wildest fantasies sounds really appealing, but there are so many implications of deepfake that we're just scratching the surface of how it can affect identity and personhood. I'm not usually one to wary of tech and sex, but...

Latin American Pride

Finally, Pride is here! And to celebrate identity, Claudia Jares' stunning, sexy, and strong photos documenting queer culture in Argentina remind us what it's like being LGBTQI+ in a part of the world where these identities are still challenged. Amazing!