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special review . Summer 1999
Girls, Girls, Girls...
By definition pornography is violent and coercive, isn't it? What is it about sexual images that makes it so? Who decides what is violent and what is erotic, what is sensual and what is art? What about sexual images created by women, for women's enjoyment? What if these images looked like traditional pornographic images but without the implied coercion, without the inevitable inequality of a man behind the camera and a woman in front?On Our Backs: The Best of Lesbian Sex is back in print and looking better than ever. Started in 1984 in San Francisco, On Our Backs was dubbed "entertainment for the adventurous lesbian." At that time the magazine was vilified by most feminist bookstores in both Canada and the United States, and the mainstream media barely knew it existed. Nevertheless, On Our Backs survived and thrived until it stopped production in 1997 (until, that is, its rebirth in July of this year).
On Our Backs is one of a few publications working to take back women's sexual image. This most recent issue bears some resemblance to a traditional skin mag. It has the centerfold, the sex scene, the cute biography of the beautiful woman in alluring poses, and some chat about sex--but with a twist. On Our Backs has interesting articles, believable sex scenes, and some truly excellent information on difficult topics. The cover of this latest issue has two stunning women kissing alongside teasers for articles about fisting, anal sex, and "Candye Kane: from porn queen to dyke dream." Pretty heady stuff, especially after such a long hiatus. I can hear women across the world breathing a sigh of relief (or are they gasping for air?).
The cover was enough to make me buy the magazine but the contents made the $7.25 I spent on it totally worthwhile. So many magazines, of any variety, look great from the outside but just don't keep my interest on the inside. On Our Backs is nothing if not interesting. First of all the letters to the editors included notes from Rita Mae Brown (author of Venus Envy and Ruby Fruit Jungle) and Annie Sprinkle (sex goddess). The pages of reviews were, from a professional point of view, a valuable resource. From a less business-like point of view these reviews on books, movies, and sex toys could save a responsible consumer much time and money. Books covered included Sex Spoken Here, a compilation of erotic tales and the highly recommended I'll Be Your Mirror by Nan Goldin. The movie reviewer apparently has a thing for Susan Sarandon and reviewed five of her movies for dyke content, or at least strong, assertive woman content. My personal favourite was the sex toy reviews, especially since a couple of things I had decided not to carry in the store got lousy reviews here. Anyway, this is a great place to see what's new and hot in the world of toys.
I loved, loved, loved the advice column with Nina Hartly, registered nurse and porn star (a perfect combination). Ms. Hartley's answers are accurate and easygoing. She addresses anal sex, love triangles and latent bisexuality with equal amounts of respect and imagination.
This may sound like On Our Backs is all chat and no smut. Well, I'm here to tell you it's all about smut, but with some excellent chat on the side. Chelsea in her mesh dress and the most incredible shoes is stunning and elegant--and they've even done a cheesy bio. Ms. Chelsea lists her occupation as "Femme Fatale" and claims that sex is as close as she comes to religion. This sounds familiar on paper but looks completely fresh next to her black and white photo. No Hustler or Playboy would touch this lovely young woman with her tattoos and attitude. They don't know what they're missing.
I was pretty happy with Chelsea but was looking forward to seeing the cover girls again. Tirza and Oriana are real-life lovers, and it shows. The byline tells us about their friendship and first kiss. These women obviously love having sex together; so often in regular skin mags the "lesbian" sex scene is played out between two women with dagger fingernails who are barely touching each other, let alone enjoying themselves. You'd think the boys whacking off to this little fantasy would sense its falseness eventually, but I guess they would have to see the real thing to compare--and On Our Backs is the real thing.
So Tirza and Oriana are very hot together and Chelsea is an attractive woman. But then there's Marcy and Sarah. These truck-driving butches are photographed having hot anonymous sex in the bucket of a tractor. Boots, dildos, flannel and tractors. Perfect. These are the women who so obviously separate On Our Backs from the mainstream mediocre sleaze. Marcy and Sarah are tough looking, strong and sexy together--not in a lesbian chic way but in a "Bulldagger of the Season" way. ("Bulldagger of the Season" was a photo of a tough, challenging butch woman that ran in the first On Our Backs issue as a parody of the Penthouse centerfold. It garnered a huge reaction from the readership, much of it negative.)
It's refreshing to see On Our Backs showing a variety of women, all beautiful and unique, after a lifetime of looking at air-brushed silicone tits and downy patches. It's amazing where these fembots show up: skin mags, beer commercials, toothpaste ads. Enough already! Isn't this all getting a little old? Aren't we tired of the same old thing? I know On Our Backs is ostensibly for the "adventurous lesbian" but I think many people--lesbian, bisexual, and straight--could learn a lot from this mag; the info is great and their perspective on beauty and sex is liberating.
There are also books out there that are doing what On Our Backs is doing, in many different formats. I would highly recommend Nothing But the Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image (Freedom Editions) and Her Tongue On My Theory by the Kiss and Tell collective (Press Gang).
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