February 27, For inspiration, Dominic Myatt goes where many dare not look. His new book no kissing is a collection of drawings based on Craigslist classifieds. The reputation of personal ads are at their best silly, at their worst perverted.
And just because there exists a stigma around them does not mean that they are not exactly that, silly and perverted. Yet Myatt renders these ads less threatening, at times even kind of innocent. In the end, putting whatever your fetish is out there before you even meet someone β especially if you would only meet them because you know they are into it as well β can be a sign of respect.
Taking your own kink seriously can help respecting those of others. At least in the context of queer relationships, where power structures are less set than in straight ones. The m4w section of Craigslist personals remains completely uninhabitable for most women. Some are perhaps married with kids, in a long-term same-sex relationship, paying for sex β or just there for company or out of habit. What sparked your interest in these Craigslist personals?
Do you ever participate in them? I initially used Craigslist as a way to make a bit of extra cash whilst I was a student β I used to sell things such as used socks, underwear, and even toe nail clippings. I would always feel too uncomfortable to meet the buyers in person, so would always post the items or, in one case, leave the item in a location and email them an annotated map of its location.
Whereas queer male bodies are associated with a lot of shame, sexual or otherwise. I think bringing these anonymous ads to life through drawing and using an element of humour breaks down that stigma. Where does its title no kissing come from? How does it relate to the concept and content of the book?
