Isabella!

There was exactly one movie my sister and I were not allowed to watch when we were younger: Blue Velvet.  My mom said that it depicted a side of humanity (and sexuality, but she didn't say that part at the time) that we didn't have context for yet, and she worried we wouldn't be able to fully integrate it, and it might screw with our heads.

David Lynch screw with someone's head?  Nah....

Behind the cut is an example of how my mama is no fool.

Fetishes

Hulu is the second best place on the internet, folks (after yours truly, of course).  Not only does it allow me to watch Glee on my own time (read: when I'm alone so I can cry in peace when Kurt's dad vies for father of the year, or, you know, they come back from commercial or something), but it introduces me to documentaries like Fetishes.

you have to sign up and prove you're a grownup to watch it...you won't die from it

Leather Retreat: Camp Non-Vanilla!

I went to camp when I was a kid, but it wasn't like this camp.  I mean, if I had been older than 11 and a lesbian (I went to Girl Scout Camp), I guess it could have been, but I think it would have been seriously, seriously frowned upon.  

"It's just...I don't think that's how they meant for the archery course to be used, is all."

Hurts so good

Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist is about a performance artist (Bob Flanagan, unsurprisingly) with cystic fibrosis. About being a Supermasochist, he is not fucking around. He nails his cock to pieces of wood, amongst other things. With nails. Yow.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that, most notably, clogs the lungs with huge amounts of mucus, making infections extremely common, and breathing exceedingly difficult. It is very painful, and sufferers often don't survive past their teens.

This plays hugely into Flanagan's 'super-masochism'. He uses sexual masochism as a way to exert some control over his pain. This is pain he can anticipate - and stop - when he chooses. It also has the added benefit of totally turning him on, which we can all agree feels mostly great.

Assisting him in this is Sheree Rose, his long-time partner and dominatrix. These two love each other so much it makes my insides ache (in a good way). She delights in inflicting pain as much as he loves enduring it - and oh my goodness does she inflict it. Toward the end, though, when Flanagan is in the hospital for the last time, there is a scene of such tenderness between them that it makes The Notebook look like Fatal Attraction.

This film is many things, but I see it as a beautiful and unconventional love story. These are people who are able to use their sexuality to provide themselves great comfort, relief, and joy, which I think is the very definition of healthy sexuality. I strive to be as open as these people, even if it doesn't involve hammers and nails. Yow, for serious.

It is not for the squeamish, but it's fantastic. It's a look into a world a lot of us don't ever really see (mainstream fetish porn does not count). Break out the Kleenex, too...I hadn't cried at a movie like this since one night in college when I watched When Harry Met Sally by myself under the influence of a bottle of wine after being broken up with. This is not something I recommend under any circumstances.

This movie is, though. It's available on Netflix - Watch Instantly, even, if you're hip to the way.