Imagine a banter-inspiring competition for coffee tables. It would be self-esteem shattering, elementary school kickball style. The mahogany IKEA and college student “I-found-this-at-Goodwill!” tables are captains, scanning the photography books for the strongest players. There are some tried and true stars – the classy Ansel Adams, the glossy hard-covered nature guides. Neither table knows whether to pick Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ latest, XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits. Is it a staggering work of naked genius or a soft-cover softcore? The preface urges readers to set aside cardinal conceptions regarding porn stars, as portraits are meant to stir discussion rather than the need for a cold shower.
Inspired by Goya’s La maja vestida and La maja desnuda paintings of clothed and unclothed women, readers are asked to determine whether male and female porn stars look more comfortable in birthday suits or ‘everyday’ outfit photo-spreads. So, do you rush to call dibs on the bathroom or analyze Jenna Jameson’s body language with your psychology professor? Such is the conundrum that the book presents.
As humans, we are creatures governed by our libido and a desire for categorization. This desire becomes confused while flipping through the pages of portraits. Standing nude before Sanders’s lens, Ron Jeremy becomes a 21st century version of Michelangelo’s David.
Strategically placed articles by famed authors and playwrights attempt to affect the degree of respect one allots the book, the stars and the industry. Do we consider the photo book a candidate for the Pulitzer because Gore Vidal wrote the introduction, or does the smutty Lou Reed article snap us back to disgusted attention?
It is this porn-in-sheep’s-clothing question that may make or break this book. Should you spend $20 to adorn your coffee table with a nameless genre? This photo book is like that 40 oz. you carry down Commonwealth Avenue in a brown bag – it may look a little more PC, but it’s still Natty Light.
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