I’m guessing the Lady Gaga music was added in post-production, but what mis-rubs me most about the footage is the shimmy-shimmying of the contestants. Leather culture is performative by nature — you wear coded outfits, you act out fantasies and conform to the limitations of your pre-ordained top or bottom role. That’s fine, but it’s a blurry line between performance and play-acting, and the on-stage floggings below do nothing for me.
Maybe it’s just an Ottawa thing, maybe it’s the “Heeeyyy, Batch!” winks to the audience, or maybe it’s because the retro heyday of leather culture seems so far away. Whatever the reason, I’m not the only leather bar crawler who’s conflicted about Leatherman contests. Slut blogger RawTop hasn’t been feeling them lately, and BDSM porn star Tony Buff, in a blog entry called “Community Building,” writes:
Now, I’ve still got some pretty mixed feelings regarding the whole leather title thing. I still question the relevance of leather titles and the efficacy of title contests and the benefits they bring to (or the energy they suck from) the community. But there is no doubt, that when produced successfully, leather title contests can serve to unite a community, identify new leadership and provide a gateway to this thing of ours — cathartic experience and sacred knowledge.
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I’m all for homo-fetishistic performance art set to Weird Al Yankovic songs.
But the gladiator flogging set to opera music was lame with ugly guys. Any themed choreography is okay if it’s done well. I would love to judge a contest of HOT guys who make it fun, creative, and realistic.
But if they’re competing to see who is best at BDSM, they should eliminate staged nonsense altogether and hold true, athletic fuck contests. See who doms or subs the best improvisationally with real fucking. More like a sport.
I guess BDSM isn’t necessarily leather. But if they’re just judging leather, it should be a fashion contest and nothing more. There’s only “talent” in how leather is designed.
Sheer beauty pageants aren’t very impressive or worthwhile. Big Fucking Deal.
The more staged and elaborate this stuff gets, the less I take it seriously.