Beautiful Agony: The New Naked < Features , PopMatters

Consider the orgasm. Consider the hunger beforehand, that blind, sweaty desire building toward one euphoria explosion that electrifies the body like a seizure, leaving you breathless, past and future but a dream, nothing but tingles for skin. How about the peace that follows, no longer bogged down by your restless longing, muscles melted, the beast inside lulled to sleep, disarmed, totally naked?Now imagine you were filmed. Just think about what the camera would capture in those minutes leading to your climax and afterwards. Perhaps your eyes involuntarily widen or nose crinkles? Maybe tears, maybe laughter, maybe silence, but who knows for certain? Truth be told, everyone reacts differently to sexual experiences. Some don’t make a peep, while others let loose an operatic aria that wakes the neighbors. Some spasm uncontrollably, others clench as tight as a fist. Only one thing’s for certain: orgasms disarm us.Fact is, never are we more exposed and vulnerable than when we’re orgasming. Never do we relinquish that stern control over our professional and social lives than when we’re drowning in our preferred brand of fantasy, dreaming of that perfect someone who grazed our arm earlier today, stripped of all our inhibitions, disguises removed, animal, honest, genuine, authentic, intimate, reduced to a sexual being.That said, how ironic that hardcore porn stars can undress and still seem somehow clothed. Whoever watches modern pornography, which amounts to anyone with an Internet connection nowadays, can sense the illusion embedded within mainstream porn flicks. The scripted sour dialogue and choreographed positions that revved so many engines of the previous generation simply don’t float our proverbial boats anymore. Hence, the current porn craze that has fueled the launching of whole web communities devoted to amateur pictures and videos.Case in point: Beautiful Agony, where posted erotic stimulus amounts to amateur videos featuring only the facial expressions and the sounds of those orgasming. American, English, French, Chinese, Australian, German, Japanese, Irish, white, black, men, women, straight, lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives—doesn’t matter one bit, anyone can submit a homemade video that reveals his/her real human vulnerability and intensity, granted the orgasm isn’t faked that is.So applaud each of these individuals who are brave enough to share their unique sexual experiences and help revolutionize the erotica industry. Foreign languages and geographic boundaries be damned, watch as these persons from across the world drop their defenses, shed their suspicions, and get their rocks off, either alone or sometimes with others. Listen to the confessions as they each reveal their opinions and sexual secrets, connecting us with heartfelt honesty. Admire these human beings, vulnerable, quirky, respected, conflicted, thoughtful, trembling, truly naked.