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Sex Stories - Shelby du Jour presents @scientwhest

American sexologist Shelby Sells investigates modern sexuality and affectivity in a series of honest interviews with young talents

Sex Stories - Shelby du Jour presents @scientwhest American sexologist Shelby Sells investigates modern sexuality and affectivity in a series of honest interviews with young talents

Shelby du Jour is the new column of nss magazine.

With a focus on female sexual liberation, so well blended by contemporary media culture but poorly implemented on a daily basis, Sex Stories: Shelby du Jour offers a glimpse into the minds of today's youth and their position about sex and the foundations of relationships.

The first cool girl and opinionist is @scientwhest, digital artist and kinky girl.

 

#1 Describe your artistry. How did you get into digital collaging and photography?

I like to think I’ve always had a natural affinity toward what is bizarre, vulnerable and beautiful. I’ve always gravitated toward some type of artistic endeavor, whether it was musical or binging on adderall and sketching celebrity faces for 5 hours. Digital collaging started in my last year of college after I was required to take Photoshop classes for my major. It all started with bizarre food collages, putting human hearts as peach pits and ants as kiwi seeds. The captions almost always had sexual undertones. This evolved into me cutting phallic and yonic looking foods and placing them in the hands and mouths of porn performers. Which then evolved into me becoming way too lazy to cut shit out on Photoshop and deciding to overlay whole images that resembled the female form.

#2 What is your relationship with censorship? How has online censorship influenced your work?

In the beginning, online censorship, specifically on Instagram, was one of the driving forces behind my collage creation. Questions like, “How can I make this look exactly like a nude woman without actually showing anything explicit? How can I navigate around censorship?” were always on my mind. To this day, collages still get reported because the overlaying image seamlessly blends with their bodies, which I think is a good sign. Feels like I’m doing something right.

#3 Are you a sexual person? How would you describe your sexuality?

I am definitely a straight woman. It saddens me daily [haha]. However, I do think I am a very sexual person. I love conversations surrounding sex and sexuality. My friends always joke that I’m kinky, which I can be, but with the right person. Sex can be a great way to connect yourself with someone, but don’t expect to get all the good stuff right away from me. There is so much that goes into the exploration of our sexual selves and with our partners. I don’t necessarily like sharing my best techniques with lazy/selfish one nighters. This definitely took me some time to realize. Now, there has to be a level of sexual reciprocity, trust, respect, communication, and add a dash of physical and mental attraction. Voila! You got yourself a kinky girl.

#4 What are some personal/professional goals you hope to or have already accomplished this year? 

I do have some personal goals but I’d rather portray myself here as someone who is kind and gentle to myself [haha]. Good or bad, I wasn’t raised to be that way about life. When I feel defeated or lazy, I always hear my Sicilian mother’s voice telling me to “get my ass up, shake if off, and do it”. But on a real note, I need to get my ass up and start being active and eating healthier. I've been trying to make a habit of reading at least 5 hard-news articles a day, keeping up-to-date, staying woke and always checking my privilege. As far as professional goals, I finally found a job here in NYC after a year of interning. Doesn’t feel real, but I did it and I'm proud of myself. I’m a very practical person when it comes to work. If you want something, work persistently at it and do NOT expect someone to magically hand you a golden opportunity.

#5 You're not afraid to pose semi nude online - do you see this having any impact (positive or negative) on your professional career? What are your views on this? 

Surprisingly, no. Posting semi-nude photos of myself on Instagram has had 0 negative effect on my professional career (knocks on wood). In regards to my familial life, it caused a pretty big hiccup. In an attempt to cause drama in our already tumultuous family affairs, my aunt decided to email my father, my two uncles, and my mother, a screenshot of my IG approved semi-nude images with the subject: "shame," portraying me as a hooker with loose morals [haha]. The only person who semi-believed it was my conservative Italian father, literally shook his world. Side note, I love and accept sex workers, do your thing. But yeah, my father and stepmom were devastated and insisted that I tell my father anytime I wanted to take such scandalous images. I was like yeah… that’s not going to happen dad. I’m grown ass woman, and I can do whatever I want with my body (laughs).

#6 Describe the relationship between your sexuality and your artwork. How do they influence each other?

I think being comfortable in my sexuality has made it easier for me to approach sex in a more analytical way. It's taken me some time but the more I engage and become aware of of sex, the more I am able to incorporate it into my artistic practice. Sex and sexuality can be such a beautiful thing, and the more I evolve and learn about it, the more I can apply my knowledge into my own work.

#7 When are you the most happy?

Inviting a friend to come lie in bed with you, so they can watch you clean your room and drink wine. Things that are free (laughs). Oscillating fans, crisp clean linens and rainy days.

 

 

#8 Is how you portray yourself online similar to how you are in real life? How does your online persona relate to your real self?

I would say in ways, yes. Granted, not every day will be glamorous but I do have my moments, just like an image on Instagram, capturing a good moment in time. Seeing all the images together creates a personal taste, a narrative, which I hear comes across as intimidating or bitchy. I truly feel like the most un intimidating person but it's pretty interesting to hear.

#9 What advice would you give to other artists/people to liberate them from sexual prowess?

I think one of the first steps toward sexual liberation is working through your sexual shame. Taking some time to unpack your sexual desires, fears, traumas, and embarrassments surrounding sex. Once you do this you’ll have a better understanding of what sex and sexuality means to you. Sex really is about what is right for you. I feel like many people have this notion that sexual liberation is a cookie cutter concept in which you have to fuck everyone in order to be truly liberated. I don’t believe this to be true. Sexual liberation can come from completely abstaining from sex or partaking in kink, whatever! Just find what is right for you and go with it. For me, I don’t believe the path toward sexual liberation will cease, it’ll be a lifelong journey, but I will continue to take those steps toward better understanding my ever-evolving sexual desires.

#10 What's coming up next for you? What are you really excited about right now?

Oh boy. Just had one of my collages on a Skate Mental Jack Curtin pro model deck, which was very exciting! Also, I may be part of an exhibit at a museum! I’m not sure if I can go into much detail but it’s all good stuff. Stay tuned!

 

stay pervy!