Tentacle fetishist to bring back 'Swedish sin'
Swedish fetish pin-up Calamity Amelie is on a mission to ensure adult entertainment actors are properly paid, to put Sweden back on the industry map with the help of rubber tentacles, and wants women to be valued for more than their looks.
The Stockholm-based performer, who has been working as a fetish model since she was 17, is seeking funding to make a tentacle erotica film. So far, she has raised almost half of the $2,000 required to get the project off the ground. The need to pay actors properly comes after four years of research about online content.
"Things have drastically changed with all the free stuff on the internet. Sweden’s industry scene is pretty much gone now," Amelie told The Local.
IN PICTURES: Swedish pin-up star Calamity Amelie's fetish glamour model pictures
To combat this, Amelie has dared to seek thousands of dollars to produce new films in her Swedish Sin project. Her first task is a tentacle flick, which has sci-fi elements and draws inspiration from Japan. Along with paying the actors well, Amelie will use the money to make giant rubber tentacles that will feature in the film.
She said working as a model in a narrow genre, where she has been intimately involved in everything from make-up to prop making, has made her appreciate aesthetics, but also helped her draw a line in the sand between her work and her private life.
“People might expect you to be stupid, shallow and easy to get into bed,” she said. “They might see you as a trophy… (but) I know I am so much more than just a hot girl in a photo.”
"It's kind of an oxymoron to be a model and say this, but society needs to stop valuing women’s looks as their best asset,” she added. “To understand the difference between a posed photography with different light settings and post-production, and my everyday self, and to be absolutely comfortable with my everyday self feels great.”
While her family, to whom she said she is not close, at times expressed concern about her chosen career, she said that among her colleagues the most hostile feedback comes from other women.
“I have friends who are big names in the industry in Los Angeles, and it's really sad when they show me how much hate they get from other women,” she said, adding that her colleagues are accused of everything from being disgraceful to lacking in female solidarity. They are also labelled as “self-destructive little girls”, which Amelie considers to be belittling.
“I think that's really sad, and I believe in supporting each other in whatever active choices we make as adults,” she said.
Amelia, who considers herself a feminist, has long pondered how to label adult entertainment videos feminist. Is any pornography feminist if it is created by women? Or is it content that must be put under the feminist loupe?
SEE ALSO: A list of The Local's past Swedes of the Week
“Is it created by or for women? Does it go against the mainstream norm and if so, in what way? What's the motive? Is everyone participating mentally well?” she said. “These are questions that might be feminist matters, but it's also a question of personal taste. I don't view mainstream content as the main problem, but rather the lack of alternatives.”
As an aesthete, she is also concerned about the lack of artistry in much production, but as in regards to feminism, it’s a certain kind of “female gaze” that she feels is lacking.
“Since mainstream pornography is targeting heterosexual men, you never get to see men portrayed the same way as women,” Amelie said.
And while Sweden in the sixties and seventies was considered a beacon of female sexual liberation, Amelia thinks Sweden has become more conservative.
“I think liberal and conservative influences go back and forth between decades, but like most countries Sweden is also influenced by the USA. We have a strong feminist movement to be proud of here, but all different kinds of feminists don't share the same views about sexual open-mindedness,” she said.
“I, as a feminist, believe our industry can be a positive thing, while more conservative feminists believe the opposite. I assume the attitude to pornography and understanding sexual minorities hasn't been a priority subject for the feminist movement here, which is why we haven't caught up on the subject.”
Patrick Reilly
Follow Patrick on Twitter here
Editor's Note: The Local's Swede of the Week is someone in the news who - for good or ill - has revealed something interesting about the country. Being selected as Swede of the Week is not necessarily an endorsement.
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The Stockholm-based performer, who has been working as a fetish model since she was 17, is seeking funding to make a tentacle erotica film. So far, she has raised almost half of the $2,000 required to get the project off the ground. The need to pay actors properly comes after four years of research about online content.
"Things have drastically changed with all the free stuff on the internet. Sweden’s industry scene is pretty much gone now," Amelie told The Local.
IN PICTURES: Swedish pin-up star Calamity Amelie's fetish glamour model pictures
To combat this, Amelie has dared to seek thousands of dollars to produce new films in her Swedish Sin project. Her first task is a tentacle flick, which has sci-fi elements and draws inspiration from Japan. Along with paying the actors well, Amelie will use the money to make giant rubber tentacles that will feature in the film.
She said working as a model in a narrow genre, where she has been intimately involved in everything from make-up to prop making, has made her appreciate aesthetics, but also helped her draw a line in the sand between her work and her private life.
“People might expect you to be stupid, shallow and easy to get into bed,” she said. “They might see you as a trophy… (but) I know I am so much more than just a hot girl in a photo.”
"It's kind of an oxymoron to be a model and say this, but society needs to stop valuing women’s looks as their best asset,” she added. “To understand the difference between a posed photography with different light settings and post-production, and my everyday self, and to be absolutely comfortable with my everyday self feels great.”
While her family, to whom she said she is not close, at times expressed concern about her chosen career, she said that among her colleagues the most hostile feedback comes from other women.
“I have friends who are big names in the industry in Los Angeles, and it's really sad when they show me how much hate they get from other women,” she said, adding that her colleagues are accused of everything from being disgraceful to lacking in female solidarity. They are also labelled as “self-destructive little girls”, which Amelie considers to be belittling.
“I think that's really sad, and I believe in supporting each other in whatever active choices we make as adults,” she said.
Amelia, who considers herself a feminist, has long pondered how to label adult entertainment videos feminist. Is any pornography feminist if it is created by women? Or is it content that must be put under the feminist loupe?
SEE ALSO: A list of The Local's past Swedes of the Week
“Is it created by or for women? Does it go against the mainstream norm and if so, in what way? What's the motive? Is everyone participating mentally well?” she said. “These are questions that might be feminist matters, but it's also a question of personal taste. I don't view mainstream content as the main problem, but rather the lack of alternatives.”
As an aesthete, she is also concerned about the lack of artistry in much production, but as in regards to feminism, it’s a certain kind of “female gaze” that she feels is lacking.
“Since mainstream pornography is targeting heterosexual men, you never get to see men portrayed the same way as women,” Amelie said.
And while Sweden in the sixties and seventies was considered a beacon of female sexual liberation, Amelia thinks Sweden has become more conservative.
“I think liberal and conservative influences go back and forth between decades, but like most countries Sweden is also influenced by the USA. We have a strong feminist movement to be proud of here, but all different kinds of feminists don't share the same views about sexual open-mindedness,” she said.
“I, as a feminist, believe our industry can be a positive thing, while more conservative feminists believe the opposite. I assume the attitude to pornography and understanding sexual minorities hasn't been a priority subject for the feminist movement here, which is why we haven't caught up on the subject.”
Patrick Reilly
Follow Patrick on Twitter here
Editor's Note: The Local's Swede of the Week is someone in the news who - for good or ill - has revealed something interesting about the country. Being selected as Swede of the Week is not necessarily an endorsement.
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