In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

3 Sex and Disgust in Popular Culture The Pornography of the Gag Reflex In the discussion of Charlotte Roche’s Wetlands, we encountered scenes of everything from vomit drinking to pus licking, discharge chewing to scab eating. These representations of abjection were complex, affecting, and diverse, but our analysis was far from comprehensive. There is more to be said on the topic of contemporary engagement with revulsion, and more to explore when it comes to the link between disgust and the pornographic . No twenty-first century account of sexuality and the ingestion of abject bodily substances would be complete, for instance, without some reference to the Internet phenomenon that is “2 Girls 1 Cup.” Since 2007,1 this video—a trailer for a full-length porn film—has achieved substantial cultural visibility. References to it surface within pop cultural texts such as Family Guy (“Back to the Woods”) and Lil Wayne’s rap record I Am Not a Human Being. Indeed, The Sex Education Show (a high-profile, primetime program screened by the British broadcaster Channel 4) recently described the video as “cult viewing, with millions of hits” (“Episode 1”). So, how are we to make sense of “2 Girls 1 Cup,” and what exactly does this meme involve? Here is 15-year-old Ryan helpfully interpreting it for the benefit of The Sex Education Show: “I’ve seen some pretty grim stuff. I’ve seen two women and they were taking a dump, and they, er, were eating it. But then they, er, made out with each other and they were throwing up while they were making out.” He neglects to mention the presence of the titular cup (receptacle of both feces and vomit), as well as the now-infamous surging piano soundtrack. 49 50 Beyond Explicit The video was initially intended as nothing more or less complicated than a work of adult entertainment, and it was expressly produced for a niche market of scatophiles. Its creator, the Brazilian pornographer Marco Antonio Fiorito, is a self-proclaimed “compulsive fetishist” who, in a statement intended for the US Federal Justice Department, claims that “money is not the main reason” behind his choice of career and subject matter (“2 Girls 1 Cup,” The Smoking Gun). Despite any original intentions, however, “2 Girls 1 Cup” did not gain its notoriety by eliciting arousal from the wider public. In becoming viral, it transcended its primary pornographic usage to function as a rather different form of entertainment, and disgust, rather than arousal, became the chief draw for many viewers. This is evidenced by the numerous “reaction videos” posted on user-generated content websites such as YouTube. Such videos (in which the responses of those viewing “2 Girls 1 Cup,” often for the first time, are recorded for posterity) have become hugely popular in and of themselves. Possibly the original contribution to this micro-genre—fartenewt’s YouTube post “2 Girls 1 Cup Reaction #1,” from September 2007—has generated well over 14 million hits at the time of writing. Some participants in this cultural phenomenon appear to willingly subject themselves to the viewing experience. YouTube user centerback14, for example, films his own reaction video with a webcam, and provides a verbal introduction before he begins to screen the infamous clip. This kind of viewer is presumably spurred on by a mixture of curiosity, a desire to be affected, and an investment in being part of a distinctive community of virtual spectators. Others participants, such as the viewers in fartenewt’s “2 Girls 1 Cup Reaction #9” or Jacqueline7oX’s Grandma Marlene, seem less aware of what they’re letting themselves in for; Grandma Marlene’s face registers alarm and anger during the course of her reaction, while raucous laughter rings out off-camera. The video ends with a message of apology: “Sorry Grandmom! I love youuuuu! :)” Although “2 Girls 1 Cup” is obviously not operating as adult entertainment within these clips, one could argue that the reaction videos do fit into a certain radically expanded notion of the pornographic. That is to say, these reaction videos might themselves be seen to possess pornographic qualities, despite the obvious de-emphasizing of sexual arousal that occurs within them. Certainly, these texts demonstrate an abiding preoccupation with involuntary bodily responses. We witness flinches and facial contortions, and hear exclamations of shock and horror. The most spectacular corporeal reaction to feelings of disgust—the gag or the dry [3.139.72.78] Project MUSE (2024-04-25 17...

Share