Featured Scene: Julia Sands on BBWs Gone Black

In 1986, Irish-British musician Chris de Burgh wrote the song "The Lady in Red," which was inspired, in part, by how sometimes guys cannot recall what their wives are wearing when they first meet them.

In 1989, popular culture introduced Jessica Rabbit, wife of the titular character in the cartoon noir film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In that film, Jessica is a human femme fatale married to a slapstick, silly rabbit named Roger. Her most famous line is, "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

In 2013, we have Plumper Pass to thank for introducing us to the newest lady in red, the latest femme fatale. The woman who should be everyone's digital girlfriend, Julia Sands.

Julia, dressed as a Lady in Red and looking even curvier than Jessica Rabbit, meets up with Lucas for a wild, passionate sex session. Rose petals are on the bed, and a boquet of flowers are given to Julia, but Lucas makes sure that she forgets about that with some pussy eating and deep dicking. Kudos to you, Lucas. *bowing*

Be sure to check out Julia's scene with Lucas and some of your other favorite plumpers and BBWs on BBWs Gone Black, part of the Plumper Pass Network.

The BBW Pornucopia Interview: Daphne Daniels

Photo provided by Daphne Daniels

We are featuring the one, the only Daphne Daniels as the BBW Pornucopia Interview. I am ashamed to admit it, but I did not get to chat much with Daphne one-on-one at BBW FanFest. It was totally my fault, and I sincerely apologize. But despite that legendary faux pas by moi, Daphne was kind enough to take my interview request and answer the questions I've been dying to get responses to.

Daphne Daniels
Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.DaphneDaniels.com
Follow her on Twitter: @DaphneDaniels

How did you get into the business? What led you into doing this, and what was your entry point (print modeling, straight into video, web modeling)?

I came straight into video as my start in the industry. In the past a few people approached me with the notion of doing adult modeling I always said no. Then in the summer of 2007 I got approached again and this time it made me really entertain the thought of doing adult modeling for some extra money. So, I answered an online ad, met up with the director that same day and the following week I performed in my first xxx scene.

Was it a difficult decision, deciding to enter the industry? Do you have any regrets about choosing this path? 

It wasn’t, no. It was pretty easy once I made my mind up that this was something I was going to do. I’m a sexual person, I mean I wouldn’t be doing anything that I haven’t already done so it was fairly easy. Regrets? No. But I will say that some of my personal relationships had become strained because of my decisions. Comes with the territory.

If you could change one thing about the industry (either overall, or specifically with regards to the BBW side of things) what would it be? 

Unfortunately, the industry is very biased against dark skinned African American women. It’s harder for us to get the same amount of work or shine as our counterparts even on the BBW side of things. I also noticed that the BBW side of the industry can be biased on size. You’re either too big, or not big enough. It’s ridiculous.

What is your definition of a fan? What obligations do fans have in supporting performers/the industry overall?

There can be different variations on the definition of a fan, the main one would just be anyone that enjoys and appreciates what we do in adult entertainment. Tube/pirate sites are taking a heavy toll on the industry. Fans have to understand that without their support and purchasing our products pretty soon there won’t be much of an industry left. This holds especially true for BBW products.

If you could offer some words of advice to those trying to break into the industry what would they be?

First make sure that this is something you really want to do, once your scene is out there it’s out there for good. Make sure you do your research on individuals/companies before working with them. Have a goal or plan in mind as to what you’re trying to accomplish/gain in the industry. Figure out what your boundaries are and stick to them until YOU are ready to do otherwise. People in the industry will constantly try to pressure you into shooting acts you necessarily may not be comfortable doing.

Everybody doesn’t automatically become “stars”maybe you will, maybe you won’t. The job is to have sex. NOT have sex to get the job don’t get tricked into “auditioning” for shoots. Try to take occasional breaks to get away and not burn yourself out. And that it’s an everyman for his self type of business.

 Interpret this question how you want, but what excites you? What makes you feel good inside?

New experiences, pushing boundaries, the dark sides of sexuality. Laughing, accomplishing goals, family/friends, great sex, and rocky road ice cream. J

What are your hobbies outside of work? How do you like to unwind? 

My new found hobby is pole dancing! I love pole dancing! To unwind I like to listen to music, dance, go out and do different activities. I like to play pool. (I’m not great at it, but I like it.) And I like reading.

Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? Still performing? Serving as a producer/director? Being an agent? Advocacy? Or outside of the industry?

 I can see 3 years still performing. 5 years or more? I take it as it goes I didn’t have a set time limit for when I’ll retire from performing. As long as fans like to watch me do nasty things and I enjoy doing them I’ll continue on until it’s my time to fade out. I produce and direct content for my site www.DaphneDaniels.com I couldn’t be an agent, too much drama to deal with. No advocacy, for same reasons of not being an agent.

How would you like to be remembered?  

As a nasty, classy, passionate, sexual beast on film. And that my light shined as a BBW of color in a genre that’s tough to stand out in.

The BBW Pornucopia Interview: Betty Blac

Photo by Mission Henrickson Photography

I first met Betty Blac when I went to BBW FanFest in July 2012. I talked to her about this wonderful seaweed based lubricant that she was helping to promote. She seemed like such a sensitive soul I was determined to learn more about her.

Then I saw her on Score.com and fell in lust. What can I say? I'm easy that way.

I've also come across some of her writing, and I knew I needed to get her thoughts down on paper. Or screen. Or whatever.



Betty Blac
Oakland, CA
Website: http://bettyblac.tumblr.com/ and http://www.clips4sale.com/55571 (for now)
Follow her on Twitter: @bettyblac1

How did you get into the business? What led you into doing this, and what was your entry point (print modeling, straight into video, web modeling)?

 

I had been toying with the idea of posing for erotic art or performing in porn for many years. When I first started watching porn I watched a lot of locally produced indie queer porn or female focused/directed porn. So I saw many examples of women being sexual but still empowered. It appealed to my feminist side but also my exhibitionist erotic side.

 

So after years of toying with the idea I put up a profile on ModelMayhem.com. I did one local shoot for a boudoir photographer before deciding to work with the Score Group. I was nervous about working with a mainstream company, but I was excited about working with a company that has such a good reputation and a level of class. And ultimately it ended up being a good experience.

Was it a difficult decision, deciding the enter the industry? Do you have any regrets about choosing this path?

 

I spent so many years thinking about doing porn that when I finally made the decision to do it it was easy.

 

Do I regret it. Regret is the wrong word for it. I am happy with my decision but sometimes the problems that arise out of it make me sad. I wish I was rolling in dough as so many people seem to think happens.

 

I also wish I could avoid the delicate challenge of when to tell any new person I am dating 1. that I have sex with men for money 2. that does not mean that I do not want to have a meaningful committed relationship 3. I am not a nympomaniac that wants to have sex all time or talk about it all time. So I guess I am saying I like being a porn performer, but I am new and still learning how to weather peoples assumptions about me with grace and figure out how to have a normal life despite my unconventional jobs.

If you could change one thing about the industry (either overall, or specifically with regards to the BBW side of things), what would it be?
 

I wish everything was move inclusive. Rather than having BBW porn I wish there were BBW actresses included in mainstream productions. I wouldn't mind seeing a mainstream film with a fully diverse cast in a non tokenizing way.
 

What is your definition of a fan? What obligations do fans have in supporting performers/the industry overall?

Hmm. For me fans are anyone who appreciates my work whether it be my porn or writing. I don't know if fans are really obligated to do anything. I am appreciative of anyone who is a fan. I also appreciate when fans support the work that I am in. Especially with how accessible things are on tube and torrent sites.
 

If you could offer some words of advice to those trying to break into the industry, what would they be?

 

Someone looking to break into the industry I definitely would encourage them to have a good community of sex positive friends. I definitely would encourage them to do some research on the companies they work with and know a little something about their costars. Also starting with camming helps you to get a familiarity with being on camera.

Interpret this question how you want, but what excites you? What makes you feel good inside?

 

I am excited by bright colors, dance, art, beautiful sunny warm days. amazing food, spending the whole day in bed with someone...

What are your hobbies outside of work? How do you like to unwind?

 

I write. I like to paint and do creative projects. I am working on some new hobbies. I would like to add filmmaker to that list at some point.

Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? Still performing? Serving as a producer/director? Being an agent? Advocacy? Or outside of the industry?

 

In 3-5 years I would like to step back from performing and produce artistic porn.

How would you like to be remembered?

That's a hard question. It's not so important for me that I be famous but I would like to be remembered as a decent person. Someone who was nice to people and there for her friends. And also as a creative individual. I want to be remembered as a writer first performer second.

The BBW Pornucopia Interview: Kelly Shibari

I've featured her in a post before. Hell, the whole reason I initially decided to go to BBW FanFest was an opportunity to meet her in person.

Who better, then, to kick off this series with than Ms. Kelly Shibari.

She is whip-smart (pun kind of intended), smoking hot and is quite insightful from the conversations I've had with her in person and online. As I was pulling the idea of this series of interviews together, she was the first person I thought of having answer my questions, and she was more than willing to oblige.

Kelly Shibari

Los Angeles, CA

Websites: http://kellyshibarixxx.com, http://PaddedKINK.com

Follow her on Twitter: @kellyshibari 

How did you get into the business? What led you into doing this, and what was your entry point (print modeling, straight into video, web modeling)?

I got into porn a little differently than most. I had been working in mainstream film / tv as an Art Director / Production Designer for about 10 years when the big writers' strike hit the industry hard in 2007. Just about everything in Hollywood came to a standstill, and many people were out of work. Lots of people I knew ended up moving out of LA and back to their hometowns. At the same time, I had a pretty intense breakup with a guy that I had been living with for a few years. A friend of mine, who also worked in mainstream as a weapons specialist, suggested I get into porn. He and his girlfriend worked in adult as performers, and he thought I would do well.

My response was that there were no large women in porn, mainly because the porn I watched was mainstream porn - where the girls are slender and the men muscular. My friend showed me a few sites to show that there were indeed larger girls in porn. One of them was The Score Group, a large company that shoots busty girls as well as BBWs (Big Beautiful Women).

I told my friend that I would send in my photos, and if they accepted, I would do it. I really was initially intending for my time in porn as a short-term sabbatical as I waited for the mainstream film / tv industry to recover. It's now been six years ;)

Was it a difficult decision, deciding the enter the industry? Do you have any regrets about choosing this path?

 

Not at all. I had the luxury not "having" to get into the industry, and it was something I chose to do (rather than forced to do). I have no regrets at all.

 

If you could change one thing about the industry (either overall, or specifically with regards to the BBW side of things), what would it be?

It's something that unfortunately would be rather difficult to do, but I wish there was a more-established place where performers, whether new or established, could get information without bias - health, legal, financial, and more.

 

Right now we're a group that thrives on gossip and ego, and a lot of performers are misinformed, and left to learn on their own. The sad part is that so many of those lessons are exactly the same as every other performer...but there's no mentorship, no support system to prevent those repeated mistakes.

I love the idea of a central clearinghouse to provide performers with information that would be quite valuable to their livelihoods and their future. Why do you think such a thing has never come about before? Also, if you could create such a thing, would it be a brick-and-mortar place or a virtual clearinghouse that would be accessible 24hrs a day?

I doubt it will happen - mainly because we're a transient industry with a lot of turnover, and unfortunately most are more concerned about their own status than the wellbeing of others. It's terribly sad that this is a rather selfish industry where the competition is so fierce, that there really has left no space for collaboration amongst most performers. There's little mentorship in an industry where every performer feels threatened by other performers.

It's also an industry that doesn't thrive on group activities - whether due to the agoraphobic nature of most performers other than promotional appearances. or competition, I'm not sure. There are plenty of blogs out there that share information, but not really anything in the way of one-on-one mentorship, outside of talent agencies (and not all of them mentor), and I sadly don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

Thanks for answering that question. It is a shame that things are the way that they are vis-a-vis the "agoraphobia" that you mention. Although I don't get quite the sense of that up here in Vegas...but I'm also not that social myself, save for a random Porn Star Karaoke appearance. And I see that as a place where fans are invited to come and hang out and mingle with performers.

Speaking of fans, what is your definition of a fan? What obligations do fans have in supporting performers/the industry overall?

A fan is someone who appreciates the work of a performer, director, or anyone who creates entertainment for that fan. I think a fan's "obligation," if you could call it that, would be to actively support those people buy actually purchasing the content that is created.

 

I know that not everyone has the means to purchase content - but a true fan would, because not supporting an entertainer would create an environment where the entertainer couldn't support themselves with that line of work.

 

What's sad is when I read a "fan"'s post on social media wondering where a previously popular performer had gone, because I know that they were driven out of the industry because of the lack of work / lack of income. Not purchasing content is what causes companies to not be able to afford performers...and for some reason fans don't understand that they are directly responsible.

 

If you could offer some words of advice to those trying to break into the industry, what would they be?

 

In the current climate, the only thing I could suggest is that models treat this as a short-term hobby rather than a career. There is simply not enough work to support a career. Having an alternate income that doesn't depend on how many scenes you do per month guarantees a few things: that you won't be forced into a position where you might do scenes you wouldn't otherwise do because you need the work, and it creates enough of a diversion that, when you *do* get work, it's fun and exciting. That sort of stuff shows on camera.

 

Interpret this question how you want, but what excites you? What makes you feel good inside?

Knowing that people - men and women, couples and singles - enjoy my work, and that my work makes them more comfortable in their own skin by showing them that you don't have to be a size 0 to be happy. (Psst, secret: Many size 0's aren't happy either). Showing that sex can be fun and sometimes dorky makes me happy.

 

What are your hobbies outside of work? How do you like to unwind?

Many of my female friends are into "retail therapy" - they love shopping. I'm not much of a shopper, but I'm a "pamper junkie". I love spa treatments, massages, facial treatments, manicures, pedicures...I guess after entertaining people, I like it when people wait on me for a change .

 

Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? Still performing? Serving as a producer/director? Being an agent? Advocacy? Or outside of the industry?

I'm not sure. I'm at an interesting place in my 'career' - where I can go in a couple of different directions. For the time being I'm still producing/directing PaddedKINK, and running the marketing company, which is currently nominated for Marketing Campaign of the Year for my self-produced DVD, Kelly Shibari is Overloaded (which is nominated by both AVN and XBIZ for Specialty Release of the Year). Some of my friends know that I had a 5-year plan when I got in...and I've met most of my goals. I've had some really great "ups" and some pretty crazy "lows" during my time here, and I've learned from all of those experiences (See my answer to (C)). I'm not interested in ever being an agent.

 

Advocacy is something that's organic for me, so I don't really see me getting involved with a group (unless I get a really good offer, haha). I do love marketing, whether it's my own projects/products or someone else's. I've been asked to consider making more DVDs. So...I'm not sure. But whatever direction I go in, I'm sure it'll be interesting...I guess it's time to think about my second 5-year plan.

 

How would you like to be remembered?

I'd like to be remembered not necessarily as a performer, but as someone who tried as many things as she could. My life has not always been about porn, and it may not be a few years from now. I've always been a "bucket list" kind of girl, an intelligent hedonist, who tries a lot of things before I'm too old to do them. Some decisions were mistakes, but learning and choosing to remember not to do that again is part of being an intelligent hedonist.

As far as my current work is concerned, though, I'd like to be remembered for reminding people that sex is fun, variety is amazing and that curiosity is what's sexy, as long as you're also grounded.

BBW FanFest Awards Nominations: Make Your Voice Heard

We've moved out of election season and moved into nomination season.

That's right, nominations are now open for the 2013 BBW FanFest Awards. The award show, which will take place during the second annual BBW FanFest (July 26-28 in Las Vegas, NV), is sponsored by Plumper Pass.

There are 32 categories that are now taking nominations, and the nominations will be open until Valentine's Day 2013. So if you have a love of BBWs and SSBBWs, and care about making this event grow even more, please take a few minutes of your time and nominate your favorite performer, producer, or product provider today!

Visit the nomination page here.

Event Promotion: Thick Sundae's AVN Event (1/20/2013)

I haven't been to the Adult Video News awards/Adult Entertainment Expo in a few years. My little corner of the porn world is somewhat represented there, but not fully.

This year, I was actually planning on being out of town for AVN weekend in California, but those plans fell through the other night. So, I might find myself here in Las Vegas on Sunday, January 20.

And...even though I don't personally do strip clubs...I might find myself at the Thick Sundae's event for AVN weekend.

My strip club aversion keeps me from attending most of the time, but outside of BBW FanFest, this might be the best time to meet some of the hottest names in BBW porn. Although the full lineup won't be known until the actual evening of the event, some of the lovely ladies scheduled to appear include Julia Sands, Lexxxi Luxe, Cotton Candi, April Flores, Anna Anarchy, Lady Spice, Summer La Shay and many others.

The cost is $10 at the door, and there is a happy hour from 8pm until 10pm, with dancers scheduled to appear until 2am.

Thick Sundae's events are held at Foxy Girls, located at 3013 South Highland Drive in Las Vegas.

For more information on the event, you can email bmplvevents@gmail.com, or follow Thick Sundae's on Twitter.

Event Promotion: BBW FanFest 2013 Pre-Sale Happening NOW!

As I sit and write this, the 72 hour presale for the second annual BBW FanFest in Las Vegas is well underway. The event is scheduled to take place July 26-28, 2013 at the Tuscany Suites in Las Vegas, NV.

In fact, according to the event's Twitter feed, sales started very, very early:

The SUPER Early Bird Event has started off with a BANG! We had sales just 2 mins after launching! AWESOME!! bbwfanfest.com
— BBW FANFEST (@BBWFANFEST) November 19, 2012

If you don't know what BBW FanFest is, the first one was held in July 2012 at the Tuscany Suites and Casino just off the Las Vegas Strip. In fact, I wrote about my day at FanFest on this here very site.

As a Las Vegas local, a fan of BBWs and a supporter of BBWs in the adult industry, I am extremely pleased that this event is returning for a variety of reasons. Yes, the eye candy factor is at play (I am, after all, only a human male) but also because it is extremely important that this event is successful.

Like any industry, there are rifts and cliques and the like. Furthermore, BBWs are still viewed (by some) as being a niche market within the larger industry. Events like this, showing that women can be sexy no matter their size, hopefully can help break down the mindset that pervades much of porn valley.

(I'll have more thoughts on this later. I don't want to get off track.)

As I stated earlier, the Tuscany Suites and Casino are home to the event yet again, a nice property just east of The Strip and just west of UNLV's campus on Flamingo. Not a bad cab ride if you absolutely have to go to the larger properties, but it's also pretty well-self contained. It was a nice layout for the event, and I think that having it there is a wonderful spot for getting business done with a side of fun.

The vibe, as I experienced it on the first day of the event, was a lot of fun. Laid back, friendly people. Not as tense or as bullshit filled as I remember A.E.E. being the last time I went to it a few years ago. The event here is still small enough that you can actually hold a conversation with folks (as I definitely did with a few lovely ladies).

If you buy your package deal now, you will get about 30% off of the cost of your package. Not a bad deal at all. The entry level package during this current sale runs about $99. Not too shabby at all, and worth taking advantage of if you have the means to attend.

According to a statement from Kari Anthony (aka Platinum Puzzy), co-founder of the event:

There is something for everyone at BBW FanFest! We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the experience of a size friendly environment, where we not only accept but celebrate your curves. There are adult novelty companies, plus size clothing vendors, DVD retailers and much more! If you are a fan of BBW porn, or just bigger women in general, you will have all the eye candy you can feast your eyes on under one huge roof.

You can check out BBW FanFest's Twitter account @BBWFANFEST, or their Facebook Page. To purchase your tickets now, visit bbwfanfest.com.