le

Vera Zyla, co-owner of the Art of Loving in Vancouver. pica TALAY PHOTO

Live sex demos
to ease stigma

Local sex shop
hopes lessons on
consent rubs off
on patrons

By NATALIA BUENDIA
CALVILLO

iven the current discussion
about sexual harassment,
a Vancouver sex toy shop

says it’s live demos are good edu-
cational tools to get people talking
about consent.

Over the last few weeks, pow-
erful men in the media including
Harvey Weinstein, Louis CK, and
Kevin Spacey have been accused of
sexual harassment and abuse which
has led to a worldwide discussion
on consent.

Melody Anne an instructor at
‘The Art of Loving on West Broad-
way, said the seminars help ease
the stigma and normalize the idea
that sex is an acceptable, fun sub-
ject. Anne said they give people the
tools to communicate their needs
in the bedroom and allow people to
have more honest discussions with
their partners about sex.

“It’s been heartening to see how
the importance of enthusiastic
consent to sexual activity is finally
being acknowledged, consent does

not begin and end by simply ask-
ing permission for sex or touching,”
Anne said in an email to The Voice.
“It’s an ongoing conversation be-
tween partners about preferences in
sexual pleasure, safety and aware-
ness of risks.”

Vera Zyla, co-owner of the shop

said the store pushes boundaries

with their live
demos.
. Zyla has ex-
B) plained to

shocked custom-
ers that live dem-
onstrations are
no different than
them watching
pornography on
a TV, except the
seminars are of-
fered with an educational approach
and not strictly for people’s plea-
sure.

“People think they are separated
to a point where it’s safer some-
how,” Zyla said.

Amanda Kehner, who works at
‘The Art of Loving, said the first
seminar she attended was not what
she expected.

“Tt’s so intimate in the store, the
demos are like very, very close and
its happening right there,” Kehner
said. “Ihe presenters do a really
good job establishing that it’s an
educational environment and not
like a porn show or a performance.”

The next seminar is on Nov. 28
discussing anal play for women.

Amanda Kehner
WORKER AT THE ART
OF LOVING

New face of tattoos

Mainstream culture takes on unusual Ink art

Jordie Lunn, a professional mountain biker who has two tattoos on his face said he doesn't regret any y of the ink work

on his body. PHoTo COURTESY BY JORDIE LUNN

By TREVOR NAULT

nce the last frontier of

tattoo counterculture,

face tattoos appear to

be going mainstream,
according to a number of industry
insiders.

Face tattoos have become more
common in the media with rap-
pers like Lil Pump, Lil Xan and
Xan Frank, who has an ink portrait
of Anne Frank on his face. Fash-
ion magazine Allure declared it a
trend in 2015 after makeup artist
‘Tom Pecheux incorporated celestial
themed makeup in tattoo-like de-
signs on the model’s faces.

Tattoo artist, and owner of Am-
bassador Tattoo based in Calgary,
Dan Cameron said he has seen the
trend in Eastern Europe and it’s
gaining steam in North America.

“Especially with pop culture

and mainstream media exploit-

ing that type of thing,” Cameron
said. “You're seeing it a lot more,
so you're desensitized to it, so more
people are doing it.”

Brittany Horne, a tattoo artist
who describes herself as ‘the shop
mom? at Funhouse Tattoo in Van-

“You're seeing ita
lot more so you're
desensitized to it, so
more people are doing
it.”

— DAN CAMERON, TATTOO ARTIST
couver said she has seen the interest
in face tattoos increase.

“It seems like it’s an everyday
thing now, like it’s becoming so
much more accepted,” said Horne

who also sports a small black heart
inked under her right eye.

Jordie Lunn, a __ professional
mountain biker who has an all-see-
ing eye tattooed on his eyelid and
an ancient Viking symbol near his
left eye said he has no regrets.

“T have other tattoos elsewhere
that I'm not happy with visually,
that I will eventually have covered
with others, but I like the ones on
my face,” Lund said. “Tattoos are
so common now, and for the most
part, accepted.”

Michael David, manager at Gas-
town Tattoo Parlour, said although
face tattoos have grown popularity
not all shops are willing to tattoo
faces.

“A lot of shops still go by the old-
school rules that your hands and
neck and above are the last spots
that you get tattooed, only when
you've ran out of all other real es-
tate,” David said. “We don't want to
be the reason someone can't get a
job or something.”

Sober ravers now dancing to a different tune

Practising sobriety in a
field of drugs

By ALLISON HAYES

ore people are attending
raves sober according to
veterans of the scene.

Lucas James, manager of Van-
couver based record label Seeking
Blue said despite what people may
think happens at a rave, more ravers
are practising sobriety.

"A lot of our artists are totally so-
ber, that is definitely a side of the
scene I've seen pop up, especially in
the last year, that's really beautiful
to me,” said James. “If these kids
can come out, help each other, have
fun, [and] get home safely at night,
that's a beautiful thing.”

James has seen raves go from
intimate gatherings in the for-
est, camping with friends and a
couple of small speakers, to large
events like Nelson, B.C.’s Shamb-
hala Music Festival, which attracts
thousands of people every year for
electronic music and light shows.

He says because of the drugs and
alcohol that are involved in these
now large scale events, that that’s
all it becomes.

According to James, while large-
scale raves have become synony-
mous with drugs and alcohol, more
people are also supporting sober
raves.

“A lot of people [are] supporting
sobriety, completely clean,” James
said. “The music is your drug kind
of mindset.”

Emily Bernard, a culinary student

at Vancouver Community College
and active raver in the Vancouver
scene, said she encourages people
she meets at raves to test their drugs
for any unwanted substances.

“I practise consent and harm re-
duction at events by helping people
where I can,” Bernard said

“I personally don't do drugs but I
believe that people are going to do
them anyways and you should try to
help them do it safely.”

Kennedy MacEachern,a 21-year-
old hospitality worker also practic-
es sobriety when she attends raves
in Vancouver.

“Being sober is great,” MacEach-
ern said. “You remember every-
thing, you don't have to worry
about anything. You go home, sleep
well, and wake up in the morning,
repeat it all again."

Emily Bernard, a Vancouver based raver at the 2017 Paradiso Festival in
George, Washington . PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY BERNARD