Working on yesterday's post, on bestiality-themed adult novel covers, had me pondering some sort of larger post on bestiality. Maybe I could address the seemingly 'co-ed' nature [PDF] of the desire for sex with animals? I'd seen Zoo and found that fairly interesting - in particular, the idea of a house or commune of sorts, dedicated to a sexual interest of near-universal disdain, was quite fascinating to me. Even the slow introduction of this taboo subject to the public imagination (gerbils in the butt, sheep jokes, Mr. Hands, Mr. Tombe, Mr. Spink) was worthy of attention.
The problem came soon after I began looking at links. I was forced to confront a basic, troubling fact: bestiality is something that, speaking personally, not only holds absolutely no sexual attraction for me, it actually squicks me out and gives me that peculiar, unpleasant sensation I rarely find anymore in my internet sex journeying.
Simply put, I was put off.
And this is difficult for me because I'd like to think I could get past any 'ickiness' and just examine the material without getting involved in it emotionally or in regards to my own tastes.
In an abstract way, I have no real problem with zoophilia; I can certainly imagine how an individual might find it pleasurable under the 'right circumstances' -- on a deserted island after a few lonely years, maybe -- but the reality of bestiality as a predilection, and all the things that go along with modern sexual interests - magazines, movies, toys, websites*, clubs, meet-ups... Seeing that, I find myself aghast. I am finally, it seems, square. I just can't deal with the nitty gritty details of the zoo world.
I do still find Bodil Joensen interesting though.
I guess she may represent a rare point of entry for a great many people into this normally-off-limits area - bestiality's only real cross-over star*, she had a certain picturesque beauty, a sordid life* in a rich zeitgeist and a tragic end; things combined which almost guarantee one some kind of infamy if not outright fame.
There isn't a great deal of information out there on Bodil's life; the best source available is Jack Stevenson's book "Fleshpot: Cinema's Sexual Myth Makers And Taboo Breakers" which features a chapter on both her life and her films.
From Stevenson's "Dead Famous: The Life And Movies Of Cinema's Most Exploited Figure, Bodil Joensen" --
A turning point in her young life came... when she had an enlightening conversation with a pervert/pederast who told her all about "men, animals and sex" - topics she had never heard about and that fascinated her. They just talked. The pervert never touched her. However, someone reported their meeting to Bodil's mother who called the police. They came and collared the pervert, searched him and found a bottle of chloroform which earned him a short prison sentence. Her mother beat her savagely when she got home from the police station, locking her away in the attic for several days and bringing food up to her. Assuming that she'd been assaulted, her mother judged her to be a vile slut who was not fit to dine with the family. Bodil reacted with shock followed by hysterical defiance. "I said to mama that when I grew up I'd fuck boars. I couldn't think of anything more naughty. She was so shocked that she thought I was allied with the devil."
After a period of near-respectability - when 1970's A Summer's Day famously won 'Grand Prix' at the first Wet Dream Film Festival - Bodil fell on hard times, became depressed, took up drinking, and survived thanks to, "a hectic routine of small scale live shows". By 1980, she had turned to prostitution and stated that, "in my position it is hard to turn down anything, no matter how disgusting... for me, staying alive in the hooking business is hell".
For a long time, what became of Bodil was a mystery. For many years, she was rumoured to have committed suicide some time in the 1980s; as part of his research however, Jack Stevenson was unable to discover any evidence as of mid-2005 of either her suicide or her death. The following year, the BBC presented "The Real Animal Farm" as part of its "Dark Side of Porn" series, and in this documentary a friend revealed that Joensen died of cirrhosis of the liver (brought on by alcoholism) in January of 1985.
Bodil has a grave in Denmark, which you can see here. She is buried beside her long-time partner Knud P. Andersen who died in 1997.
Interesting that bestiality is still legal in Denmark.
ReplyDeleteA tragic figure. While I agree that the idea of having sex with animals squicks me out, as you said (especially dogs--they eat their own poo for gawd's sake!) I can understand where this woman was coming from. She felt the animals were the only ones who understood her. What a tragic figure.
ReplyDeleteI also think there's a vast difference between someone like her and someone like the sick pervert who raped a poor cat (for real, the cat's name is Daisy, somehow she survived) Bodil wasn't hurting the animals. I think that's the most important thing.
Somehow it seems that in public opinion, pedophilia is considered to be "more normal" than zoophilia (or whatever the name for intercoursing with animals), maybe because it both humans in the first case.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if people pee, shit or vomit on each other and eat it, spank, bondage or slap each other or masturbate with whatever tools are nearby, if people have sex with dozens and dozens of varying sex partners, videotape it and circulate around the world, if teenagers send naked pics from themselves via Facebook and cellphone to their friends, if people have whatever of hundreds of weird fetishes to satisfy their lust... What is "normal" today anyway??
She was a beautiful woman who did not hurt animals (quite the contrary...). Ok, what she did was probably for financial gain only by the gratification of others but most of our jobs are just that, no? I go along with Facin A Croud (& Anonymous): I've seen a lot of sick things that our society judges legal, even if morally unacceptable by any standard. I wouldn't do what she did but I'm a coward. RIP Bodil+
ReplyDeleteWhat cemetary is she buried at?
ReplyDeleteThe only information I can find is that she is buried with Knud Andersen, "in a cemetery in Denmark".
ReplyDeleteI am not an animal rights nut or anything but there is a big problem with consent here. The reason we (mainly cross culturally and rightly) condemn things like paedophilia and necrophilia is because the so-called 'counterpart' of our desires is not capable of giving any kind of meaningful consent. I think the same basic problem of consent applies to human-animal sex. Its not about 'squeamishness' or repression, its about this : where there is no consent, there is no level playing field for pleasure, so it is pretty much always going to be wrong and nasty. Best to leave it alone if you cant speak meaningfully to what you are screwing. It is not a complex moral point. Dead bodies, children, and animals are incapable of meaningful CONSENT. And without consent what is going on is not really sex: it is unilateral abuse. I think that's about as far a liberalism can go. A line has to be draw somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThose animals cannot consent to her sexual contact with them, while tragic, Boil is an animal abuser and serial rapist. The trauma through which She put those animals is obscene. Especially in regards to neglect and outright ignorance. Really unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteNot quite. The animals do have several ways of showing their consent - at least those commonly starred in bestiality movies. They just can't do it the same way as humans - as well as they can't be sexually traumatized in the same way as humans Not all of them do, however, which is an entirely different matter and should be labeled abuse. In many cases physical as well as psychological. For example a dog trying to hump a human female should by any standards be considered consenting. At least from a dogs point of view, which should be the standard used to measure abuse in that particular case.
ReplyDeleteI'm not taking a stand for or against bestiality per se, but really. Try to apply some common sense even when in the midst of all that moral smog of yours.
Have only just come across and watched the Channel 4 documentary about this beautiful young woman treated so badly, abused and exploited by others that it completely decimated her life. The tragedy of her story affected me in a very profound way, only then did I realise today is the 30th anniversary of her death, is anyone else thinking of her today I wonder. R.I.P. Bodil.
ReplyDeleteHer Grave in "Hoejby Kirke "
ReplyDeleteBodil was a sick rapists, she did it becasue of revenge for his father raping her and mother beating her.. perhabs she should been raped to death.. it's clear the animals she's raping is hurt and don't want it.. they kept kicking and going away.. and she just shook it off with a cringy ass smile.. she should been raped to death before she made this sickening trend.. she was also drug addict and tried get money the easiest way.. endthe end died of disease because of drugs and animal rape.. she also became fat becasue3 she was greedy with food in the end.. all animals hated her.. she was a terrible and in the end ugly ape who abused our ancesters domestication purposes.. there's no excuse for such pehaviors.. she didn't care about others.. only her lust and revenge.. while the revenge can be understandable at times she was a cold-hearted creep rapist.. now the world could go extinct with Brucellosis, Q-fever and whatnot.. for the sake of money.. what horrible people out there..
ReplyDeleteHansen, you sound so hateful in your words of ‘she should have been raped to death’ and the like, that I think you are in denial. Someone with such harsh words and hate harbors a inner sick pull towards the thing it is bashing so brutally. Like the army dad in the movie ‘American Beauty’. He was always hitting and shouting at his son that he ‘didn’t raise no faggot’ and made it so crystal clear he was a gay hater. All along, deep inside, he was actually gay. That is what is going on with you, methinks. You are sick, and actually have a desire of some sort about beastiality. You won’t admit it to yourself even, cause you’re too scared to and ashamed. So instead you bash anything that has to do with the zoo fetish, and you bash it mercilessly with loathing and cruelty. You are so mean about it there is no doubt in my mind that psychologically, in the depths of your mind and soul, you are truly curious about it. I think it turns you on and you can’t help it. I think you like it and that freaks you out. Your hateful words expose you for what you really are. Curious and exited by the world of beastiality.
ReplyDelete