Sexy stories

Shannon:

This is not a sexy audience.

In the times when I'm going up to the edge

and telling something that has to do with that,

I always feel

really embarrassed for myself,

not because I'm a prude,

but because it feels like

this just ain’t the audience for that.

There are other shows that

are better for

that kind of material.

This was another statement of Shannon’s where I wanted to say, “I’m not sure that’s true.” But then I thought about it. Previous to this study, I’ve heard two stories at Carapace that had to do with kink - and both were about the tellers being uncomfortable with it. And then, not that it’s a sexy story, but it has to do with reproductive parts - For me, telling the menstrual cup story at Carapace was a big deal. It was a story I really didn’t think I could tell anywhere and I got such an amazing reaction from the audience. But I’ve been thinking about it. And I think part of the reason I got such a big reaction was because I was doing something unusual. A certain type of behavior becomes standard in a community. Other behaviors may be allowed, but they aren’t normal. I went outside the norms in an acceptable way when I told the menstrual cup story. Maybe the norm really is unsexy. Also, even just sitting in Manuel’s after Carapace, Shannon didn’t say that she was talking about sex stories or stories involving genitalia. She said it’s not a “sexy audience” and talked about times she has told stories that have to do with “that.” She extended Carapace norms, as she viewed them, to our interview setting.