Box: Making Sex Interesting Again.

March 29th, 2007 Posted by V

I am going to admit a little personal secret here. I rarely ever read the content in magazines. I’d say out of each publication I pick up, I read one or two articles. Maybe it’s because i’m a visual junkie. Or maybe it’s because I get so excitable that I can’t focus my attention (yes, I know this is called ADD). However, every once in awhile I come across a magazine that beats the odds, and I read it cover to cover. Meet Box.

According to their site BOX is: the convergence of sex, fashion, and culture. Its mission is to challenge the schizophrenic nature of the current sexual climate by selecting models, photographers and themes that redefine the current standard of beauty and sexuality. Box exposes readers to features that appeal to a variety of sexual tastes. The magazine approaches the adult market with a luxury outlook. Imaginative and complex photography, conscious design and clever editorial features set Box apart from contemporary pornography. Box presents sex in its natural state, seamlessly integrated into our culture and daily lives without judgment or shame.

I usually tend to favor high-end publications. Perhaps this is because they suggest a world I am most certainly not a part of. They allow me to aspire to something greater for myself. Box is the opposite. It does not have a long history. It is nice looking, but Neville Brody did not design it. It’s not even published in NYC. It is completely approachable and reads like a project created amongst a group of friends. Regardless of intention, it makes the topic often tight-lipped topic of sex welcoming to all.

This particular issue dealt with the topic of Work, and barring the odd inclusion of the prequisite article on Lady Sov., all the content was 100% on-point with the concept. Artist Keith Boadwee, whom you may remember as the paint enema spewing Jackson Pollack, is profiled.

Dian Hanson—one time pornographer, turned magazine publisher, turned Taschen book editor—is featured in a 7-pg. article profiling her career. Her intelligence, business-savvy and drive bring to mind Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

Box also featured several stories from the American working class. Personal anecdotes of life on the job as a Telephone Surveyor, Food Scientist and Emergency Responder. Hearing other’s experiences from the outside reminds me that life is a series of vignettes and to never take one moment too seriously.

And finally, Box gave us a peek into rise and fall of gay photography house AMG (Athletic Model’s Guild). As with Hanson’s article it brought to light the glaring differences in sexual preferences as modern society continues to advance. AMG Founder Bob Mizer dies alone, much of his best work never coming to light, because society’s growing preference for the increasing hardcore has pushed into the shadows. Box paints a rightfully sad portrait, but fails to mention we would have no Jean-Paul Gaultier or David LaChapelle without Mizer. Mizer’s work lives on in the modern incarnations of some of our most brilliant creative minds today.

Box Magazine is everything sex should be—approachable, conversational, sexy and sometimes even intellectual.

Tagged: amg, bob mizer, box magazine, dian hason, gay, keith boadwee, porn, sex, softcore, taschen