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SuicideGirls is an
online community An online community, also called an internet community or web community, is a community whose members interact with each other primarily via the Internet. Members of the community usually share common interests. For many, online communities may fe ...
-based website that revolves around
pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...
photography sets of models known as the Suicide Girls. The website was founded in 2001 by Selena Mooney ("Missy Suicide") and Sean Suhl ("Spooky"). Most of the site is accessible only to paying members. It offers members access to images provided by models and photographers worldwide, as well as personal profiles, blogging platforms, and the option to join numerous groups based upon different interests. There is also an online merchandise store offering a range of clothing, books, and DVDs. Suicide Girls have appeared in a variety of media outlets including television shows and music videos. They have also been portrayed by actresses in others, such as the character Dani California on the TV show ''
Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word) ''Californication'' is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in ''Time'' on May 6, 1966 and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. ...
''.


History

In 2001, Mooney returned to
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
to study photography after working as director of technology at
Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entert ...
. Inspired by Bunny Yeager, Mooney began photographing her friends in the pinup style and wanted to create a website that featured her photographs as well as message boards and blog posts from the models. Mooney's friend Sean Suhl joined her and the two founded the website. SuicideGirls was originally based in Portland, but relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in 2003 to be closer to its distributor, label and publisher. That same year, 70 models from the website appeared in a music video for the band
Probot Probot was a heavy metal side project of ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist and lead-singer Dave Grohl. Described by Grohl as "a death metal ''Supernatural''", the album mixes instrumentals recorded by Grohl himself with variou ...
. Mooney has said that the site's purpose is to give women control over how their sexuality is depicted. The site is privately co-owned. According to Missy, the term "Suicide Girl" comes from
Chuck Palahniuk Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk (; born February 21, 1962) is an American freelance journalist and novelist who describes his work as transgressional fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two adul ...
's novel '' Survivor'' (1999), in which a character talks about masturbating to the troubles of young girls who look up to him: Missy also said the name describes girls who commit " social suicide" by breaking away from societal norms, and created the site "as a place to celebrate beautiful women who choose not to fit into the norm and as a corner of the where outsiders could congregate and be appreciated for being themselves". In September 2005, SuicideGirls announced that it would remove a large number of images from its pages in an effort to collaborate with the
U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
standards at the time. The images involved depicted bondage, weapons, or simulated blood. The Department of Justice indicated that images of that type might be the subject of
obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
prosecutions. Although SuicideGirls was not mentioned as a target, they removed the images until the furor passed. In January 2007, the images were made visible again. In 2006, some of the Suicide Girls were featured in the ''
CSI: NY ''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...
'' episode "Oedipus Hex". In 2015, it was reported that the website had 5 million monthly visitors, 51 percent of them female. SuicideGirls' 15th anniversary was celebrated at its Peek-A-Boo burlesque show, which is a regular act at Pour Vous nightclub in Los Angeles, and was featured on the website of ''
Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'' magazine. In 2017, SuicideGirls released a line of
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
vape pens and cartridges called Chill Hustle Zero.


Website features

The website is an online community, formed around pin-up photosets of Suicide Girls.


Photosets

Photosets are a collection of images ranging from fully clothed to fully nude that must share a theme or concept and take place in the same setting. Each photoset contains 40 to 60 images and is created by the model and photographer to portray images of "alternative" beauty, showcasing each model's ideas regarding her own beauty. As of May 2015, there were nearly 8 million images live on the site. Each day, a "Set of the Day" is bought and featured on the front page, marking official Suicide Girl status. The photographs are intended both as an homage to classic
pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...
art and a portrayal of alternative beauty. The site has staff photographers, but anyone can submit photosets. Actress
Paget Brewster Paget Valerie Brewster (, ; born March 10, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She was first recognized for her recurring role as Kathy on the fourth season of the NBC sitcom ''Friends''. Her breakthrough role came as FBI Supervisory Speci ...
has photographed models for the site, as have guitarist Dave Navarro and singer
Mike Doughty Michael Ross Doughty ( ; born June 10, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and author. He founded the band Soul Coughing in 1992, and as of '' The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns'' (2016), has released 18 studio albums, live albums, and ...
.


Other features

The members and the models all have the option to create a personal profile, keep journals, upload their own photos and videos, and join public and private groups. The site also features interviews conducted by members and a merchandise shop.


Media


Movies

SuicideGirls have released seven movies since 2005, all directed by Mike Marshall. * ''SuicideGirls: The First Tour'' was self-produced and released on August 30, 2005, by
Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...
. It chronicles the lives of 10 performers on the first North American
Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
Tour. * ''SuicideGirls: Italian Villa'' was released on October 24, 2006. It features interviews and photo shoots of 15 European Suicide Girls. * The horror film ''Suicide Girls Must Die!'', directed by Sawa Suicide, was released in certain theatres on March 12, 2010. It was released as
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
on July 16, 2010. * ''SuicideGirls: Guide to Living'' was released on DVD and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
on March 16, 2010, and features Suicide Girls putting erotic twists on otherwise everyday activities. * ''SuicideGirls: UK Holiday'' was released in September 2012 and is also available on both DVD and Blu-ray. It documents a weeklong stay in a converted mill in the UK countryside, featuring 30 Suicide Girls from across the globe. * ''SuicideGirls: Retrospective'' was released on November 3, 2012, and is a collection of videos from the previous decade. * ''SuicideGirls: Relaunch'' is the latest offering, released August 8, 2015. It chronicles the recent relaunch of the website, documenting Missy and her team's day-to-day operations of SuicideGirls. ''SuicideGirls: The First Tour'', ''SuicideGirls:'' ''Italian Villa'' and ''SuicideGirls: Relaunch'' all air on the US cable network
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
in regular rotations, since the years of their respective release dates.


Games

In May 2013, SuicideGirls came to an agreement with '' Akaneiro: Demon Hunters'' game developer
Spicy Horse Spicy Horse () was a Shanghai-based independent video game developer started by American McGee, Anthony Jacobson, and Adam Lang in 2007. It was announced on July 23, 2016 that the company is closing its doors to focus on smaller indie development. ...
to use likenesses of their models in a
freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...
browser, ''BigHead BASH''. Players can purchase premium content for 220 in-game tokens each, to unlock 5 characters in total. The models featured are Bob, Gogo, Milloux, Venom and Radeo.


Books

SuicideGirls have published four books since 2004, all featuring a variety of photos from the website and interviews with Suicide Girls. *''SuicideGirls'' (2004, Feral House) *''SuicideGirls: Beauty Redefined'' (2008, Ammo Books) *''SuicideGirls: Hard Girls, Soft Light'' (2013, Ammo Books) *''SuicideGirls: Geekology'' (2014, Ammo Books)


Comic books

SuicideGirls were featured in '' Hack/Slash'': Annual Vol. 1 in 2008, released by
Devil's Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...
. A SuicideGirls comic book miniseries was released in 2011 by
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
, containing four issues. The comic books feature pin-up drawings of actual SuicideGirls by artist
Cameron Stewart Cameron Stewart (born 1975) is a Canadian comic book creator. He first came to prominence when he collaborated as an illustrator with writer Grant Morrison, and he went on to illustrate ''Catwoman'' and co-write '' Batgirl''. He won Eisner and ...
, as well as a historical story by
Steve Niles Steve Niles (born June 21, 1965) is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as ''30 Days of Night'', '' Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery'', ''Simon Dark'', ''Mystery Society'', and '' Batman: Gotham County Line''. ...
. Shortly after, a German edition of the combined miniseries was released.


Magazines

SuicideGirls has published three issues of its magazine, otherwise known as the "periodical art book" or "pin-up anthology". Issues 1 and 2 were self-published in 2007 and the third issue was released in 2014 by Ammo Books. Issue 4 can be expected in 2016.


Live events


Blackheart Burlesque

The SuicideGirls Blackheart
Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
group first toured in 2003 and opened for
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
and
Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...
, before the tour was suspended for nearly a decade. The show returned in 2013 and toured across the US, Canada and Australia, selling out numerous shows in each country. The show also visited the UK and Chile. Its high-energy mix of classic and new burlesque dancing was choreographed by Manwe Sauls-Addison. The Blackheart Burlesque hosts a show of cult-classic numbers including performances based on ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' and ''
The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...
'' and pop culture references like ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'' and ''
Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
''. As of 2016, the show is hosted by Sunny Suicide and Katherine Suicide and features a changing lineup of dancers. The shows have an element of audience participation and guests are encouraged to take photos of the performers and share them on social media.


Ballroom Blitz

The SuicideGirls Ballroom Blitz is a monthly rock and metal club night in the UK, taking place at Camden's
Electric Ballroom The Electric Ballroom is a 1,500-capacity performance venue (primarily for rock bands) and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London, England. History The Electric Ballroom started as an Irish ballroom in the 1930 ...
. It boasts various stage performances including fire performance, pole dancing and classic burlesque, alongside cage dancing and rock, metal and alternative music. Performances come from UK Suicide Girls and Suicide Girl Hopefuls, guest DJs and guest acts from dance and fire performance groups.


Controversies


Censorship

In 2005, a number of the paid models were reported to have resigned from the site or had their memberships revoked in connection with allegations of censorship and mistreatment of the models by the site's owners. Many members reported that their journals and message board posts were removed because of bullying other members. This practice of deleting either objectionable content, disagreeable content, or membership altogether is called "zotting" by SuicideGirls staffers and is implemented by the site's owners when members slander or abuse other members.


Exclusivity agreement and lawsuits

A primary issue in the past has been SuicideGirls' modeling contract, which prevented its models (including past models, for a time) from working for competing sites or agencies (specifically those dealing in nude photography or
erotica Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use ...
). In response, SuicideGirls stated that only models "who have chosen to be involved in special projects" signed an exclusivity agreement in addition to their standard modeling contract barring them from working with direct competitors for a certain amount of time. SG replaced the contract with a model release in 2006. Many models have received mainstream modeling jobs from the exposure gained through SuicideGirls. Many of the models involved in the 2005 dispute are now involved with the competing sites GodsGirls and Deviant Nation. GodsGirls has been sued by SuicideGirls for hiring models who were allegedly still under contract with SuicideGirls and for allegedly violating SuicideGirls trademarks. Several former models were also threatened with legal action. In November 2006, SuicideGirls fired one of its main photographers, Philip Warner (aka Lithium Picnic) for acting as the primary photographer for the website of former SuicideGirl Apnea. The termination was followed in February 2007 by a lawsuit by SuicideGirls against Warner. According to a press release by Warner and Apnea, as of February 2007, none of SuicideGirls LLC's lawsuits or threatened actions against former models or competing sites resulted in victory for the plaintiff, but the legal expenses in the lawsuits have been costly and time-consuming for the defendants. In June 2008, Lithium Picnic and Apnea issued a press release stating, "We all sat down together and worked out an agreement that is really fair to everyone. ..We want to make it clear that we 100% have no hostilities towards SuicideGirls in any way anymore, we all came to a really fair agreement over this dispute, and there were no bad people here, just mistakes and misunderstandings."


Reselling photo sets of models to hardcore and pirate sites

In 2006, models discovered that SuicideGirls appeared to have begun reselling SG sets to sites models viewed as hardcore or pirate or at least not what they thought they were agreeing to.


Criticism by models

In a 2005 article, ''
The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' a ...
'' reported on former models' dissatisfaction with company practices. Models interviewed called SuicideGirls president Sean Suhl "verbally abusive" and an "active misogynist", and the site a "slap in the face to feminism". Other allegations surrounding the SuicideGirls' administration have appeared in a number of publications, including ''
New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hento ...
'' and ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' magazine. According to statistics released by the website, in July 2005 one model left, followed by 11 in August, 25 in September, and 11 in October. According to former models interviewed in a feature piece by
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...
's magazine ''Metro Active'', this was, in their opinion, due to the general homogenization of the site, "a process that alternative subcultures are unfortunately used to".


Job loss

Olivia Black, a recent addition to the crew of Las Vegas's Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, and thus the
History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
TV series ''
Pawn Stars ''Pawn Stars'' is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24 ...
'', was fired from the show on December 19, 2012, when her previous work as a Suicide Girl was revealed.


Richard Prince's appropriated images

In 2015, American artist
Richard Prince Richard Prince (born 1949) is an American painter and photographer. In the mid-1970s, Prince made drawings and painterly collages that he has since disowned. His image, ''Untitled (Cowboy)'', a rephotographing of a photograph by Sam Abell and ...
appropriated images from the SuicideGirls'
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, printed them on canvas, and added remarks into comment threads. The works were displayed at the
Frieze Art Fair Frieze Art Fair is an international contemporary art fair in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Frieze London takes place every October in London's Regent's Park. In the US, the fair ran on New York's Randall's Island from 2012–19 and in 2 ...
and one image sold for $90,000. In response, the SuicideGirls sold prints of the images for $90 apiece with the proceeds going to charity.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suicidegirls 2001 establishments in Oregon Alt porn American erotica and pornography websites American social networking websites Companies based in Los Angeles Culture of Portland, Oregon Internet properties established in 2001 Pornography in Los Angeles Pornography in Oregon