Celebrating the sex-positive power of the pussy

While the current “talk” about female sexuality may come off as sounding “sex-positive,” corporate media remains stuck in the era of Mad Men. Taboo topics remain taboo with sites such as OnlySky getting demonetized by their ad server for penning topics with a sex-positive message.

Case in point. On July 14, 2022, I posted a slide show from Naked Hearts PDX‘s sex-positive full moon bike ride co-hosted by Eleanor O’Brien to Instagram (cross-posted to my Facebook author page). Out of an overabundance of caution, I opened the slideshow with a picture of a beer I savored pre-ride. Then I followed with a series of pics I took at the start of the ride that would have garnered a PG rating by the MPAA. However, the Meta overlords decided I was too sleazy for social media, and served me with a temporary ban for displaying nudity and sexual content. 

While this was my first Facebook ban, O’Brien has faced multiple social media bans for publicizing her work as founder and artistic director of Dance Naked Creative. Even though Willamette Week named her Best of Portland, Meta continues to ban her work instead of highlighting her as a true sex-positive prophet of pussy worship. 

So I connected with O’Brien for a recent Zoom conversation about our respective social media bans, and how her work intends to change this current repressive dynamic. Despite the rise of the #metoo movement, TED talks, podcasts, books about vaginas, and other sex-positive expressions enhancing our awareness surrounding female sexuality, O’Brien finds the application of this newfound knowledge remains spotty at best. She points to her own experience in the sex-positive community, where she’s participated for over a decade. She can still count on one hand the number of times she felt her pussy was truly worshipped instead of having cunnilingus viewed as simply a precursor to intercourse. 

“Up until this point, I’ve only experienced a quantum shift with psychedelics, though I believe that having incredible sexual experiences could be as life-altering as psychedelics,” O’Brien muses.

So how do we move from talking about a sexual renaissance to incorporating these ideas into our lives as fully sexual beings?  

In O’Brien’s latest one-woman show, Plan V: The Joyful Cult of Pussy Worship, she seeks to make this quantum shift a reality by putting into the zeitgeist the notion that the pussy is sacred and worthy of worship.

This mental shift helps make space to honor the person, as well as the pussy. Also, the act of freeing up women’s pleasure also liberates men. By creating the mindset that pleasure is a gift, and that pussy is the source of life (as well as creativity, and erotic aliveness) and that everyone has an inner pussy, people of all genders can experience themselves as sexual beings worthy of pleasure.

– Eleanor O’Brien

Plan V opens in 2032, a time when the world is undergoing a Revulval, a sexual renaissance celebrating the fecundamentals of female pleasure. She frames the show as a meetup where a range of characters come together to share tales of pussy joy, as well as pussy grief. There are testimonials of pussy worship in a manner similar to a classic revival. The audience signals their approval by dinging their nipples. Everyone has the opportunity to share their takeaways, and hear tips and tricks from other participants. 

This summer, O’Brien will take Plan V from Portland to the UK where she’ll be performing at  The Vagina Museum in London, (July 29-30, 2022) and The Edinburgh Fringe (theSpaceTriplex), August 5-20, 2022 (no show August 14th).

Those interested in connecting with O’Brien’s work should consider becoming a member of her Patreon. Here, you can learn about the inner life of an artist while tapping into their own erotic creativity. In addition to invites to her shows, workshops, and participatory events like her ongoing erotic open mic Standup Smut, patrons can access fun perks such as Patreon-only parties and private videos.