Adult (magazine)

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Adult
Adult (magazine) of "new erotics".png
Adult Magazine No. 1 Paperback
December 1, 2013
Editor-in-chief Sarah Nicole Prickett
Creative director Berkeley Poole
Founded2013
First issueDecember 1, 2013;10 years ago (2013-12-01)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Website adult-mag.tumblr.com

Adult is a magazine of "new erotics" [1] launched in November 2013 [2] by editor-in-chief Sarah Nicole Prickett, creative director Berkeley Poole, publisher Noah Wunsch, and photo editor Jai Lennard. [3] Lauren Festa later joined as assistant editor, as well as Cheyenne Skeete as editorial intern. [4]

Adult is a biannual print magazine that blends art, erotica, and culture. It positions itself as a high-brow publication exploring sexuality through a feminist and intellectual lens. It combines essays, fiction, interviews, and visual art that delve into themes like desire, intimacy, and the human body, challenging traditional taboos surrounding adult content.

Unlike mainstream adult magazines, Adult is known for its sophisticated, aesthetic-driven approach to erotic material, often appealing to a more artistic, literate audience. It focuses on sexuality not just as titillation but as a broader commentary on relationships, identity, and culture. Its contributors include writers, artists, and photographers, often with backgrounds in fashion, literature, and contemporary art. The magazine aims to push boundaries of erotic discourse in a thoughtful, provocative manner.

Writing in New York Magazine , Molly Fischer described the first issue as having a "spirit of exuberant debauchery." [5] In The Daily Beast , Erin Cunningham said the magazine's "strong literary presence, combined with artistic photography, allows Adult to be so much more than the conventional idea of erotica." Other critics questioned whether the magazine really represented a departure from prior forms; at The New Republic , Diane Mehta wrote of Adult's first issue that "the most surprising thing about it is just how traditionally masculine its view of female sexuality is." [6] Prickett acknowledged this, telling New York Magazine , "I'm just going to be really honest with you — if you look at the photos in the first magazine, there's nothing shocking. There's nothing really that you haven't seen before...What's actually in this magazine — the photos that I would call more conservative — are the photos that the guys liked"; going forward, however, Prickett said she and Poole would have more visual creative control, with plans to include more photographs of men as well as greater size diversity among models depicted. [5] Poole and Prickett have subsequently run the magazine. [7]

Originally only available in print, Adult debuted a website in April 2014. Writing for Flavorwire , Elisabeth Donnelly said the site's "sensual, intellectual take on sexuality fills a gap in the erotic life online...It feels — forgive me — millennial, with a joyful, everybody-in-the-pool take on sexuality. [8] [9]

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References

  1. Cunningham, Erin (20 November 2013). "Adult Magazine: The New Female Erotica". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  2. Ramírez, Noelia (7 November 2013). "Erótica para sibaritas | S Moda EL PAÍS". El País (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  3. Beddie, Alainna Lexie (October 28, 2013). "Bookshelf | An Erotic Magazine for Voyeurs and Literati Alike". T Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  4. Barna, Ben (November 5, 2013). "The Ins and Outs Starting Your Own Erotic Magazine - Bullett Media". Bullett Media. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  5. 1 2 Fischer, Molly (30 October 2013). "Adult Mag: Boobs, But From a Female Perspective". The Cut. New York Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  6. Mehta, Diane (9 December 2013). "New Feminist Erotic Women's Lit Is Not as Subversive As It Thinks". New Republic. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  7. Sanders, Courtney (7 August 2014). "Sarah Nicole Prickett talks starting 'Adult' magazine, and why Men should be afraid of Girls". Catalogue Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  8. "Adult Magazine". Erotic Sex. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  9. Donnelly, Elisabeth (2 April 2014). "'Adult' Magazine's Website Offers "New Erotics" From a Millennial Point of View". Flavorwire. Retrieved 4 March 2017.