SuicideGirls

SuicideGirls

URL	SuicideGirls.com
Commercial?	Yes
Type of site	softcore pin-up photos
Registration	Yes
Owner	Sean Suhl and Selena Mooney[1]
Launched	Late 2001

SuicideGirls is a website that features softcore pornography and text profiles of goth, punk and indie-styled young women (although styles reminiscent of the 1940s and '50s pin-up models are also incorporated) who are known as the "Suicide Girls". The site functions as an online community with member profiles, member blogs, message boards, chatrooms, and the option to join networking groups based upon interests. Suicidegirls also features interviews with people from popular and alternative culture, user-submitted news articles, and an online merchandise store. Access to most of the site requires a paid membership.

History

The SuicideGirls website and concept were created by the founding partners of parent company SG Services, Inc., Sean Suhl ("Sean") and Selena Mooney ("Missy Suicide") in late 2001, and based in Portland, Oregon.^[1] In 2003, the site operations moved to Los Angeles, California. Suhl and Mooney started the site "just to see hot punk rock girls naked." Mooney has also stated that the purpose of the site is to give women control over how their sexuality is depicted. The site is privately co-owned; in addition to Suhl and Mooney, co-owners include Steve Simitzis (server admin and SG user, "s5") and Simitzis's wife, Olivia Ball (former site programmer and Suicide Girl).^[2][3]

According to Moody, the term "suicide girl" comes from Fight Club author and Portland, Oregon resident Chuck Palahniuk, who wrote in his novel Survivor (1999): "It's the same with these suicide girls calling me up."^[4] As a trademark applied to the website and related merchandise and media, the term "SuicideGirls" is a single word, though this camel notation is often violated by external sources who split it into two words. The girls themselves are referred to as "Suicide Girls".^[5]

Website features

The website features a community created around the pin-up photos of the Suicide Girls. The members and the models all have the option to have a profile, keep journals, and upload their own photos and videos. There are message boards, public and private groups, and a chat room in which members can communicate with one another. There is a local feature in which members post their favorite local haunts, tattoo shops, and other businesses. Members in your area and regional groups are highlighted, and a calendar of events and map of your area are listed with the location of the previously mentioned businesses. The site features interviews and an ongoing newswire with celebrity columnists.

Photosets

The model Bullet, exhibiting the multiple piercings and tattoos characteristic of SuicideGirls.

The images are collected into "photosets" that contain 40–60 images that take place in the same setting or theme. Originally, only one photoset went live on the site per day, but this eventually increased to two or more every day. As of March 2008 there are nearly 1.9 million images live on the site. The photographs are intended both as an homage to classic pin-up art and a portrayal of alternative images of beauty. The SuicideGirls create the theme of each of their photosets, and each is designed to showcase how each girl feels most beautiful about themselves.

Another model, showcasing the less-heavily tattoed and pierced style of some SuicideGirls.

Actress Paget Brewster has photographed models for the site,^[6] as have guitarist Dave Navarro and singer Mike Doughty.^[7]

Models

As of March 2011 the website features over 2,100 Suicide Girls, each billed simply under a first name or one-word nickname. Most of the models have nontraditional appearance modifications such as colored hair, dreadlocks, piercings, more extreme body modifications, or tattoos. Images include professionally shot photos as well as self-written profiles and journal entries which they update as often as they see fit with their thoughts, snapshots, anecdotes, rants, and whatever else they wish to include. The girls themselves are involved directly with the community and interact in groups and on message boards. Members can send the models private messages as well. The site receives over 1,000 applications weekly from new models interested in becoming Suicide Girls.^{[citation needed]}

Online popularity

SuicideGirls has also been featured in press outlets including People Magazine Australia, Tattoo Girls Japan, MTV Italy, Arte French TV, and Emeequis magazine in Mexico.

Media coverage and spinoffs

Front cover of the 2004 SuicideGirls book, credited to photographer Missy Suicide. The cover model, "Mary", is one of the website's most popular^{[citation needed]} models.

Sam Doumit signing the Suicide Girls mag/book at San Diego ComicCon 2007. According to IMDB, she is the face of the Suicide Girls logo.^[8]

Positive reviews of the SuicideGirls site appeared in Rolling Stone, Wired, The New Yorker and other mainstream magazines. It was featured in a 2006 episode of the CBS program CSI: NY titled "Oedipus Hex" (guest-starring Missy Suicide),^[9] and also on HBO's Real Sex special, on ABC's Nightline, on the G4 series Icons, and on the Showtime series Californication. A number of Suicide Girls also appeared in the 2007 remake of The Wizard of Gore directed by Jeremy Kasten and starring Crispin Glover. The literary magazine Fence used a Suicide Girl for the cover of a recent issue. Rock musician Courtney Love has written what Willamette Week described as "rambling, stream-of-consciousness posts on the site."^[10] She also brought along three Suicide Girls (Emma, Robin and Ruby) during an appearance on MTV's "24 Hours of Love." Sixty-six Suicide Girls appeared in the PROBOT music video "Shake Your Blood". The Boston Phoenix did a two-part review of the site and its models. "The Naked Sorority"^[11] and "The Naked Sorority Part II"^[12] report on and discuss the girls themselves and the phenomenon.

Newswire and interviews

The SG newswire features daily columns, news items and feature interviews covering a diverse range of subjects, including politics, music, film, celebrity, gaming and technology, philosophy, love and relationships, spirituality, and food. Feature articles cover the world of arts and entertainment from underground niche artists to award winning filmmakers, directors, authors and recording artists. SG journalists go on location to movie sets, video shoots, press conferences, and cover festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, CMJ, SXSW, the Tribeca Film Festival, and ComicCon events around the nation. SG also has an embedded war reporter Michael J. Totten who publishes news, commentary and features from the Middle East on the SG newswire. The newswire provides a forum for the SG community to read up on areas of interest and discuss and share their own opinions about the material on the newswire message boards.

The newswire has featured celebrity columnists such as: Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up; Scott Ian, co-founder and guitarist for legendary metal band Anthrax; Wil Wheaton, Geek author and actor; Chris Gore, founder of Film Threat; Margaret Cho, actress and comedian; Jonathan Kesselman, director of The Hebrew Hammer; Rob Corddry, actor and former Daily Show correspondent; Warren Ellis, author of science fiction and super hero comics, novels and television; Martin Atkins, author and musician known for his work with post-punk and industrial bands such as Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke.

SG's feature interviews include both cult and high-profile talent such as: Lady Gaga; Kathy Griffin; Russell Simmons; Michelle Rodriguez; Ice Cube; Steven Adler; Marilyn Manson; Nikki Sixx; Travis Barker; Slash; David Mamet; Audrey Tautou; Benicio del Toro; Rob Zombie; Mike Patton; Maynard James Keenan; Dave Mustaine; Dita Von Teese; David Lynch; Otto von Schirach; Debbie Harry; Jhonen Vasquez; Maggie Gyllenhaal; Johnny Depp; Neil Gaiman; Woody Allen; Bill Murray; Natalie Portman; Christopher Walken; Emile Hirsch; Kate Nash; Del James; Nina Hartley; and David Belle.

SG also produces a weekly radio show on Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, broadcasting Sunday nights from 10pm to 12 am PST. The show has been on air for 6 years and Indie 103.1 was named the "Best Radio Station 2008" by Rolling Stone Magazine. On the show, Suicide Girls take phone calls, give advice, discuss current events and play music. Past phone-in and in-person guests on the show included Maynard James Keenan, Mindless Self Indulgence, Dave Navarro, Tom Green, the Melvins, Rob Corddry, Ron Jeremy and more. Past Radio Show guest interviews can be downloaded as podcasts from the website. Indie 103.1 is no longer broadcasting on air and is now a streaming-media station online.

Other celebrity members include:

• Scott Ian,^[13] Rhythm guitarist for Anthrax.
• Anthony Zuiker,^[14] CSI creator who included them in an episode ("Oedipus Hex") of CSI: NY that he wrote.
• Zia McCabe, keyboardist of The Dandy Warhols. Zia posed for one set for the site while heavily pregnant and this was the extent of her association / participation. Her profile remains public.
• Wil Wheaton,^[15] author and actor.
• Rob Corddry,^[16] former Daily Show correspondent.
• R. Stevens,^[17] author of the webcomic Diesel Sweeties.
• Hal Sparks,^[18] actor.
• Steve Isaacs,^[19] former MTV VJ, singer of The Panic Channel
• Dave Navarro,^[20] guitarist, of Jane's Addiction, formerly of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Panic Channel
• Jonathan Kesselman,^[21] director of The Hebrew Hammer
• Kevin James Maher, singer of Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
• Mike Doughty, singer of Soul Coughing
• Chris Gore,^[22] founder of Film Threat

Wheaton, Corddry and Isaacs are contributors to the SuicideGirls Newswire. Kesselman is a columnist.

DVD

Two DVDs have been produced under the name SuicideGirls. "SuicideGirls: The First Tour" released on August 30, 2005 by Epitaph records and "SuicideGirls: The Italian Villa" released on October 24, 2006. Both were directed by Mike Marshall. The films aired on the US Cable network Showtime in regular rotations beginning in October 2005 and November 2006 respectively. "SuicideGirls: The First Tour" chronicles the lives of 10 performers on the first North American Burlesque Tour produced by SuicideGirls, while "SuicideGirls: The Italian Villa" features interviews and photo shoots of 15 girls from European countries including, Italy, The UK, Finland, and Sweden. "SuicideGirls: Guide to Living" was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 16, 2010.

Movie

The horror film "Suicide Girls Must Die!" which was directed by Sawa Suicide was released in select theaters on March 12, 2010.^[23] The film was released as Video on Demand on 16 July 2010.^[24]

The Burlesque tour

The SuicideGirls have completed five North American headlining tours beginning in May 2003. They have performed at clubs such as: Emo's in Austin, TX; Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, and The Empty Bottle in Chicago. The SuicideGirls performed in the 2004 Download Festival, the 2004 Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK, and toured Australia from April to May 2005. The SuicideGirls Live show opened for Courtney Love on her 2004 West Coast tour. They also opened for the Guns n' Roses 2006 tour of the US and Canada playing stadiums of 15,000 people including the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, OR and the James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA. A television show documenting the tour, scheduled to air on VH1, is currently in pre-production.^[25]

Books

SuicideGirls have published two books.

The first book entitled "SuicideGirls" was originally published June 1, 2004. Published by Feral House. It is approximately 160 pages long and contains over 200 color digital photos that originally appeared on the website. The images were photographed by Missy Suicide and feature primarily the models from the west coast of the United States. Popular SuicideGirls model "Mary" had the SG logo digitally placed on her biceps to appear tattooed on for the cover of the book. ISBN 1932595031. The book received the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Award in Erotica.

The second book, "SuicideGirls: Beauty Redefined", was originally published December 1, 2008. Published by Ammo Books. It is described as "a 396 page hardcover tribute to the stunning SuicideGirls from around the world. The images are collected by region and represent the most beautiful nude images of the SuicideGirls from the past 8 years. This massive tome comes with a discreet black cover that would look good on any coffee table." All copies sold through the SuicideGirls website come signed by Missy Suicide.^[26]

Comic Books

Devil's Due Publishing featured Suicide Girls in Hack/Slash: Annual Vol. 1 in 2008. IDW Publishing published a four-issue Suicide Girls mini-series in 2011.

Magazines

SuicideGirls has published two issues of its magazine. The first, entitled "SuicideGirls: Papercuts", was published in March, 2007. The magazine is 72 pages long and contains collage-style images of models from the website, as well as 6 interviews that also originally appeared on the site:

• Rob Corddry
• Irvine Welsh
• Eli Roth
• David Cross
• Mister Cartoon
• Douglas Rushkoff

"SuicideGirls Magazine: No. 2" was published in July, 2007. This issue is 86 pages long and continues the collage-style format of the previous issue, along with interviews accompanied by illustrations of the interviewees:

• Tim Kern
• Zack Snyder
• Neil LaBute
• Terry Gilliam
• Chuck Palahnuik
• Tom Tykwer
• Kinky Friedman
• Larry Charles
• John Hodgeman
• David Mamet
• Maynard Keenan
• Zach Galifianakis

The magazine published shortly after the death of SG's star interviewer, Daniel Robert Epstein, was dedicated to him in a handwritten note from Missy Suicide in the back cover of the issue. Both issues were designed and art directed by Courtney Riot.

Controversies

Image removal

In September 2005, SuicideGirls announced^[27] that it had removed a large number of images from its pages, fearing scrutiny by the U.S. Justice Department. The images involved depicted bondage, knives or swords, or simulated blood. The Justice Department indicated that images of that type might be the subject of obscenity prosecutions, though SuicideGirls was not mentioned as a target. In January 2007, the "banned" images were made visible again.^[28]

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.^[29] Numerous members have reported that their journals and message board posts were removed because they criticized management. This practice of deleting either objectionable content, disagreeable content, or membership altogether is referred to by Suicide Girls staffers as "zotting".

Exclusivity agreement and lawsuits

A primary issue is the SuicideGirls modeling contract, which prevents its models (including past models, for a time) from working for competing sites or agencies (specifically those dealing in nude photography or erotica).^[30] In response to this, the SuicideGirls website states that only models "who have chosen to be involved in special projects" sign an exclusivity agreement in addition to their standard modeling contract barring them working with direct competitors for a certain amount of time.^[2] However, the standard modeling agreement for SuicideGirls includes a "Non-Competition" clause, barring any model that signs it from modeling for an "SG Competitor" during the one or more years in which the model is under contract with SuicideGirls, plus an additional two years.^[31] Many models, however, have received many mainstream modeling jobs from the exposure gained through SuicideGirls.^[32]

Many of the former models involved in the 2005 dispute are now involved with the competing sites GodsGirls and Deviant Nation. Deviant Nation was sued in civil court by SuicideGirls. Gods Girls have been sued by SuicideGirls LLC 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.^[30][33] In November 2006, SuicideGirls fired one of their 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.^[34][35][36] 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 has resulted in a victory for the plaintiff, however, the legal expenses in the lawsuits have been costly and time consuming for the defendants.^[34] 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."^[37]

Controversy regarding ownership

Critics have also charged that SuicideGirls has dishonestly claimed to be a women-owned and women-operated business,^[1] when it is actually co-owned by Sean Suhl, who is listed as Company President. According to business' filing with the Oregon State government, Sean Suhl is the only authorized representative listed for the company,^[38] which makes him the exclusive legal owner of the business. The "women-owned and women-operated" statement was also repeated in the CSI: NY episode. The DVD, SuicideGirls: The First Tour, implies ownership, creation, and control by Missy Suicide. No mention of Sean Suhl appears.

Criticism by models

A number of former models accuse SuicideGirls of failing to remain true to their signature feminist-friendly marketing. Many models, lured by suggestions of alternative sexual expression, are now concerned by what they consider indications that contradict professed ideas of empowerment.^[39]

In a feature piece released in 2005, alternative weekly publication The Boston Phoenix, reported on former models' dissatisfaction with company practices. Models interviewed referred to SuicideGirls president Sean Suhl as “verbally abusive” and an “active misogynist,” and described the website as a “slap in the face to feminism”.^[40]

In a transcript of a SuicideGirls hearing with rival site Godsgirls, Suhl's attorney refers to models facing inconvenience in attending a postponed audit as not "Nobel peace prize traveling women from around the world" but rather "strippers and nude models." To this he adds, "not being prejudice. Just being honest".^[41]

Other allegations surrounding the site's administration have appeared in a number of well established publications including New York Press and Wired magazine.^{[citation needed]}

According to statistics released by the website, in July 2005 one girl 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's magazine Metro Active, this is part of the general homogenization of the site, "a process that alternative subcultures are unfortunately used to".^[42]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Koht, Peter. "Obscene But Not Heard", Metroactive, January 4, 2006
2. ^ ^{a b} SuicideGirls. "The Trash Can". http://suicidegirls.com/trash/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
3. ^ "About SuicideGirls", Suicidegirls.com.
4. ^ Missy Suicide: SuicideGirls Feral House, 2004 ISBN 1932595031 S. 8
5. ^ SuicideGirls. "Who are the suicide girls?". http://suicidegirls.com/girls/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
6. ^ Paget Brewster’s ''Criminal'' past | Paget Brewster | Television News | TV | Entertainment Weekly
7. ^ http://suicidegirls.com/albums/girls/celeb/
8. ^ Sam Doumit biography @ IMDB
9. ^ CBS. "Oedipus Hex". Archived from the original on 2007-04-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070404120019/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_ny/episodes/305/. Retrieved 2007-04-19. 
10. ^ "The Calculated Assault of Suicidegirls.com" by Amy Roe, Willamette Week, March 19, 2003.
11. ^ http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid10799.aspx
12. ^ http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid11439.aspx
13. ^ SuicideGirls. "Ian". http://suicidegirls.com/members/Scott_Ian/. Retrieved 2007-11-16. 
14. ^ SuicideGirls. "Zuiker". http://suicidegirls.com/members/Zuiker/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
15. ^ SuicideGirls. "Wil Wheaton". http://suicidegirls.com/members/WilWheaton/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
16. ^ SuicideGirls. "Rob Corddry". http://suicidegirls.com/members/Rob_Corddry/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
17. ^ SuicideGirls. "RStevens". http://suicidegirls.com/members/RStevens/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
18. ^ SuicideGirls. "Halsparks". http://suicidegirls.com/members/Halsparks/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
19. ^ SuicideGirls. "SteveIsaacs". http://suicidegirls.com/members/SteveIsaacs/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
20. ^ SuicideGirls. "DaveNavarro". http://suicidegirls.com/members/DN6767/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
21. ^ SuicideGirls. "Jon_Kesselman". http://suicidegirls.com/members/Jon_Kesselman/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
22. ^ SuicideGirls > Members > Chris_Gore
23. ^ Suicide Girls Must Die! in Theaters on March 12th
24. ^ Suicide Girls Must Die on VOD
25. ^ http://suicidegirlsblog.com/blog/fsuicidegirls-casting-for-new-sgvh1-reality-burlesque-show/
26. ^ Amazon Customer Reviews
27. ^ SuicideGirls. "SG Removing Pictures, You Can Thank Bush". http://suicidegirls.com/boards/Everything+SG/81705/page1/. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
28. ^ SuicideGirls. "*cough* candyass *cough*". http://suicidegirls.com/boards/Everything+SG/108589/. Retrieved 2007-02-01. 
29. ^ "SuicideGirls Gone AWOL" by Randy Dotinga, Wired September 28, 2005.
30. ^ ^{a b} "Suicide Defense" by Ian Demsky, Willamette Week, January 11, 2006.
31. ^ SuicideGirls. "Model_Agreement". http://suicidegirls.com/img/Model_Agreement.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-14. 
32. ^ SuicideGirls. "model testimonial". http://suicidegirls.com/press/trash/testimonials/#twwly. Retrieved 2007-04-19. 
33. ^ "Suicide Girls Gone Mad" by Esther Haynes, Jane
34. ^ ^{a b} "Lithium Picnic Legal Fund" by Apneatic, Lithium Picnic LiveJournal Community, February 13, 2007.
35. ^ "SuicideGirls vs. Lithium Picnic", Fleshbot, February 16, 2007.
36. ^ "SuicideGirls Sues Lithium Picnic Photographer Philip Warner" by Justin Bourne, AVN Online, June 15, 2007.
37. ^ http://www.lithiumpicnic.com/
38. ^ "Business Registry Business Name Search"
39. ^ Suicide Girls' exodus – The F-Word
40. ^ News & Features | SuicideGirls revolt
41. ^ http://www.mediafire.com/?djydgger491
42. ^ News & Culture in Silicon Valley | Suicide Girls

External links

• SuicideGirls.com – Official website
• MySpace – MySpace page
• Virb – SuicideGirls on Virb
• Flickr – SuicideGirls on Flickr

Critics

• SuicideGirlX (Archived at Wayback Machine)
• sgirls: ex-Suicide Girls LiveJournal community

Articles

• SuicideGirls: Press Clippings
• "AMERICAN GOtH: SuicideGirls.com Reveals More Than Skin" by Rebecca Gray, AVN Online, December 1, 2001.
• "Profit in a tangled web" by Jim Redden, Portland Tribune, April 2, 2002. (Archived at Internet Archive)
• "Alt.XXX: Sub-Pop Porn", SexTV, November 9, 2002. (Links to RealPlayer video) Warning: contains nudity
• "Sex, Dreads, and Rock 'n' Roll" by Annie Tomlin, Bitch, December, 2002.
• "Live Nude Punks" by Julia Gaynor, Los Angeles CityBeat, September 18, 2003.
• "Suicide Is Painless: How Two Mainstream Dot-Com Burnouts Turned an Art Project into an Empire" by Erik McFarland, AVN Online, May 1, 2004.
• "SuicideGirls revolt" by Deirdre Fulton, Portland Phoenix, October 7, 2005.
• "Pinup or Shut Up" by José Ralat Maldonado, New York Press, October 8, 2005.
• "Obscene But Not Heard" by Peter Koht, Metroactive, January 4, 2006.
• “A Suicide Girl’s Stories at The PSFK Conference Los Angeles” by Jeff Squires, December 13, 2007
• “Suicide Girls – cultural shock from Los Angeles” by Denis Kovalev, Sgustok Magazine, September 2, 2008