Peep show
A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot.
Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the cinema in 1895,
In contemporary use, a peep show is a piecewise presentation of pornographic films or a live sex show which is viewed through a viewing slot, which shuts after the time paid for has expired. The viewing slots can be operated by a money box device, or paid for at a counter.
Pornographic peep shows became popular in the 1970s as part of the developing pornography industry. Until home video became widespread, peep shows made up a major part of the way in which video pornography was accessed. In 1986 a US Presidential report into pornography said that peep shows were making significant earnings which were often undeclared or untaxed, and in some US locations peep shows were subsequently suppressed.[1]
For live peep shows, booths can surround a stage upon which usually a female performer performs a
California
Research on peep show establishments in California
Regal Show World
Regal Show World was an
The business was owned by Bijou Group, Inc., a
Lusty Lady
The former
Nevada
In Las Vegas in the early 1990s, city authorities began to move peep shows and other sexually oriented businesses away from the city centre. The last peep show in Las Vegas closed in 2019.[1]
New York
Times Square in New York was famous for its peep shows up until the 1990s. Female performers would stand undressed on a small semicircular or circular stage surrounded by individual booths. By inserting a token into a machine, a patron could open the opaque partitions separating them from the stage. He could then choose a performer and, for the payment of a small tip, summon her and fondle her sexually or ask her to perform sex acts on him. After taking office as mayor in 1994, Rudy Giuliani waged a legal battle to shut down the Times Square peep shows. Following a major legal decision in Giuliani's favor in 1998, the peep shows mostly closed.[14]
Washington
The former Lusty Lady peep show in Seattle, Washington, was, unlike its namesake in San Francisco, not unionized. Similar to the Lusty Lady in San Francisco, however, the Seattle peep show was deemed an iconic local landmark by the time it finally closed in 2010. Its closing was attributed to being unable to compete with pornography on the Internet.[15]
In popular culture
American singer Madonna plays a peep show dancer on the video for her song, Open Your Heart.[16]
See also
References
- ^ a b Kelly-Leigh Cooper (28 September 2019). "Showgirl Video: The last peep show in Las Vegas". BBC News.
- ^ Jon Griffin Donlon, "Peep Shows," St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. According to Dr. Elliot Chiu, "At first, small booths with a seat, a lock, and a roll of paper towels were made available for individual viewing of 8 or 16 mm stag loops or for access to a usually circular 'stage' with living performers."
- ^ Daniel Linz, Bryant Paul, and Mike Z. Yao, "Peep show establishments, police activity, public place, and time: A study of secondary effects in San Diego, California", The Journal of Sex Research, May 1, 2006.
- ^ Richard McCleary and James W. Meeker, "Do peep shows 'cause' crime?", The Journal of Sex Research, May 1, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Exotic Dancer's Alliance - Winter 1997–1998". Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ a b Lilmissnever (2007). "Live Nerd Girls". Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2015 – via LiveJournal.
- ISBN 978-1-137-01123-7.
- ^ "Spectator. The Voice of Erotic San Francisco Vol. 33, No. 1; Issue 834, September 23-29". Alta-glamour.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "Bijou Group Inc". Manta.com. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Bijou Group Inc". Findthecompany.com. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Erotic Dancers Receive Cash Judgments for Wages in Oregon and San Francisco; Mitchell Brothers Next?". November 17, 1995. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-4128-3142-0.
- NBC Bay Area. NBC. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-932-59528-4.
- National Public Radio. NPR. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "The Making of Madonna's 20 Greatest Videos – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23.
Further reading
- Dank, B.B.M.; Roberto Refinetti, P.D. The Politics of Sexuality. Sexuality and Culture. Transaction Publishers. pp. 41–43. ISBN 978-1-4128-3142-0.
- Blee, K.M.; Twine, F.W. (2001). Feminism and Antiracism: International Struggles for Justice. NYU Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-8147-9855-3.
Regal Show World
- "E.D.A. GENERAL INFORMATION - Summer-Fall 1997". Issue #9. Exotic Dancer's Alliance. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- "Southern Poetry Review". Volumes 37-38. Southern Poetry Review. 1998. p. 69.
External links
- The Peep Show and Toy Theatre (many museum pieces)
- The Sunday Times Article about a sex workers co-op at Soho UK peep show, July 14, 1985
- Ashley West (June 29, 2014). "Marty Hodas: King of the Peeps" (audio interview). The Rialto Report.