Sandwiched between political biographies on her mother’s shelf, Madonna’s erotic book Sex was quite the discovery for Oh Comely’s Rosanna Durham – not least for its stark aluminium cover. I have my mother to thank for introducing me to Madonna's 1992 book Sex. It's not like she handed me a copy of this artfully produced volume of soft-core porn: she was a Madge fan and snooping around the house one day, I found it on her bookshelf. It was shelved alongside political biographies – Pitt, Churchill, Blair, Madonna – and I'm still left wondering as to the deliberateness of its placement.
Either way, Sex had one of the most memorable covers I encountered as a young adolescent, this being a kid whose reading material variously ranged from Tintin to Margaret Atwood.
And, so, the cover: two spiral-bound sheets of aluminium and the word SEX hammered in the centre. On the back was an emoticon: (X). Each a warning or an invitation, depending on your level of prudishness. As for myself, I didn't hesitate. I still remember the cold metal of the over-sized book as I took it off the shelf. Inside was a theme park of adulthood, with Madonna as the star attraction.
Yes, it was an awakening – a sexual one, sure – but it also marked a radical challenge to all the books I'd encountered, ever. Riffing on punk, rock and zines it presented sex shamelessly, gratuitously, artistically. It was an abrasive self-portrait of female desire; a statement about sexual openness, a great big “fuck you” to the heteronormative establishment. It’s a book I’ve not forgotten.
Sex
Published in 1992 by Warner Books, this erotic coffee table book featured photography by Steven Meisel Studio and was largely shot in New York and Miami. Written by Madonna in character as Mistress Dita, it features Madge artistically slinking about hotels, burlesque theatres and the city street semi-clad. If you look carefully you can also spot cameos form Naomi Campbell, Vanilla Ice and gay porn star Joey Stefano. Selling more than 150,000 copied on its first day of release, it has now become one of the most sought-after out-of-print books ever published.
Oh Comely
Coined after the Neutral Milk Hotel song of the same name, this bimonthly alternative women’s magazine is dedicated to creativity and storytelling. Ranging in scope from interviews with film-maker extraordinaire Michel Gondry to how-to guides to making your own macramé pot hangers (with a touch of irony no doubt), the magazine really led the vanguard in independent magazines that prioritise wellbeing and slow living (think the slow food and slow tourism movements). Just like its content, the magazine’s design is thoughtful, well-paced and whimsical, thanks to the hand of art director Rosanna Durham.