tracymariebriar wrote:
WELL ITS AN ARTICLE AND I FEEL BAD THAT YOU MISSED OUT. DO PEOPLE READ ANYMORE WOW

The same person wrote this as wrote the opening barrage? Right.

tracymariebriar wrote:
WELL ITS AN ARTICLE AND I FEEL BAD THAT YOU MISSED OUT. DO PEOPLE READ ANYMORE WOW

Yes, people do read. I read your entire "Article" over my first cup of coffe this morning.

I was almost impressed with your monologue, until your computer/internet speak slipped into your writing..

My thoughts?? I havent had enough coffe yet to turn on my brain and think.

tracymariebriar wrote:
How often than not, are the beautiful women in the world solicited an opportunity to sell themselves?

It happens to every woman at some point.

tracymariebriar wrote:
At one backpedaling moment in women’s history one perverted man and one desperate woman birthed this massacre as we know it today.

A fairly myopic view of the situation...

tracymariebriar wrote:
Others say that if they felt they had a shot at a break, they would sleep with someone, “just onceâ€? for a chance at fame.

That's a personal, moral failing.  It's an attempt to "get rich quick" without paying any real dues.  Someone who ascribes to that mentality deserves to be screwed over on the "casting couch".

tracymariebriar wrote:
Attractive women can usually get what they want, and they know this.

This attitude is where the problem starts.

tracymariebriar wrote:
By using our sexuality, are we agreeing to sleep with men without even knowing it?

By "using their sexuality", women are creating the innuendo and inviting sexual advances.  Advertising sex attracts sex.

tracymariebriar wrote:
By using our generally submissive sexuality, women are empowering men; by putting them in control, and at this point its beyond just sexually it’s also control of our careers and sources of income, therefore indirectly controlling our lives.

Indirectly?

tracymariebriar wrote:
Honestly I like flirting. I like free drinks and getting out of tickets but I don’t want to sleep with everyone for them, then they aren’t free at all.

What's the difference between using your sexuality to "get free stuff" and hopping on the "casting couch"?  This kind of behavior is as much a part of the problem as the "desperate actress" who sleeps with a casting director.  Instead of a "part", you're looking for attention.

tracymariebriar wrote:
Excluding porn, sex and business don’t mix very well. Imagine the gossip if it got out, one can argue good publicity; however I object and say “skankâ€?.

You imply that women should be strong and not fall prey to the casting couch, then you want to advocate pornography?  You want to call another woman a "skank"?  Pick a position and stick with it!

tracymariebriar wrote:
Remember your auditions are like job interviews, IT’S NOT A DATE!!!

So, you dress like a hoochie when you go out on a date?

tracymariebriar wrote:
So once more, I attempt to save the raw chaffed and probably diseased vaginas out there. My work here is done now please go douche out the remaining crust of the last perve’s man chowder who promised to make you a star and hurry you don’t want to be late for acting class.

My guess is that you want this "article" taken seriously.  I'm sure you think your parting paragraph is "powerful" (and I'm sure someone here will agree with you.)  However, it's nasty.  Then again, you contradict yourself so often that it's hard for me to consider this "article" anything more than a rant.

tracymariebriar wrote:
The Casting Couch System.
By, Tracy Marie Briare
April, 27th, 2006


How often than not, are the beautiful women in the world solicited an opportunity to sell themselves? If sex really sells then why aren’t all the women in the world independent and millionaires? I suppose our prices are a little high and there’s always that hotter younger one who puts the rest of us out of work- kidding. The aspiring women who claim to be the next, (insert name of talented, sexy female star you compare yourself to here), it girl know exactly what I am taking about. It’s bizarre, sketchy, addicting and regretful; in Hollywood we call it the casting couch.  So, how many of us are actually sitting on that couch right now, and who knows about it?

At one backpedaling moment in women’s history one perverted man and one desperate woman birthed this massacre as we know it today. Why would this woman be so desperate, and who is this man to think its okay to cross the “professional lineâ€?? Sorry to be the bearer of reality ladies, but we did this to ourselves. Think about it, most women who get up early to get gorgeous are doing it for two people, other women, and men.  The alpha female in the pack competes with and opposing alpha female in a who’s sexier stare- down. The men pass by at the climax of the moment as we try even harder to impress them. Women want attention and want to be noticed, it’s in our DNA. If I wanted to dress for me, I’d wear no make up, comfy sweats and a tank top and probably not shave, gross I know, but if I had no one to impress, why bother? I swear, I think I have maintained my abs by shaving alone. The thing is, I do have people to impress and I have parts I need to be cast for. I’ll admit to flirting my way out of a ticket or two… okay … many, but how far is too far? Does sexy always equal sex? Surprisingly, many of the actresses I know have confessed to me that they have in fact slept with casting directors and will continue to do so, almost as if it were a strategy or something. Others say that if they felt they had a shot at a break, they would sleep with someone, “just onceâ€? for a chance at fame.  What happens if the one chance of fame falls through though? What will these women who say they might have sex for a break through role only once do, if a bigger more likely opportunity knocks?  Who knows they might even give it a go once more, then again and then next thing they know they become one of the actresses I know who do this on a regular basis. Well lets be honest a lot of movies and big budget pilots fall through or don’t even air, so much for a break. Perhaps this is why some very untalented women have their own shows, clothing lines, perfumes, and even record deals! I don’t feel it necessary to state any examples. The word is out more than ever now as even student film directors have adopted their own campus casting couches as well. Let’s just hope our young hopefuls “auditionsâ€? weren’t taped.

Attractive women can usually get what they want, and they know this. By using our sexuality, are we agreeing to sleep with men without even knowing it? Are we oozing out pheromones through our sheer low cut tops and mini skirts? In order to beat the casting couch system, women must understand it more. The word “casting couchâ€? is a euphemism for a universally recognized and frowned upon sociological phenomenon that solicits the trading of sex, in return for career advancement. The irony of the term is the “couchâ€? part. Couches are for sitting, relaxing, being low key at home usually, but are now offering versatile sexual gratifying career opportunities.  What will they think of next? The casting couch as we know it today developed slowly as women became more and more desperate for fame and fortune. One might be thinking how did it get out of control? By using our generally submissive sexuality, women are empowering men; by putting them in control, and at this point its beyond just sexually it’s also control of our careers and sources of income, therefore indirectly controlling our lives. What ever happened to just flashing the bouncer to get into the packed invite only club? There is even a problem with that strategy as well
If you give a horny man a foot, he will take a mile, as I always say. 

I have been situations where the competition was so fierce I felt like I’d do anything for the part. Although I can proudly say I have not slept with a casting director I have apparently given off vibes that I wanted to and have suffered the repercussions of my flirting habits. Sometimes the casting director(s) would “stop byâ€? to see how everything was going on set… awkward. Honestly I like flirting. I like free drinks and getting out of tickets but I don’t want to sleep with everyone for them, then they aren’t free at all. I feel that the casting couch is getting old, and perhaps Hollywood should develop a new scandal and give us talented girls a break, I mean come on ladies if your seriously casting your self like this all the time, maybe consider porn and get paid to have sex!
Excluding porn, sex and business don’t mix very well. Imagine the gossip if it got out, one can argue good publicity; however I object and say “skankâ€?.

I have started the evolution and the solution for casting couch propaganda. The root of the idea is brilliant. The thought of my knockers getting me a job is pretty empowering. It makes me feel like a woman but, do I have to show them? I say yes but, not full on frontal booby flashing is necessary. That would be the point of no return that pivotal moment when women go too far. I have a revolutionary flirting technique that can be used only when absolutely necessary. I say this because I am tired of the little whores who are trying to over through the Hollywood elite talented a-liters. I have a few secrets for all the women out there who are naturally flirty but honestly intend on keeping their pants on. Instead of wearing next to nothing at auditions, I often will decide to highlight one major attribute when contemplating my wardrobe options. It’s a constant battle between showing a reasonable amount of cleavage and enhancing my butt and legs, but not all at once. To state the obvious everyone and their mom is sick of midriff barring so don’t worry about that. Cliché to leave a little to the imagination I know, but in today’s society where everything is getting sexier its quite refreshing. Remember your auditions are like job interviews, IT’S NOT A DATE!!! If you’re at all like me you might describe your self as a flirty person, almost like your nice and perky and generally interested in what everyone has to say. Men always read that as flirting, always. If you must flirt do it only verbally, if you add come hither movement you’re giving off whore-ish vibes. I wouldn’t do more then cross my legs, which are like a visual lock meaning they are going to stay that way, closed. When verbally flirting, flirt in a slowly ascending manner or a consistent one. Flirting in an ascending manner is very advanced so let’s first review a consistent option. It can come off either as very friendly and easy going or fake and annoying. Fake and annoying consist of the constant over done and random compliments, including complementing a neck tie, their hair, the room, ect. Consistent compliments done properly consist of thanking them for their time and the opportunity, emphasizing your reactions to the script/role, and adding something personal as well like “ I think we would work great together you seem like the fun creative typeâ€?. It’s all in the tone and sincerity of your voice. Flirting in a ascending fashion consist of at first, being constant, but flirting only in increments slightly before in your introduction and slate between and after your reading and after their commentary. If your flirt levels jump so high after your reading you will come off desperate and skanky. When done precisely your ascending efforts come off as a stubble sweet personality trait. Brownie points if you can start an off topic conversation afterwards and make them laugh. When they review your tape they will remember you off camera and think of when u walked in and walked out. If you charmed them they will not only recognize the talent but also the easy going-ness, and easy to work with- ness, which is golden. The teasing girls who flirt viciously and don’t put out look insane and come off as desperate, easy and high maintenance, which no on will tolerate. When whores get ugly, they also become jobless in Hollywood, because by then most people probably know they are whores and look down on them for that. Again I don’t feel names are necessary. But if your talented and got into the industry honestly and eventually start to really need botox, you might still be working!

So once more, I attempt to save the raw chaffed and probably diseased vaginas out there. My work here is done now please go douche out the remaining crust of the last perve’s man chowder who promised to make you a star and hurry you don’t want to be late for acting class.

I need to buy an old casting couch. Just think what you would learn if you could make it talk.

tracymariebriar wrote:
So once more, I attempt to save the raw chaffed and probably diseased vaginas out there. My work here is done now please go douche out the remaining crust of the last perve’s man chowder who promised to make you a star and hurry you don’t want to be late for acting class.

You were doing pretty well until you decided to drag your polemic into the gutter, and it leaves a sour (and weak) ending-note.

So, what's your point? Are you the first person who's realized this? Were you, perhaps, intellectually asleep at the switch during the rise and fall of the feminist movement in the 70's and 80's? (edit: ah, I see, apparently you weren't even a smile on your daddy's face back then...)

People of both genders use any form of leverage they can identify, to maneuver and control situations to get what they want. Sometimes it's money, sometimes it's the position to control who gets a job (indirectly: money) and other times it's power, the threat of violence, or appeal to ego. That's the history of interpersonal relationships in a nutshell.

Thanks for taking the time to post this, it was mostly well-written and worth reading, but I don't think that it offered me any particularly profound insights, except for the euphemism "clam chowder." Thank goodness I already don't eat the stuff, or you'd have ruined it for me.

mjr.

John Carman wrote:
Anyone's free to disagree, but why all the scoffing, condescension and hostility?

It's a natural reaction to a piece of writing that's got its own share of scoffing, condescension, and hostility.

Of course, some of the best writing that's ever been done by humans has been scoffing, condescending, and hostile. So there's nothing wrong with that! But the purpose of the article appears to be to deliver a poke in the eye and get a reaction - nobody should be surprised if it does exactly that. In fact, given the topic and how she's approaching it, she should be happy if this article gets people's noses a bit out of joint. Because that appears to be her criterion for success, here.

John Carman wrote:
She's 18 years old and she's thinking and writing. That's. . . not. . . bad.

You've got that right! It's really great to see!

I'm always happy to see a young person with an opinion that they've formulated on their own, thought over, and can argue about - and this young lady is obviously not just regurgitating something that she heard on the Dr Phil show.

mjr.

Ched wrote:
I thought the products were makeup and clothes and accessories and off-road vehicles with Mercedes logos?

Why yes they are the products, but put those products on some old Hag or a Crack Whore and see if it sells????

I would love to see an ad for the New Nissan 350 convertable with an Eat up old Crack Whore behind the  wheel.

MMDesign wrote:

The same person wrote this as wrote the opening barrage? Right.

Are you implying it could be a plagiarized article?

Ched wrote:
I thought the products were makeup and clothes and accessories and off-road vehicles with Mercedes logos?

In commercial photography, yes.  In glamour, no.  Then the model (or the illusion of the availability of the model) is the product.

Adler Photographic wrote:
You write very well

Ty Simone wrote:
I will say this though, You have a great skill writing....

MichaelNicoletti wrote:
Very well written Tracy!

Marcus J. Ranum wrote:
it was mostly well-written

Are you people serious?  The thought process might (arguably) be commendable, but the writing is definitely not.  That's a C- essay in any legitmate English comp. class, but I'll bet she graduated high school writing like that and was told she was a good writer.  It's a crying shame that our schools turn out people who can't write and don't know it.  Please, if you don't want to tell them the truth, don't say anything at all.

tracymariebriar wrote:
So once more, I attempt to save the raw chaffed and probably diseased vaginas out there. My work here is done now please go douche out the remaining crust of the last perve’s man chowder who promised to make you a star and hurry you don’t want to be late for acting class.

Wow, ... I read it all! Yipee!
So now, ... who are we talking about?

Lapis wrote:
One time, a photographer tried to give me a backrub, and I turned around and said, "please tell me you are not going to play the cliche' of the horny photographer"

I was taught that the photographer should never touch the models....

Nothing to do with etiquette, respect or anything like that. Just so as not to get baby oil on his camera equipment

Lapis wrote:
One time, a photographer tried to give me a backrub, and I turned around and said, "please tell me you are not going to play the cliche' of the horny photographer"

I had a makeup artist once give me a shoulder rub after I took a fall during a shoot?  Does that make me a pervert?

Well...okay...I was a pervert before that, but I'm just asking.

Melvin Moten Jr wrote:

I had a makeup artist once give me a shoulder rub after I took a fall during a shoot?  Does that make me a pervert?

Well...okay...I was a pervert before that, but I'm just asking.

Eh...it is all pretty different if you have developed a personal relationship outside of shooting or if she wanted to give you a shoulder rub just because...lord knows that you weren't trying to 'take advantage' of her if my personal experience of shooting with you is in any way indicitive of how you are.

I had a photographer who physically adjusted my right arm for a pose the other day...and it didn't bother me at all...it is not the 'touching' that bothers me, it is the assumptions or reasons behind why people touch the models.

However, the OP is talking about sleeping with someone to get ahead, or people in positions of power 'taking advantage' of the models/actresses sexually with the 'promise' of advantages if aforementioned model/actress puts out. I think these things are ethically bad.

I don't think that having everybody in the industry freak out about touching is the issue. The truth is, most photographers are NOT going to try and take advantage of you, and even the ones that ARE open to sleeping with their models usually prefer it not be a coercive activity.

The worst photographer stories I have heard have been with established photographers who work with well known magazines and think that their power of publication means they can get away with whatever they want. These people are morally corrupt, and you can find them in ANY industry.

Unfortunately, there are morally corrupt models/actresses too, and they very well may deserve each other. I personally have made the choice to not regret not sleeping with people to get ahead. I don't think it would work for me anyway.

Lapis wrote:
I personally have made the choice to not regret not sleeping with people to get ahead. I don't think it would work for me anyway.

You never know until you try... I'll make you a star baby...

Ty Simone wrote:
Sounds like a hypocritical view of things... "I flirt to get out of tickets, but it's ok to act like I want to screw a cop when I need him to be nice, but I never had the intention of really doing it.........."

Then you complain when someone that can take advantage of a flirt really does?

Ditto what ty said!
You clearly state that you use your sexuality to get what you want, yet you are angry with other women that do the same. Which way do you want it?

John Carman wrote:
These situations exist. Tracy has gone to considerable time and trouble to pass along her thoughts about them. Anyone's free to disagree, but why all the scoffing, condescension and hostility? She's 18 years old and she's thinking and writing. That's. . . not. . . bad.

They do exist, but there is an old axiom, "write what you know." It sounds like she hasn't had enough contact with the world she is describing, so "the message is louder than the song."

Nothing wrong with trying, but better, again, to write what you know. I don't see evidence of interviews or empirical research or any kind of first hand information being presented. She makes claims of extrapolation but does not support them.

Ched wrote:
I thought the products were makeup and clothes and accessories and off-road vehicles with Mercedes logos?

Elite Imaging wrote:
Why yes they are the products, but put those products on some old Hag or a Crack Whore and see if it sells????

I would love to see an ad for the New Nissan 350 convertable with an Eat up old Crack Whore behind the  wheel.

It is an attempt to project a subconscious metaphor. The relationship is more complex than just "sex sells" (obviously with the crack whores being all bout some sex for crack).

Ched wrote:
I thought the products were makeup and clothes and accessories and off-road vehicles with Mercedes logos?

TXPhotog wrote:
In commercial photography, yes.  In glamour, no.  Then the model (or the illusion of the availability of the model) is the product.

Eew. Shouldn't glamour photogrtaphy be illegal then?