Well I can’t say I ever thought I’d witness labiaplasty. How’s that for an opener?
We live in an age where sex saturates our lives and is glorified everywhere we look. In the digital era, it’s become even easier for sex to be shared; porn has gone mobile and content standards have loosened in the film, music, fashion and advertising industries. So imagine what it must be like for women in the world when there is pressure from all around to look like a porn star, not be prude, and dress like a “slut.” This is what the documentary Sex Baby is about.
Directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus, Sexy Baby takes us into the lives of three unconnected women in three completely different worlds. First is Winnifred, an intelligent 12 year old girl who doesn’t see the point of sexiness, but as she turns 13 she begins to embrace the idea. Though she eventually realizes that she can’t change the world by being sexy, she can’t stop herself from posting provocative pictures online. The second subject is Laura, a 22 year old, smokin’ hot assistant kindergarten teacher who desperately wants labiaplasty. She feels that she will regain confidence and that it will change her life forever. The final subject is Nakita Kash, aka Nichole, a former porn star who now teaches poll dancing and runs an adult entertainment business on the side. Her story is about the transition from being Nakita Kash to just being normal Nichole again. We learn about her marriage and their attempt to have a kid as she tries to separate her former porn life from her regular life.
To many different people, Sexy Baby will be an eye opening experience. As a 23 year old, my generation essentially kicked off the sexualized digital age when the internet exploded in the 90s, and since then things have taken a rather radical turn. I personally wasn’t surprised by the issues Winnifred was dealing with, nor was I that shocked to hear her five year old sister singing “Teach Me How to Dougie,” F bombs and all. If anything, it just made me disappointed that youngsters are losing their innocence at an even younger age and how difficult it is to block out the sex and foul language.
What’s fascinating is that the film is chock full of some crazy revelations. First off, you see a labiaplasty. And for those who don’t know what that is, a doctor trims the curtains on a vagina so to speak. Secondly, you know how much the world has changed when there are guys who have never seen pubic hair on a woman, something clearly a result of pornos. One final crazy revelation is that it’s almost impossible to slow the pace of sexual information to your children no matter how hard you try.
There were two aspects of the film that I wasn’t a fan of. The first was how choppy the film was. I think the way the story was presented could have been better with the footage they had. The editing wasn’t that great and helped e
xpose my second issue, which was how unbalanced the storytelling felt. A majority of the film focuses on Winnifred and Nichole, and while they might be the more important subjects, I don’t feel enough time was given to Laura. Her story was told well but I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that something was missing.
After seeing Sexy Baby I’m actually very curious to see what this film would be like from a guy’s perspective. Women have become sex objects and this documentary shows how deeply rooted it’s become in our society, but I can’t help but wonder if guys’ perspectives have changed that much or if it’s just a lot easier to see now that everything is digital and information spreads faster.
Overall, Sexy Baby is an intriguing film for anyone who has grown up in the digital age. Its aim is to show audiences the type of pressure placed on women in today’s sexualized society and since talking heads aren’t used in the film we are given a much more honest look at the way porn and social media are affecting the youth of America. Though blunt and explicit, Sexy Baby explores a topic that everyone’s ware of just are unsure how to deal with it. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more documentaries like this as time goes on.
Rating: Intriguing, explicit and occasionally eye opening but there’s definitely room for improvement (6/10)
Sexy Baby is screening on the following days during the festival:
Friday, April 20th at 7:00 pm at the AMC Loews Village 7 – 2
Monday, April 23rd at 3:00 pm at the Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 7
Friday, April 20th at 8:30 pm at the Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 4
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