A tease, a flash, a hint. The delicate curvature of a breast, a wisp of hair grazing another’s thigh; back arched, hips raised, lips pursed ever so slightly and poised with promise. The interplay of shadow and light scarcely veiling a silhouette for which appreciation never wavers.
The female form, with its curves, lines, dips, gentle slopes…soft, supple, and strong. No matter the shape or the size, there is nothing sexier than owning your body. And sometimes what is not shown is even more provocative than what is.
Photographer Patience Meeks is here to prolong these visualizations for you each and every day with a queer calendar that celebrates sexual expression. Read on to learn more about the impetus behind her tasteful erotica, which will make you wish there were more than 12 months in a year.
Angelique: On the website, you only briefly mention how the idea for the Q-we’re calendar came about. We’d love to hear the whole story.
Patience: The idea for the calendar came about when I was with my former partner. We were watching late night, infomercial porn in bed, in France, which is pretty much all you can watch at that hour. We’d been watching the same infomercial for the span of about two weeks and there was this guy who was creating this calendar…more like a book, really. And we thought, ‘God, his photography’s really kind of shitty,’ but he was working for Playboy, and we thought about the ways he could expound on what he already had and do different things. After weeks of watching the same thing over and over, we then thought that we could do it better. A few years later after going back and forth, Q-we’re was created.
A: Why the name?
P: We decided to call the calendar Q-we’re because I got the people for the calendar kind of randomly. I go out to bars all the time, I’m very out on the scene in Chicago, so anytime I saw somebody who was hot, I asked them if they would…
A: Hold up, you didn’t ask me!
P: Angelique, would you like to do the Q-we’re…
A: Too late, too late. Anyway, go on.
P: I actually just got the word out there by asking random people – some of them I knew, some of them I did not know…some recommendations. Then we had a meeting, we all got together because I wanted everyone to know each other and get familiar and to discuss how they could contribute to the calendar other than simply posing. And we talked about the word “lesbian,” because I really wanted it to be a lesbian calendar, or at least geared towards the lesbian community specifically. And not all of the girls are necessarily lesbian – however, oddly, everybody felt really comfortable with the word “queer.”
A: Well, I notice on the website that you invite people to share their own, personal definition of queer, so I assume it was based off of the conversation you had with the models.
P: Yeah, we thought we’d take that opportunity to redefine the word, make it more encompassing and, maybe, rework the definition. I know when people hear the word “queer,” they’re expecting a certain thing and look. And I think it was really nice to see that all the girls in the calendar are comfortable identifying as queer no matter what someone else might view them as. Some of them might be what some would consider bi, some lesbian, poly…any other random label. I actually liked that what I would consider to be queer was not necessarily fitting for some of them in my eyes, but in their own. Obviously the definition is transcending and doesn’t have to be limiting. We all think differently, and by asking people who visit the site to tell us their interpretation, we can reclaim the word and make it more inclusive.
A: I see a lot of familiar…err…faces in the calendar.
P: That’s because you get around.
[Dear L Stop readers, she’s totally, totally joking]
A: Truth. Bitch. Tell me about how you narrowed the casting down.
P: I think that there’s obviously going to be a demographic of people who are going to feel slighted with this calendar because it is called “Q-we’re.” There are not necessarily any trans people – I feel like when people hear the word they might be looking for sexual ambiguity, and I don’t think very many of the girls in the 2013 calendar do that. I’ve already gotten an email asking if all of the people in the calendar are cisgender, and I thought that was a very poignant question. They all are cisgender at this point, and I am very, very open to having MTF and FTM in the calendar. I think my only stipulation, and I probably shouldn’t say this, is that I just want everyone in the calendar to be hot and I would also like them to have an attraction to women. If your sexuality means that you are attracted to women, then you can be in the calendar. And I mean those in the queer community, not men who are attracted to women.
A: Shallow. I’m not mad about it. You shoot what sells.
P: And it’s not like hotness is only an external thing.
A: Of course not, what you feel inside radiates outside.
P: Right. Obviously there are stipulations and I can’t please everybody. But hopefully this will keep going through the years and I can eventually create a catalog of queerness and sexuality. You may not see it all in one calendar but, hopefully with time, it will start to form itself.
A: You were the photographer – was it difficult shooting friends and people that you know?
P: No, I went to art school. As a photographer and as a student you want to get models, but it always ends up being easier just to shoot your friends.
A: Why?
P: There’s a rapport already. There were people in the calendar that I didn’t previously know, but I do think I have a natural way of getting people comfortable. And when that doesn’t work, there’s always alcohol!
A: Always. Why is this calendar important?
P: There was a time that I had to check myself daily, to tell myself that I love this project and it’s really good. But sometimes I had doubts and I wanted to back out. But then I watched this documentary, Lesbian Sex and Sexuality, three discs on Netflix. I recommend it, it was really, really good. I thought it was going to be outdated, but it was actually great. There was this one lady – and I’m not quoting her directly or maybe even correctly because I don’t completely remember – who said, “We need the queer community to thrive, we need artists and individuals and everyone to do their part. When you have an idea, go for it. There are so many outlets and ways for LGBT people to come together.” I think it was one of the creators of On Our Backs. It was really nice, if I had a better memory and was quoting her exactly, that would have sounded super inspirational and not just in bits and pieces.
A: And, hopefully, much more eloquent than that.
P: Right, much more. But it really did ring true for me and inspired me. Like, maybe this calendar will be a flop, but at the same time, I’m really invested in it, believe in it, and I love this project. Especially bucking stereotypes. Not to be an asshole, but you get those straight men who wrongly think that you’re a lesbian so you must be unattractive, or you’re queer because you have no other options. With this we can say, here are my queer people, this is who we are. We’re owning it and seeing queer bodies out there is beautiful.
A: Where can people buy it?
P: You can purchase the 2013 calendar from the Facebook page, as well as the website. I am also trying to branch out and make sure this is something that is not only going to be done locally. We’re going to have a show at the Lexington, which is in San Francisco, it’s one of the premier, and probably oldest, lesbian bars in San Francisco. There are a couple of people in New York who are interested. We’re trying to get it to Canada; I just shipped a bunch of stuff to London… My ex is in France and she’s going to throw a party there; so San Francisco, Paris and New York will have actual parties where you can pick them up. Other than that, you can visit the website and I will ship it directly to you!
A: Any plans for additional merchandising that we can all look forward to? I know you mentioned the parties and there’s the calendar, but these images can translate into anything.
P: I really want to do voting shirts, because I think it’s really important that our generation understands how important it is to vote. If I can get those out and get them going soon. If not, I’ve opened up my storefront to other queer artists so they can have a means, a venue, to sell t-shirts or art or whatever. I would love to start getting some clothing stuff going, but I am the sole proprietor of this endeavor right now, and I work another job. Hopefully, by next year there will be a full line of merch to go with it.
A: Good luck to you, lady! And I want a free calendar for doing this interview.
If you missed the calendar’s coming out party at Beauty Bar last August, be sure to catch Q-we’re at The Pleasure Chest Chicago. You can also follow Q-we’re on Facebook and Twitter (@pickleolivetaco) and purchase the calendars on the website. Buy one for every room of your house. Do with it as you please; we won’t tell…
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About Angelique
Angelique worked in advertising for six years, but quit once they stole her soul. She has been the Marketing & PR Director for Reeling, Chicago’s LGBT International Film Festival, for the last three years. She can currently be seen going out too much and ignoring the stack of books on her floor that she really wants to find the time to read.
I appreciate Patience’s honesty about the cis/trans issue (should it be an issue?) as I’ve heard of the trans community speaking out before about not being included. The fact that you are able to go (inter)nationally with the calendar is fantastic, and I wish you the best of luck. (Also, Patience was totally NOT joking.)
Posted by klud | October 18, 2012, 12:14 pm