Sexology & Structure: Breaking The Code

The Prurient Image: Its Hidden Coding.
What is this code of which we speak in connection with Structural Analysis? To begin with, like any other code we might imagine, it is a secret language, an esoteric language. As such, we understand that a given image, of whatever nature or classification, carries within it something deeper than the simple denotation of its subject. Along with this typically exacting image of the subject comes CONNOTATIVE messaging as well, and it is this that is communicated through the sign system or CODE that reflects the underlying conscious or unconscious intent that engendered the appearance of the image to begin with. This coding may be more or less sophisticated depending upon the motivation for its appearance, but the coding that is enmeshed within the effective erotic image is much more complex and subtle than that of most other types of signifiers. In analyzing structure, we refer to the image as the signifier. It is the sign or source of the sign system through which the intended message(s) is transmitted. Since the study of the erotic image is given almost exclusively to the medium of photography, we may simplify this preliminary study by confining ourselves to it and leaving aside for the time being any considerations of drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc. We are about to discover that in the world of sex, the photograph contains an enormous amount of coded information, and that it is completely unique in its status among all other forms of pictorial representation.

In spite of all the various and wonderful creative applications that serious artists have contributed to the world of photography, it is still a medium used primarily for obtaining the most perfect possible analog of ‘reality’ as we perceive it through our day to day visual interaction with the world. Whether it be a news photo, advertisement, scientific display, family snapshot, or travel documentary, its job is that of reproducing the most accurate facsimile of reality possible. As such, these analogs serve to remind us of exactly what transpired at different times in the past, or to prompt us as to things we need to do or purchase in the future. They function, in the main, as reminders of noteworthy occasions, and advertising teasers. Think about your daily encounters with photography. They first appear in your morning newspaper. Then, perhaps in a magazine perused while on line in the supermarket. Billboards on the way to the office. Depending on ones line of work, they find greater or lesser degrees of application during the day. Ah, and then there is the internet. ‘All photos, all the time.’ But even online, for the purposes of most people the subject matter typically remains grounded in one or more of the above types of applications, and again, is intended to be as perfectly analogical as possible.



In the case of the erotic image, however, all this changes significantly. On the analogical level, we notice many similarities with the forms listed above, but we discover also some salient differences. While it may be said that the photographer typically wants to capture the model in such a way that her likeness is perfect, that she is readily identifiable, etc., it must also be admitted that he/she is more concerned with making her ‘look her best,’ whether this constitutes analogical accuracy or not. The model will be dressed, her hair carefully manicured, and her makeup applied, all with meticulous care and with maximum attention to detail. When the photo session is finished, and when the final proof or proofs are selected for their applications, what appears at first sight is indeed the perfect analog of the model; an exact replica of the real thing.

At this level of analysis, the image of our beauty is no different than any other kind of photograph, with the exception of one important thing: She does something miraculous; she turns you on. She may indeed be an extremely successful analogon, but she is, for all that, a signifier nonetheless. She is not the real thing in your real life in your real bedroom. Or is she? It must be said that she is having the same effect on you as if she were there ‘in real life.’ How is that possible? Other photographs are not capable of such. A finely executed photograph of food may look fabulous to us, it may even inspire us to make the same dish for dinner tonight. But no matter what anyone says, it cannot literally ‘make you hungry.’ You must be hungry to begin with in order for the photo to add to the effect. What about other kinds of image-ads? Cars? Jewelry? Clothes? What about notifications? An add for your favorite musical group appears before you in the calendar section of your newspaper. Cool! You can’t wait to go. You get excited. You call your friends or your girlfriend or your wife and share your enthusiasm with them. The expectation of the experience makes you happy.

But in the end, the ad-image is meaningless in and of itself. Without the corresponding real-life experience, it holds no value. Let’s return to the prurient image. She’s got you right where she wants you, and she’s not even there. It’s like slight-of-hand, a parlor trick of some kind. Through the image alone, you are rendered open to nearly the entire range of experience you might enjoy in the real-world encounter. Depending upon the extent of your imaginative powers, it might even be said that your experience could be considerably wider. The more deeply we consider this phenomenon, the more enigmatic it becomes. How is it that mere shapes and colors on a piece of paper or computer screen can become an almost fully surrogate person in this quite comprehensive manner? What magic does the prurient image possess that separates it from all other imagery in this way? The answer lies in the semiology of the image. Through structural analysis, we are able to ‘decode’ the erotic image in such a way that we can better understand the intricacies of its workings. In this way we will learn in detail just why such images have the power to transcend their artificiality and command real power in the space-time of the viewer.

Sex & The Absolute. (Or The Meaning of Life)
So, what’s in the prurient image? What can we decipher consciously with regard to its message or messages? What elements may be of an unconscious nature? Does this image speak to us on levels of which we are not even aware, but at which we are profoundly influenced? It is my contention that the prurient image speaks to us almost entirely at the level of the unconscious. Unlike any other form of image, the prurient signifier works upon our receptive faculties predominantly at levels of psychic depth at which conscious thought is not in operation. And the reason for this lies in the simple fact that the realm of the erotic is the very locus of our direct line to The Absolute. It is a non-verbal realm, a non-linguistic realm. It is our primary point of contact with all experiential apprehension of metaphysical reality. Mysticism, god-consciousness, contact with ultimate reality, whatever you choose to call it, it is revealed to us boldly and perfectly through the encounter with the effective erotic image, if, that is, we are willing to see things for what they are. It is at this point that I am compelled to lay down for you the encapsulated summation of this entire line of thought. It is this: In the case of the prurient signifier, it is my bold contention that nothing less than the secret of life itself is described within its coding. Are you surprised by my audaciousness? You’re not alone. The whole notion of a ‘Secret of Life’ is lost on the vast majority of world-citizens, let alone the idea that someone might actually claim to have discovered it. Well, all you can do is read on and see if I can prove the validity and truth of such a claim. Here we go.

Join me for the next section of this study, The Structure of The Erotic Signifier Revealed.