 August 2001 Sudden turn leaves woman with 'Whiplash' Liz Lewis has a fetish for publishing. And she's proving that with a new entry into the adult-magazine market.The Peterborough-area mother has just released Canada's first fetish-focused publication called 'Whiplash.' It's a slight detour for Lewis, who was profiled in May 2000 in The Business Times for publishing a sexuality and alternative lifestyle magazine called 'Touch'.Lewis says she was ready for a change, especially to a product like Whiplash which ismore focused in its subject matter. She also sees a niche for her new venture."There's not another agazine like Whiplash in Canada. And given the option, Cnaadians will buy Canadian rather than American or European," she believes. Lewis says fetish is becoming more mainstream and drawing more attention in movies and print articles alike. She compares a fetish party to a Halloween party, giving people a chance to dress up and role play."A certain segment of the population likes clothing and dressing up and this is an outlet for them," Lewis says.Whiplash tries to cater to its audience. In the inaugural issue released in July, the magazine includes such features as: "a foot fetishist's foray into Vancouver's fetish scene," "10 tips about whips," " Madame de Sade's helpful hints for crossdressers" and "amateur fetish photos of fetish party girl Sheri."Lewis takes her magazine seriously, hiring an art director to help her with design and using a better quality, glossy paper to publish it on.Production costs for her first issue were kept low because some of the people who worked on it did so for free. Even with that, Lewis is confident she can make the magazine pay for itself given the good feedback she has had to the initial issue.She doesn't expect to make money in the first year and any she does will go right back into Whiplash. Lewis will travel nationally to promote Whiplash and is trying to include features from all over Canada to make it a coast-to-coast publication.Initially, 3,000 copies of Whiplash were published. The magazine is quarterly and sold through adult stores and by subscription. Peterborough Examiner August 6, 2001 By Tamsin McMahon Followed by Letters to the Editor regarding this article In the picture, a man lies on his side on the ground wearing little more than a leather strap tied around his jaw and a gag in his mouth. His hands are tied behind him. A woman with thigh-high boots towers over him. The whip in her hands puddles on the floor. The image is one of many in Canada's latest fetish magazine,Whiplash, put out by Peterborough area's Liz Lewis. It's fitting for the fetish scene, where woman dominate as much as men. Fetish is described a sexual attraction to a non-sexual object or body part, but the scene encompasses everything from dressing up inleather to bondage. Women are starting to make inroads into the Canadian adult trade, but Lewis hopes to dominate it with her glossy 84-page magazine, geared specifically toward Canadians, which came out in June. Adult magazines aren't the only things Lewis is breaking into. Last year, she became the first woman elected to Peterborough Ad and Sales Club's board of directors. Lewis, in her 30s with three teenaged children, developed Whiplash after going to fetish parties and realizing Canada didn't really have a fetish magazine. She publishes out of her dining room and tries to keepmost of her business local. Whiplash is sold in 150 stores across the province and Lewis hopes to expand to British Columbia for the September issue and eventually across the country. It isn't the first Canadian fetish magazine. Boudoir Noir closed its doors in 1999. At $19.95 Whiplash may seem pricey, but Lewis said a typical fetish magazine ranges from $27 to $54. It cost her around $10,000 to print 3,000 copies. Some of her contributors are paid, others barter inadvertising and some do it for free. Even Canada's best-known dominatrix lends her voice to Whiplash. Terri-Jean Bedford, who was convicted of running a common bawdy house out of her Newmarket, Ont. home nearly three years ago, wrote an article on cross-dressing in exchange for free advertising in Lewis' magazine. She now runs a bondage "bed-and-breakfast" in Toronto and plans to write for Whiplash again. Next issue, Lewis expects to include more nudity, both female and male. She's planning to photograph a nude bondage pictorial in the back of her property, near Peterborough. But she keeps explicit sexual acts out of the magazine. Lewis is quick to point out Whiplash isn't meant to be pornography. "We didn't want it to look like a porn mag," she said. "We wanted it to look like a classy magazine, something you could have on your coffee table and not be worried about anybody picking it up." But the magazine's premier issue proved too tame for Bedford, who says she's a "meat and potatoes" kind of person. "It's a family show for her," Bedford said. "If the kiddies found it they wouldn't be too shocked. They see more in a Britney Spears video. But I think it's a nice magazine, it's in good taste." Whiplash is Lewis' second foray into the adult magazine world. She published the last issue of Touch magazine in April. Lewis was beginning to lose interest in it and sales were down, she said. For Touch, Lewis cashed in her RRSPs, ran up her credit cards and went into debt about $25,000 before it started making money. She's expecting to do the same for Whiplash, but this time Lewis knows the ropes. With Touch, "I made a lot of mistakes just because I didn't know what I was doing," she said. "I know a little bit better now. Lewis is confident there is a market for what's she's selling, even in Peterborough. There are no public fetish parties in Peterborough, but there used to be a "munch," where people would get together in a restaurant to meet and discuss private parties. Bedford, who went to Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School when she was living in an Ashburnham Drive group home, said under Peterborough's conservative veneer lie more adventurous tendencies. "You'd be surprisedwho lives in Peterborough who likes to partake in escapist recreation," she said. Lewis said her children are sometimes teased because of their mother's occupation. But more people seem to be accepting of fetish culture and "I explain to them that it's a business and this is what pays for school trips and clothes and the mortgage," she said. Although the fetish scene has become more mainstream, it still carries a stigma, Lewis said. Many of her contributors use pseudonyms to stay hidden. Fetish "is much more comfortable and much more mainstream that it used to be," Lewis said. "But it's not completely acceptable." Letters to the Editor Bondage Item too graphic, August 9th, 2001 As I was flipping through Monday's paper I did my usual and scooted right to the City/Region page. As someone who has lived and worked in this city most of my life, I truly enjoy seeing what is happening. I was totally blown away that you would dedicate 75 per cent of the page to an article and photo (a huge one I might add), about bondage and fetishes (Examiner, Aug 6). I think it is excellent to see a woman business person doing well. I also stand by the mantra that to each his/her own. I simply think it was in extremely poor taste to print an article that begins with how a naked man is tied up."Escapist Recreation" in this instance sure does not mean the prowess of Houdini. I am the parent of two young children, and will be sure that this paper hits the recycling pronto.Again, kudos to a business woman who is breaking new ground. I do think that a small article in business news (without the graphic), would have been far more appropriate for a publication delivered by mainly children.Sherry Arcaro Sophistication we don't need, August 21st, 2001 Re: "Fetish Fun in Our Area", (Examiner Weekly, Aug 10) Congratulations, Examiner Weekly, you have shown your readers what a dignified, classy paper you can be on occasion. Yep, there is the proof, right beside the pictures of the two seven-year-olds at the circus, and the sweet little girl holding up a glass of Kool-Aid - Whiplash, Canada's Fetish Magazine. That's what we needed to see in your City/Region pages, something to raise the paper's standard and make us all proud. It's wonderful that our sleepy little Peterborough has come of age, and our kiddies can see themselves in the newspaper in such uplifting company: Mommy, Mommy, look. I'm in the paper, see here, with the nice fisherman lady in the rainboots, with her - Mommy, what's she doing?Honest now, we have been sadly lacking in this kind of urban sophistication. I for one can't wait for the magazine's next issue, with all the wholesome nudity and oily leather straps, and, we hope, more daring articles and semi-professional backyard photographs! Such good, clean family fun! And indeed, Mrs. Whiplash editor, don't so be so tame. The great guru from the GTA herself is urging you to let 'er rip.I'll say, let's be sure that this fine mainstream publication makes it onto all coffeetables in the region - children do get bored during their summer vacation, and will read anything that's good for their minds. Great!One more word of encouragement, Examiner. Do report on this often - in colour! And on the other hand: keep those controversial pieces that encourage traditional values and higher morals well-back in the paper, where they belong. Wouldn't want to risk contaminating young minds now, or scandalizing the memory of some of the other great editors your paper has had during its history, would you?Jens Haegg The other side of the story, August 25th, 2001 I've noticed that everyone seems to have an input (usually negative) about the article published oh so long ago dealing with Escapist Recreation. I feel that it is now time to hear the other side of the story. For you see, I am of a rare breed of Examiner readers apparently.I was rather happy to see this paper print an article on such a topic, even though I knew that it would get a large amount of disrespect for doing it. It is nice to see the paper dealing with all aspects of the city, no matter how controversial the topic may be.My only beef with the article is the letters it has spawned. There has been a letter almost every day since the article was printed pointing the finger at the paper saying that 'You shouldn't have done that, bad paper.' One even went far enough o say that we are 'walking into an abyss (He also felt the need to make an inappropriate remark about homosexuality, which I found rather upsetting).It seems to me that these people are not seeing things from both sides. If the article really offended you, skip over it. It's that simple. I am not a religious person in any way, so I find myself skipping over most of your letters.I believe that the front page of Monday's Examiner with the four people standing in a row with "UR THE WEAKST LINK" written across their shirts offensive because it shows lack of creativity, intelligence and correct spelling. But that doesn't matter, because I skipped over them.Just because people are enjoying something that you or your religion frown upon doesn't make it bad. Just because I frown upon something doesn't make it bad. You have to accept that there are different people who live their lives in maybe an opposite way that you do. Neither of you are bad, just different. If you still won't accept this, accept nature's way of dealing with change: MAD (Move, adapt, die).I for one am looking forward to this 'abyss', just as long as the weakest link is nowhere near it.Jake Keating Peterborough This Week August 1, 2001 By Paul Rellinger - People and Places If I live to be 100, I'll never understand it.While I consider myself fairly open-minded when it comes to matters of a, well, let's say an adventurous nature, the world of whips, chains, handcuffs, rubber and latex thigh-high boots confounds me like little else. And, trust me, I'm not easily confounded.Even more befuddling is my ignorance of such matters appears to be leaving me behind as part of a quickly shrinking minority.While I don't understand the sexual appeal of pain, some, like Liz Lewis, are riding the crest of that phenomena to new heights. Her locally-produced Whiplash publication, billed as Canada's fetish magazine, is cashing in on a movement which, apparently, sees more and more of us wanting to be spanked, lashed and otherwise physically intimidated.Make no mistake. Mary has cranked me a couple of times but I don't recall a look of lust in her eyes when she teed off. Rather, sheer anger comes to mind.And while I've been in the doghouse more than once, never have I been forced to wear a studded dog collar connected to a leash. Not yet, at least.Still, as Ms Lewis would attest, different strokes for different folks does pay a dividend. Whiplash comes on the heels of Touch, her earlier published sexuality and alternative lifestyle effort. She's now put all her eggs in one kinky basket.Maybe I'm a little straight-laced, although I've never really thought of myself that way.Maybe, many years ago, the notion that little girls are sugar 'n' spice 'n' everything nice really took hold, shaping my modern-day belief that all things sexy are supposed to be soft 'n' cuddly.God knows Dad put me over his knee more than once but I can't recall that be a particularly erotic experience. There are many who will tell you pain is erotic. My experience is pain is painful and, because of that singular distinction, should be avoided at all costs.Like I said, I just don't get it. That said, I possess no contempt for those who like to be paddled. By all accounts, dressing up and role-playing is harmless for the most part and, for those who partake, a thrill beyond compare. As long as no one is hurt, physically or mentally, what harm is there?I don't wear rubber well. A few years back, I donned a rubber Richard Nixon mask for a Halloween party and itched until Christmas.At 5-feet 5 1/2 inches, I've lived in a world of giants all my life. When I was dating, I wore platform shoes to bring myself eye-to-eye with me elongated dates. No way, no how, does an already tall woman in 8-inch spikes do it for me now.And so I'm left to flounder as, it seems, all about me gets a little goofier with each passing day. But, you know, I like my world. It's safe and welt-free, save for Wednesday and Sunday evenings after slo-pitch. Like a good boy, I usually do whatever Mary tells me to. Being dominated is nothing new. That's not arousing. That's just the way it is.All the power to Ms Lewis and those find something of interest on her magazine's pages. Whip it, folks. Whip it good.I, for what it's worth, am going to live out my life as pain-free as possible. If that makes me boring, well, be careful not to yawn -- chances are greater than ever someone will shove a rubber ball in your mouth, tie it around your head and make you beg for more. National Post July 11.2001 by Shinan Govani Cool-guy novelist Russell Smith caused a mighty big stir at a Friday night party in Toronto to launch Canada's newest fetish rag, Whiplash magazine. Showing as much skin as a Survivor contestant, and dressed in wallpapered-on leather pants -- offering ample evidence he's making good use of his gym membership -- the writer led "friend" Krista around by a long, dangling leash. Her get-up consisted of a dog collar, a leather thong, and trËs dangerous heels. Russell, desperate to make the moment a Kodak one, was never far from his handheld camera during the evening's festivities. Sex. Videotape. And something. Masthead Magazine April 2001 By Deanna Rosolen From the woman who brought usTouch, the adults-only title on sexualityand alternative lifestyles, comesWhiplash, a new quarterly for fetishists.According to our dictionary, a fetishist issexually aroused by essentially non-sexualitems or practices. Whiplash will appearon newsstands in adult stores acrossCanada this month. There's no Canadian fetish magazine,and when I started Touch [in 1997] I wasgoing to a lot of the different parties,swingers parties, fetish parties, attendingsome of the events, says Peterborough,Ontareio-based publisher Liz Lewis. That wasabout four years ago. In the past year,Lewis has been boning up on the marketand decided that if I'm putting one magazineout into stores, why not have two? Whiplash just might have a chance, saysRobert Dante, former publisher of Toronto-based S&M title Boudoir Noir, whichclosed in 1999 after a problematic U.S.expansion attempt. Canada has a hugestone wall around it, he says. Thereıs stuffthat cannot cross the border that the rest ofthe world has access to. Net result? Plentyof pent-up demand, says Dante. The audiencein Canada is even more desperate andhungry for material. So basically, this pub-lisherhas a captive audience and thatmight work to her advantage.Dante is now based in Santa Monica,California, where he performs as a master bullwhipper. Whiplash is a standard-size book with aglossy, full-colour cover and some colourinside. Advertisers include professionaldominatrixes, adult stores, and manufactur-ersof leather goods, paddles, corsets andeven custom dungeons. There's a coupleof companies, believe it or not, acrossCanada, says Lewis, that will go into yourhome and custom make a dungeon foryou advertise in Toronto Life about.The title also includes pictorials, abuying guide, advice and event listings.Dante suggests Lewis self-censor thecontent to the point that itıs just about avanilla publication, so she wonıt havedifficulty selling it. The way BoudoirNoir got away with much of what it did,was to do it as nonfiction, as informative,as educational, as a lifestyle thing.The main difficulty is that there are nostandards or guidelines regulating thismaterial, Dante says, adding that itıs prettymuch subjective when it comes to whetheror not an image is degrading or violent.And even those who could censor thematerial, Dante found, had little familiaritywith the culture surrounding it.They donıt have the qualifications tomake that decision, so theyıve got a sort ofcookie cutter guideline to go by thinkingthat if somebodyıs standing there in frontof a woman in chains with a whip in hishands, it's obviously abuse, he explains.Well, excuse me, there's a lot of Canadi-ansout there who really want to be onboth sides of that whip. Whiplash has a cover price of $19.95 andLewis expects initial circulation will be inthe 3,000 to 5,000 range. Subscriptions gofor $49.95 and a full page ad is $595. |  |