By Lesly Velasco Guerra, Nov. 16, 2021
On Nov. 10, ASI BEAT hosted Comedic Cosmetics, in collaboration with the Pride Center and Survivor Advocacy Services, a virtual, gender-inclusive makeup tutorial session with special guest Mistress K where students could ask questions and share stories of their own encounters exploring sexuality and gender.
Mistress K is a dominatrix and comedian who embraces wig wearing and sex positivity, recognizing sexuality as a normal point of conversation and seeking to change ideals and norms on sexuality through stand-up comedy.
Gender and gender inequality were some of the main topics of discussion during this event.
Students heard the struggles of women in the entertainment industry through Mistress K’s eyes. Mistress K emphasized the importance of self-advocacy, not giving up and pursuing something the attendees enjoy doing for the duration of the event.
“Tokenization in the industry for entertainment is huge,” said Mistress K. “In comedy specifically there is this terrible little rumor going around saying that women aren’t funny. It’s been something that has been passed down for generations. I think they wrote it on the cave painting back in the day.”
Jennifer Flores, ASI BEAT student assistant, explained the original idea for this event was a simple makeup tutorial with questions and answers but they realized they wanted to make it a more inclusive event, and so it was molded into a sex positive, comedic act.
Additionally, the event’s goal was to also create a safe environment for expression. “We were trying to get the Pride Center and the Student Advocacy Center to have a chance to reach out to students and for students to have a safe space,” said Ella Baggett, art program student assistant for ASI BEAT. “We wanted to bring together these students who otherwise wouldn’t meet if it wasn’t for these types of events.”
The event began with a brief introduction from Mistress K who began her comedic career after selling sex toys for years. She now holds shows in San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Additionally, she has created her own comedy show group, The Future is Female, which empowers women in comedy and fight for equality.
While Mistress K continued her makeup tutorial, student participants also engaged in sex-positive talk. As a former sex toy seller, Mistress K openly talked about her experiences and detailed advice for students.
To conclude her make up tutorial, Mistress K placed her famous wig on and ended the night.
Baggett explained the importance of this event for the CPP community. “I think it brings art as well as self-expression into it,” said Baggett. “I don’t think there are a lot of college-wide events that talk about sex positively, and there are resources out there but there hasn’t really been a collaborative event where we have pushed people to be more involved.”
ASI BEAT encourages students to participate in other events as well as engaging and reaching out to the campus community and resource centers.
Featured image courtesy of Laura Chouette.
