After all of these years, I am continuing to cause trouble. This is a recent communication from YouTube (I bolded all the important/upsetting bits):
We’d like to inform you that due to repeated or severe violations of our Community Guidelines your YouTube account Michelle L’amour has been suspended.
Graphic sexual contact that is meant to be sexually gratifying is not allowed on YouTube. We review educational, documentary, artistic, and scientific content on a case-by-case basis. Limited exceptions are made for content with sufficient and appropriate context and where the purpose of posting is clear.
Please be aware that you are prohibited from accessing, possessing or creating any other YouTube accounts.
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Now, I can assure you that nothing I posted on YouTube was GRAPHIC. Yes, I posted some performance videos. I posted some family friendly Patreon promo videos (all things that would fall in line with a Victoria’s Secret commercial) and I even posted some interviews I had done and also, my Big Reveal, where I came out about alopecia.
A few weeks ago, I was notified that a video I put up with me posing with snakes was taken off my account and I was given my first warning. Nothing else came from YouTube until this banning email above. I am going to assume that the video that threw this into high gear, was my ‘Pleasure is Power‘ video, a tribute to Andy Warhol’s ‘Blow Job‘.
In this video, all you see is my face. There is no music. There is no sound. It is completely silent. I experience pleasure in this video, but all of that is off camera. It. Is. Just. My. Face. Well, as it turns out, a woman with sexual agency and pleasure is a thing to be feared. While my video is down and my whole channel is removed AND I can’t even access YouTube on my phone, the original video by Warhol with a man being pleasured continues to stay on this platform with millions of views. There is an imbalance here.
Back in the day, at the height of burlesque, girls were getting arrested and thrown in jail for their ‘lewd’ behavior and scandalous headlines were splashed across newspapers all over the US. Many of these women, and club owners, orchestrated this scene to get more press for their club and in turn, getting more asses in the seats to see the asses on stage. Nowadays, while we aren’t being dramatically thrown in jail, we are being silenced. Our voices are being taken away, but it’s all happening in secret. Women who deal in the sexy arts are being left in the shadows, with a huge effect on their bank accounts. Remember how branding, marketing and promotion is so important? What do you do when all your avenues to grow your business are taken away?
Well, that’s what I’m hoping to fix. Taking a cue from the dancers’ past, I want press on this. A lot of it. I want articles, podcasts, whatever! If you know someone that would be interested in this story, let me know. This is not just happening to me. So many of my friends cannot post more than a picture of their eyeball without getting into trouble. We’re being watched and judged. I am not going to stand for this!
Recently, I took class at the Martha Graham School in New York City. During that class, the teacher said, ‘There is no movement, without opposition’. I will move through this opposition and come out the other side stronger. I encourage you to join me.
In the meantime, follow me on Vimeo or join my fan club!
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I am still in the aftermath of the YouTube banning. Trying to figure out how to make the best of a bad situation. I have some new show ideas because of it (and hopefully I’ll have news on that soon) and I also decided to finally start ‘The SpiritualiTEASE‘ on Instagram. This has been something that I’ve had rolling around in the back of my mind for years, but I’ve finally decided to do it. The idea is simple. I share life lessons that I’ve learned throughout my career as a burlesque star. Art has shaped me and how I see the world. I share personal stories and offer up advice for anyone looking to get to their next spiritual step. I come to you as a peer, not as an expert. We’re in this together! So, follow @thespiritualitease on Insta and let’s grow together.
