Are You Famous?

[intuition897]

CubnAmy's poll on famous couples got me to thinking. The relative anonymity of the internet has allowed people from all walks of life to be exactly who they are on the inside, regardless of race, creed, colour, sex, ability, age, social status, etc. Often it's easy to pick up on nuances in our conversations with them and we can determine these things to an extent that way. But people are often quite guarded about their identity online. Swingers are like this because...well...we're swingers and discretion is a necessity, not a luxury. Some people perhaps can find their voice here in a virtual world where their voice has been lost in the crowd out there in the real world. Suddenly people listen to what they have to say. I think I might be one of those people. I'm a social retard. I can put things together on a screen or on paper, no problem...but don't ask me to actually think on my feet. I am not witty. I am not funny. I talk too much about all the wrong things. I'm too blunt, and I'm nowhere near as confident or "together" in person.

But what about people who live their lives in the spotlight? Celebrities and other high profile people? Surely they have internet access, too. Surely they're human and have their kinks and curiosities like the rest of us. What about Will and Jada? Maybe they really are swingers? Wouldn't that be cool? And hey! what if maybe they've cruised through our very own swingersboard? Cooler still... So I started thinking...with all the people we have on here as members, I wonder how many of them have had their 15 minutes in the limelight? Or more?

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, - and remember we're working on the honour system here, people - just how famous are you? I don't think there's any way to hack in to this system to figure out who voted for what, so I think it's safe to be honest. I don't want to know WHO you are; I just want to know how many honest to God celebrity types we have on the board. Couples, just answer for whichever of you has the higher public profile.

This should be interesting...

[Mr. Truelove]

Excellent topic and something I was thinking about as well reading the other thread. I've actually wondered how many celebrities are open about swinging if any. I kind of wish there was just to shake up the world's views on it.

Mr. Truelove

[intuition897]

Originally Posted by Mr. Truelove

I kind of wish there was just to shake up the world's views on it.

Mr. Truelove

Dito to that! I think my biggest peeve is people who have so much to say about swinging who have absolutely zero first hand experience! Oh, swinging will do this and swinging will do that, and swingers are these horrible, nasty people who live under bridges and eat small children. :rollseyes Mm-kay. It wouldn't bother me so much if they simply believed it themselves, but they insist on "educating" everyone else with their misgotten insights. It just perpetuates the paranoia that has such a chokehold on the public! My attitude is, believe whatever the hell you want, but unless you've got actual first-hand experience with something, do NOT tell me you know all about it! Even those couples whose relationships were "ruined" by swinging. Sure they have 1st hand experience...insofar as their own relationship is concerned. I'll admit that swinging has worked very well for my own relationship, and because of that I can see that it could work for others, too...because we're no different from anyone else. But these "experienced" nay-sayers are still speaking about those things which they couldn't possibly know anything about: other people's relationships! Just because it didn't work for them (and I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if they gave me the details I could tell them why!), it doesn't mean it can't work for someone else.

[fordman460]

Originally Posted by intuition897

CubnAmy's poll on famous couples got me to thinking. The relative anonymity of the internet has allowed people from all walks of life to be exactly who they are on the inside, regardless of race, creed, colour, sex, ability, age, social status, etc. Often it's easy to pick up on nuances in our conversations with them and we can determine these things to an extent that way. But people are often quite guarded about their identity online. Swingers are like this because...well...we're swingers and discretion is a necessity, not a luxury. Some people perhaps can find their voice here in a virtual world where their voice has been lost in the crowd out there in the real world. Suddenly people listen to what they have to say. I think I might be one of those people. I'm a social retard. I can put things together on a screen or on paper, no problem...but don't ask me to actually think on my feet. I am not witty. I am not funny. I talk too much about all the wrong things. I'm too blunt, and I'm nowhere near as confident or "together" in person.

But what about people who live their lives in the spotlight? Celebrities and other high profile people? Surely they have internet access, too. Surely they're human and have their kinks and curiosities like the rest of us. What about Will and Jada? Maybe they really are swingers? Wouldn't that be cool? And hey! what if maybe they've cruised through our very own swingersboard? Cooler still... So I started thinking...with all the people we have on here as members, I wonder how many of them have had their 15 minutes in the limelight? Or more?

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, - and remember we're working on the honour system here, people - just how famous are you? I don't think there's any way to hack in to this system to figure out who voted for what, so I think it's safe to be honest. I don't want to know WHO you are; I just want to know how many honest to God celebrity types we have on the board. Couples, just answer for whichever of you has the higher public profile.

This should be interesting...

Great post I loved it. But couldnt help that as that post went on the woody Allen voice started to read it to me. LOL sorry I'm PIU.

[intuition897]

Hey cool! We've got an inventor-level celeb with us!

We should start a guessing game. How many #10's do you think we'll get? #8's? #7's? lol

Nah, better not jinx it. We're still working on the honour system, right?

[intuition897]

Originally Posted by fordman460

Great post I loved it. But couldnt help that as that post went on the woody Allen voice started to read it to me. LOL sorry I'm PIU.

[cubnamy1995]

This is a great idea intuition. Every other little niche group has their spokespeople. Why can't we have ours? I really hope Will & Jada are swingers(or Jada at least! facelick). We could use some positive publicity.

After the discussion on the other thread, I decided to look up the whole Will/Jada thing. I came across a lot of posts on other boards that all said pretty much the same thing. Here's a little sample from an unnamed site:

But seriously now, as u grow older Lizzy, u'll come to understand the fact that open marriage is arrant nonsense. It's not even worth calling a marriage. From what u are saying Lizzy, I think u feel marriage is all about sex!, sex!! and sex!!!. For God's sake, other things will have to be considered also. Afterall, you are going have children with your husband definitely. How do u expect your children to feel when they know about your escapades? HOW DO YOU EVEN EXPECT GOD TO REACT TO SUCH? As far as I am concerned, sleeping with a man who is not your husband is wrong. Pure Adultery! whether your husband approves it or not! As far as God is not in support of it, even when your husband totally agrees with you, God will surely frown at such!

This is the kind of garbage we have to deal with in this country. I am sick to death of so called "moral" people telling me what I should or shouldn't do in my bedroom.

We need a public face. I'm not suggesting we can all come out of the closet. I'm not sure I'd want to. But I get really pissed when I'm watching a sitcom and they tongue-in-cheek portray swingers as these disgusting, sleazy, nasty-minded perverts who will just fuck anybody. I'm not disgusting.

Anyway, if Will and Jada are in the lifestyle, and they just happen to peruse this board, then know that we support you 120%...and you have a standing invitation to our house party...(well, you never know till you ask!)

Great thread intuition.

[intuition897]

Originally Posted by cubnamy1995

But seriously now, as u grow older Lizzy, u'll come to understand the fact that open marriage is arrant nonsense. It's not even worth calling a marriage. From what u are saying Lizzy, I think u feel marriage is all about sex!, sex!! and sex!!!. For God's sake, other things will have to be considered also. Afterall, you are going have children with your husband definitely. How do u expect your children to feel when they know about your escapades? HOW DO YOU EVEN EXPECT GOD TO REACT TO SUCH? As far as I am concerned, sleeping with a man who is not your husband is wrong. Pure Adultery! whether your husband approves it or not! As far as God is not in support of it, even when your husband totally agrees with you, God will surely frown at such!

This is the kind of garbage we have to deal with in this country. I am sick to death of so called "moral" people telling me what I should or shouldn't do in my bedroom.

We need a public face. I'm not suggesting we can all come out of the closet. I'm not sure I'd want to. But I get really pissed when I'm watching a sitcom and they tongue-in-cheek portray swingers as these disgusting, sleazy, nasty-minded perverts who will just fuck anybody. I'm not disgusting.

Anyway, if Will and Jada are in the lifestyle, and they just happen to peruse this board, then know that we support you 120%...and you have a standing invitation to our house party...(well, you never know till you ask!)

Great thread intuition.

Yeah, I've read the same kinds of posts from like-minded peckerheads. Pisses me off, too. But I don't think that lobbying for "swinger's rights" is going to help a whole lot. You can't force them to change their minds and the only thing that will happen is you'll get them cornered. I don't want to offend anyone with what we choose to do with our marriage/life. I just want them to stop spitting venom at me. I think we just have to accept that there will always be some people who will not - or maybe cannot - comprehend what we're about. It's a threat to them. I don't want their heads to asplode or anything. My Mom is one of these kinds of people. She wouldn't be hateful, but she would be mortally wounded if she found out about our beliefs. There would be NO changing her mind. We're talking about over 1/2 a century of deeply ingrained belief here. Is it my place to tell her that what she's believed all her life is wrong?? To what end? To make myself feel better? Nah. I think you gotta choose your battles.

[havefuninsun]

I'm just excited to know that the toaster strudel inventor is a swinger, too.

[Cpl2share]

We only get one vote? Actually, one of us is currently an elected official, the other is an appointed official, and we own a small business. I know of several others who are in the lifestyle who are government officials here in wisconsin. Maybe it is because of the closeness of careers, or who knows, that we know of these people, but can not seem to find "regular" preople in the area. We really do not want to get involved in an "officials only" swing group (one falls they all fall deal) and we just want to go have a good time. "Fame" or in my (Male) case notoriety is not all it is cracked up to be.

[intuition897]

Either someone is messing with us (a distinct possibility), or we really do get celebrity traffic. A #9 and a #10 so far! Neato!

I don't know. I hoped this thread didn't seem too shallow. Personally I couldn't care less how many times you've had to knock the paparazzis out of the tree by your bedroom window with a broom stick. It doesn't change the fact that they're just like everyone else. The still get morning breath. They still need to put their pants on one leg at time. They have their unique quirks and oddities that other people don't know about, just like everyone else. Their spouse knows about that secret ticklish spot or that mole between their toes.

I just think that it must be a helluva a lifestyle to live. Makes me appreciate my obscurity. I would hate being recognized everywhere I went. Never got along well with microphones and spotlights. So I guess I'm right where I should be. I am curious though to know how real live ordinary people cope with it.

Anyway, keep those votes coming!

[good times]

Oops! I answered the poll before I read the question. Had I read the question first I probably would have rated us higher than 3.

While we aren't celebrities in the movie star sense of the word, in some circles we are well known by a lot of people, most of whom we don't know and have never met. We have both been on the cover and in feature articles of internationally circulated magazines on a few occasions, and I have even been quoted in the New York Times. If one does a Google search of my name you get 16 pages of results. We do have to be very careful not to be associated with the lifestyle within those circles in which we are well known. So, how famous does that make us on this scale?

For the record, I don't consider myself to be any kind celebrity our famous person, but we have been referred to by others as such. Since we started swinging we have discovered that while discretion is important to everybody, it is especially so for those that have more to lose than most. While we do use our real names with our swinging friends (because we aren't usually recognized as anyone of note amongst the general population), we have found it prudent to be very vague about our vanilla life until we get to know someone real well. We have been recognized because of our notoriety while swinging by people we didn't know before though, and while it was a bit uncomfortable and worrisome when this has happened, so far it has always worked out ok. The saying that, "they are there for the same reason you are" has held true so far in our case.

[ohash01]

I am a manager for a large-ish company. (Ok - so it's like the 4th largest company in Ohio), but my division is so small that I doubt anyone who doesn't come in contact with me knows who I am.

I came from a very political, well-known family, and I'd never ever ever want to put myself in that spotlight. I am SO happy being relatively unknown.

[intuition897]

Originally Posted by good times

Oops! I answered the poll before I read the question. Had I read the question first I probably would have rated us higher than 3.

While we aren't celebrities in the movie star sense of the word, in some circles we are well known by a lot of people, most of whom we don't know and have never met. We have both been on the cover and in feature articles of internationally circulated magazines on a few occasions, and I have even been quoted in the New York Times. If one does a Google search of my name you get 16 pages of results. We do have to be very careful not to be associated with the lifestyle within those circles in which we are well known. So, how famous does that make us on this scale?

For the record, I don't consider myself to be any kind celebrity our famous person, but we have been referred to by others as such. Since we started swinging we have discovered that while discretion is important to everybody, it is especially so for those that have more to lose than most. While we do use our real names with our swinging friends (because we aren't usually recognized as anyone of note amongst the general population), we have found it prudent to be very vague about our vanilla life until we get to know someone real well. We have been recognized because of our notoriety while swinging by people we didn't know before though, and while it was a bit uncomfortable and worrisome when this has happened, so far it has always worked out ok. The saying that, "they are there for the same reason you are" has held true so far in our case.

Good thing. Mr. intuition is nowhere near a celebrity, but he is well known where he works and we just can't afford for him to be exposed this way because it's a "family oriented" business and such values and behaviour compromise their standards. I, on the other hand, work at the university here and am happily not in any position of authority that would be jeoparized by our lifestyle choices. In fact, the entire university is officially very "alternative lifestyles" friendly, so if I were to, say, identify myself as bisexual (well, I HAVE had sex with a woman before...), I become a non-visible minority and it is actually a kind of boon to the department. Although I don't think swinging is recognized as such.

If swingers were to lobby for anything, it should be to be added to the list of non-visible minorities such as gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. That would definitely make life easier for us. At least we'd have a legal leg to stand on.

[prettylady]

I live in a town of 2500 people in the winter and about a bizillion in the summer(give or take a few).
I am very famous....around here. In the winter I am at the gym often teaching, working out, chatting, you know, the usual. In the summer I am a "local" and local people in what is concidered a "party town" are really quite famous. I know and hang out with the important people around here.
It does help to be a local. I have met several famous people. Acually chickened out of having sex with two of them (not at the same time, I was too chicken to do it seperatly). But looking back, I could kick myself.
Oh well as far as fame goes. My elbow is in the picture of a few snap shots around this town.
Your friend,
Prettylady