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Soft Edge: An Artist’s Journey

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Out-of-focus close-up of torso of unclothed female doll with arm outstretched.
Fig. 1 David Levinthal, Untitled, from the series XXX, 20 x 24 Polaroid Polacolor ER Land Film. Reproduced with permission from the David Levinthal Studio.

She enters the scene from the left. Her face anchors the image at the upper left like a staple fastening a stack of paper. The profile of her body creates a vertical column on the edge of the image that accentuates its vertical orientation. Her extended arm divides the upper and lower halves. Her hand dissolves into the objects behind her outward gesture, fading into soft edges and abstract shapes. Her breast suggests surgical augmentation, capped with a small triangular pink nipple. Indiscernible shapes and reflected light balance the weight on the opposite side of the photograph.

Is she a dancer peeking out at an audience before going on stage? Is she searching for someone after a performance? Will the bold makeup preserve her facial features under intense artificial light? Is she in a theater, a nightclub, or a private room? She appears to be the sole figure isolated in a mysterious space. We wonder: “Who is she?” One of David Levinthal’s strategies is to keep the viewer “uncertain, on edge” about the possibility that the objects he photographs could be stand-ins for the “real thing.”[1]

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Artists of Pride: Proud of Our Artists 

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With many works hidden, lost to censorship, or destroyed, the rich history of LGBTQ+ artists has often been obscured. Yet these five artists – among many others – found a permanent home in the Kinsey Institute’s historical archives, which has safeguarded their legacy for future generations to discover, learn from, and appreciate.

Dorothy Arzner (1897-1979)

A film still from "Dance, Girl, Dance" features Lucille Ball in a flower-print halter top and a long skirt made of shiny material resembling a hulu skirt. She is in mostion with he rhead cocked, her arms out holding a post and her front foot pointed.
Dorothy Arzner. “Dance, Girl, Dance.” Promotional still featuring Lucille Ball, 1940.

Dorothy Arzner was one of the first women to direct feature-length studio films in Hollywood, and certainly the first openly lesbian woman in the American directing industry. Beginning in 1927, Arzner would create 20 films in her career. She was invited to direct Paramount Studio’s first talking film The Wild Party (1929) and is credited with inventing the boom mic on that film set. She is known for strong, female-identifying roles, with stories that emphasized women’s agency and friendships with one another, radically pushing up against conventions of heteronormativity in American film at the time. (more…)

Remembering Former Staff Member Ruth Ann Beasley (1942-2023)

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The Kinsey Institute staff and faculty are saddened by the passing last month of Ruth Ann Beasley in Bloomington, Indiana. Ruth was born on October 25, 1942 and died peacefully in her home, October 2, 2023. Ruth was a beloved friend, mentor, and colleague of our staff and faculty and made extraordinary contributions to the Kinsey Institute over several decades. (more…)

Challenging Misconceptions About Sexual Assault and the Myth of “Real Rape”

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Recent high-profile sexual assault allegations against celebrities like Donald Trump, Danny Masterson, and Russell Brand have become focal points for a recurring narrative that challenges survivors based on their perceived reactions: the notion that their reports are less valid because they did not fight back or scream at the time of the assault, or came forward after a significant delay. These misconceptions reinforce the need to confront again the deeply ingrained biases that plague discussions surrounding sexual assault.

Dr. Zoe Peterson, expert on sexual aggression and faculty at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University
Dr. Zoe Peterson, Director of the Kinsey Institute Sexual Assault Research Initiative

We spoke with Dr. Zoë Peterson, Senior Scientist at the Kinsey Institute and one of the foremost experts on sexual aggression, about the public commentary that has followed accusations against these public figures.  (more…)

Interview: Rachel E. Gross and “Vagina Obscura”

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Headshot of Rachel E. GrossWe recently had the opportunity to speak with award-winning science journalist Rachel E. Gross and ask a few questions about her new book, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage.

Published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2022, Vagina Obscura tells the story of how early anatomists mapped our lady parts—and how a new generation is wresting them back.

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What was the biggest challenge or surprise you encountered when writing this book?

I set out wanting to take readers on a wonder-filled journey to the center of the female body — a Magic School Bus ride that would enthrall and empower people about their own biology. But I quickly learned that our knowledge about the female body was filled with holes, myths, and misconceptions. So instead, I had to write, in a way, a book about why we don’t know what we don’t know. That turned out to be a much more difficult challenge, but also much more rewarding. (more…)