Sex is a poetic act; it’s a metaphor.
That White Lotus Scene
“Sex is a poetic act; it’s a metaphor.”
A guest character reveals the sex addiction rabbit hole he went down to find the meaning of desire in Thailand. First by having sex with thousands of women, then ladyboys, then believing he might want to be one, cross-dressing and being fucked by men, then hiring women to watch.
The internet is abuzz with think pieces and pearl-clutching, but it felt natural and familiar to me. “Oh, this was definitely written by a Gay man,” I thought. The idea that we want to become what we desire is central in Gay sex culture. Some of us literally transform into who we want through body modification via the gym, steroids, and cosmetic procedures. Gay men can know exactly what our sex partners are feeling, so we may use pleasure as a way to find ourselves, sometimes falling into our own rabbit holes. Sex addiction can be masked as liberation and a search for our truth.
In a political era demanding uniformity and a lack of diversity, a monologue about transracial and transgender desires from one of the biggest shows felt subversive. The scene was salacious but psychedelic, honest, bittersweet, and masterfully acted. An episode defined by fast cuts and euphoria, this quiet chamber piece stood as one of the most impactful moments in the entire series and all of pop culture media this year.
More on how media shapes our views of sex in POST and Analog Cruising
Watch the entire monologue:
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