irishmercutio

This possibility of involvement on the site is heartily encouraged, even demanded at times, by the site, giving the amount of group interaction and involvement a quality that should be enviable by any community either electronic or physical. Take for example the use of groups on the SG site. Many of these have a requirement of membership and activism in order to even be considered for membership in a subset group on the site (SG.com/groups). This serves the purpose of protecting potentially sensitive groups from creepers and trolls as well as forcing members who wish to take part in certain discussions to be a more active and conscientious poster on the boards. This brings them closer to the idea of Boessens fan citizen

666Irishs choice of the army metaphor is most interesting (not only because there is in fact a SG 'army'). Fandom recognizes no clear cut line between artist and consumers; all fans are potential writers whose talents need to be discovered, nurtured, and promoted and who may be able to make a contribution however modest to the cultural wealth of the larger community (Jenkins, 280) it is true of the SG community that they often see themselves as part of this army. Each one of them willing to work as writers, photographers, models, staffers, web/app/game/merchandise designers, artists etc

This sense of couching even the most serious of matters in humor is a dominant characteristic of the site. Just as Boessen makes a case for his West Wing Group, The participants of alt.tv.the-west-wing employ humor and play in manner that often allows them to extend their understand of the the serious representations beyond the stringent boundariesoutlined for them (Boessen, 5). For example, a recent thread entitled What is happening to SG? was posted by one long time member who felt the need to address his concerns with the changing nature of the site:
over the past 2 years it has been interesting to read from SGs in particular how much the site has changed and maybe overall how much the site has driven away from its original intention toward something more conservative and reserved. From less risque sets, to obnoxious members tags and comments being allowed, to feelings of rejection for not fitting the mold, to changes in set acceptance percentages, to similar sets being accepted over and over again, to poor site design...and the girls and members who have the most fun here ultimately lose out as the original intention of the site seems to move further behind the curtain (SG.com/boards/Everything+SG)

While this is a prevalent and serious concern among both members and models alike (said Zippo Suicide in her interview, like I said in a previous response, I feel that SG's direction has changed greatly, and I think it's "philosophy" isn't really what they boast it is[Zippo, int]), the responders to this thread were not afraid of leaving wry comments when lacking a better answer. Out of the six following responses two were serious responses which directly addressed this concern the others that followed were as such:
its being overrun by communists
God Damned communists
Commie bed-wetting types
Communists ruin everything

The Models themselves, glamorized and idolized then become the subject of the fans taste. The pictures are merely the dominant form of expression for these women. No different than a single album is not a rock and roll band make; Help! (thank God) is not The Beatles; Guess Who is not The Who. They are an expression of creativity of one particular mind set of one particular point in time of these individuals. People are not just fans of The Searchers they are generally fans of John Wayne, an icon. They are fans of what these people represent. SuicideGirls fans' worship is not just directed to naked pictures (for if that were the case their thirst could easily be slaked elsewhere at less expense), but toward the subculture thereof. Tattoos, piercings, music, rebellion, and an attitude of open mindedness that is connoted by them. Looking at it from this perspective, the sets become only a pretext, an excuse for the gathering of these people together.