Crouching Tiger, Hidden Lily
by Ed Rampell
But literally tens of thousands of other cybsersex sites are already
online. How can a fledgling webmaster or established company stand
out from the crowd?
TigerLily is the monicker used by a Los Angeles-based Asian-American,
featured on www.thetigersden.net,
who owns and operates the site with her "Souldeep" Eric, a photographer
and deejay at clubs such as West L.A.'s, Liquid Kitty. Since 1999,
the couple has run thetigersden from their den, a quaint cottage near
downtown L.A. In comparison to a corporate giant like CyberErotica
or Hustler.com, this is a mom and pop shop operation, with - as TL
says - "enough members to pay the rent." Yet TigerLily offers 'Net
tips that novices and even experts can learn from. Indeed, there's
a method to this webmistress' madness that makes her special within
niche markets.
Creating A Character
Twenty-something TigerLily is a fourth generation Chinese/Japanese
woman, born and raised in Southern California, who earned a fashion
design degree. She started online around 1998 doing Webcam stuff,
including private dildo shows, for Ifriends Network. To distinguish
oneself from the rest of the online pack, TigerLily believes, "Having
a persona is really important. I don't refer to TigerLily as a model,
but as a 'character,' because it involves personality. It's not just
the image, the figure."
The name "TigerLily" is derived from several sources: like part-Thai
Tiger Woods, the name alludes to Asia (although there's no golfing
on her site, there are holes-in-one of another kind). "I got the name
from a Woody Allen movie, What's Up, Tiger Lily?" a 1966 spoof wherein
Allen dubbed droll dialogue in English over an actual Japanese James
Bond-type film, "and from the tiger lily flower, which is beautiful
and exotic," she adds. TL says Peter Pan's Indian Princess of that
name, "can also be incorporated into the persona," which could be
described as a kinky, kooky kabuki.
TigerLily plays with Dragon Lady and other stereotypes of Asian females,
and her site attracts Western males obsessed with what Edward Said
calls, "Orientalism." She describes the allure of Asians for Westerners
fixated on women from the wild, wild East: "We're very exotic - kind
of mysterious, from an island where dreams come true. Sort of innocence
- but when the sun goes down, it's a whole other story! Asians have
this appeal that we're very submissive; we look like little girls.
We combine naughtiness with naivete. Don't let the little girl looks
fool you!"
For instance, in one video, TigerLily and fellow Asian pornster Satomi
are clad in Japanese schoolgirl uniforms with authentic tube socks.
The webmistress explains, "We simulate we're bad girls waiting to
see the principal in his office… Since we're already in trouble, we
figure, 'oh, we might as well get into more trouble,' and take our
clothes off." The "students" proceed to enjoy a rather unique lunch
break, with tickler vibrator, etc.
In addition to exploiting Oriental tropes, TigerLily brings a sense
of playfulness and mirth to her persona, with a wacky sensibility
that sets her apart from most other strictly "slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am"
sites. The lightheartedness, is, in part, derived from vaudeville,
when stage performances combined comics and strippers. Pointing to
one of her photo galleries, the webmistress laughs, "This is a good
representation of me, because I like to have lots of fun. Here, I'm
having sex with a blow-up doll, and 'Big Joe' even has a pop shot
[which ever-inventive TigerLily herself, cum-cock-ted]. See, I have
a good sense of humor, that's why my site is different, and I try
to get that niche market."
"Different" seems to be TL's mantra. "I'm not your typical adult girl…
My site's lots different. I stay away from that porn factory, 'same
couch, different girl' look. You have to have fun with it, a good
sense of humor about sex. More like true erotica, erotic art, I like
to call it 'eroticore,' part-erotica, part hardcore… I always have
interesting sets and am getting into trouble… I'm not saying pornography
is bad, of course, because I'm in adult, but erotica has more of an
artistic appeal, more noirish, different angles, instead of just spread
your legs, that's it. Of course, some people like that, it's what
they want. I try and incorporate the two together. It has to do with
quality, not quantity. My site's silly, campy… Lots of artists - who
like a good laugh while wacking off - belong to my site… I like to
keep it somewhat exclusive, so people will come to my site. It's about
the character portrayal… It's my own little fantasy..."
PART TWO: Enter
the Tiger's Den...
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