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RISK MAGAZINE: How can we embrace our bodies and our own sexuality without the
stigmas associated with them?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I don’t think that's really up to us nor do I really want it to be. I should
only have to worry about loving and caring for my body. I think ignorant people who build up
stigma for the human body have a different issue that is almost beyond me. I think we all should
love or bodies, set boundaries, and condemn wrongful behaviors.
RISK MAGAZINE: Do you see your body as art? Have you always seen it that way? What
work did it take to see that?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I definitely see my body as art, and honestly, I always have. I'm
fascinated by the human form and structure and thus have gone as far as leaving it completely
pure. I don't have any tattoos or any piercing because I really believe my body is enough. It
allows me to be a blank canvas and morph into many different forms.
"Black men have always been seen as mechanical objects, whether that's sexually or for
labour, sports etc. Though we may be exceedingly supreme in all of the above categories (as
we are), there’s a fine line between token racism and acknowledgement."
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RISK MAGAZINE: How does racism affect your social, romantic and sexual relationships
as well as your relationship to your own sexuality and the way you socialize?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: Truthfully I was ignorant to social, romantic, and sexual racism growing
up. I grew up in a very culturally diverse town in Connecticut where “racism” (at least as a kid)
had not seemed so prominent. I look back now and I’m like ‘yeah… I definitely got lucky’. So
now, I still try to see people as individuals rather than objects. I feel like that'S where the racism
lies, black men have always been seen as mechanical objects, whether that's sexually or for
labour, sports etc. Though we may be exceedingly supreme in all of the above categories (as
we are), there’s a fine line between token racism and acknowledgement. Idk I just feel like I'm
more than a BBC.
RISK MAGAZINE: Have you ever experienced fetishization that made you feel
uncomfortable?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I mean, yeah. I think it's always so weird that black guys are expected to
be hung. Most times not even on a reasonable level, and though I'm very confident and the size
of my homeboy downstairs, I also am a person and hate hate hate being subject to the physical
stereotypes of black males.
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RISK MAGAZINE: How and when were you able to give yourself permission to embrace
your body and your sexuality?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: Acknowledging your flaws goes a long way. Everyone has flaws and no
one is perfect, but if you can love all parts of yourself unconditionally, you allow yourself the
freedom to truly experience.
RISK MAGAZINE: How has technology impacted the way we see and enjoy sex / erotica?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: Much like any other being in their 20s, I’ve always enjoyed erotica;
specifically vintage tapes from the 60s and 70s. Social media allowed me to bridge the gap of
my love for fashion influencing and homo erotica. Sex is fashion, fashion is sex. It’s a feeling, an
energy, a vibe. It's a moment, yet eternal.
RISK MAGAZINE: What does self love and self celebration look like for you?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: It looks like ultimate and unlimited “IDGAF” energy. It looks like big dick
energy. It looks like “you are on the list”. When you’re constantly celebrating yourself, you will
always be the baddest bitch.
RISK MAGAZINE: What do you think about the hyper sexualization of the black body?
Why do you think this exists and how can we combat it without desexualizing ourselves?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I believe it comes from the crave of power over the black body. The
white gaze sees the black form as a tool of pleasure and convenience. I don’t think it is our duty
to be “less” appealing, we’re gorgeous, we really are. But it is our duty to continue to correct and
amplify these voices and protect the bodies of our black people.
RISK MAGAZINE: What are some of your kinks?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: Cowboys are fucking hot. I really love an adventurous southern boy. I
like a boy who can get down and dirty and clean up nicer. Isn’t it funny though that my kink has
nothing to do with my partner physically? I'm all about vibes, I wish more people were. Maybe it
would break some of this stigma.
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RISK MAGAZINE: As a community, how could we continue to separate ourselves from a
white gaze?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I feel like it’s just us to actively “call out” these moments where we feel
like we are being looked at from a white gaze of fetishization and sexualization. Change starts
with acknowledging and setting boundaries.
RISK MAGAZINE: Where did you learn your idea of what is and isn’t “sexy”?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I don't think I ever “learned” what was and wasn’t sexy. I discovered
porn and I guess figured out what turned me on and what didn’t. It almost never has anything to
do with ethnicity or race. I can find quick text replies sexy, and really get turned on by that. I
want it, I got it… or whatever Ariana said.
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RISK MAGAZINE: How much does outside validation contribute to your overall self-
esteem?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: I can’t say outside validation doesn’t affect my day to day self esteem,
living in a world where social media is at the forefront of communication it’s inevitable. However,
my validation doesn’t come from comparing myself to those out there or in the world; it's really
myself trying to seek validation from myself. Constantly, I want to be better than I was the day
before.
RISK MAGAZINE: What does it mean to be free?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: Belligerently doing what you want, when you want, and without remorse.
RISK MAGAZINE: What are some or all of the ways you censor yourself on a day to day
basis? Why do you?
D’Mahdnes LaVaughn: LOL I really don’t, I’m not saying this is okay, definitely working on it..
but come on, my name is D’Mahdnes by birth for a reason.
In a Risk Magazine series "Decolonizing Sexuality", D'Mahdnes LaVaughn stars in 'The Hottest Cowboy in the World' photographed by BABYHOUSE New York. View the full, uncensored story now at www.riskrestricted.com.
Model D'Mahdenes LaVaughn
Photographers BABYHOUSE New York
Interview LaQuann Dawson
Producer Jack Goldsmith
Great images and interview!