NEW YORK — Kelly Shibari today became the first-ever plus-size adult performer to grace the cover of “Penthouse Forum.”
With a black-and-white cover photo by rock and roll photographer Se7en, and a photo set by Eddie Powell from New Sensations’ “Big Girls Are Sexy 4,” the seven-page profile gives readers an inside look at Kelly’s background, personality and unique appeal.
“’Penthouse Forum’ has traditionally been about exploring human sexuality in all its forms,” managing editor Eric Danville said. “When the time came to choose someone who had a compelling story, which also addresses important issues, the first person I thought of was Kelly Shibari. When the piece finally came together, putting her on the cover was a no-brainer.”
The introductory message in the June 2014 issue, entitled, “Suck It, Vogue,” echoes the editor’s sentiment. “With this issue, ‘Penthouse Forum’ breaks with a long-held tradition in the mainstream adult magazine field,” it states. “We’re not trying to be politically correct. We’re not doing this to ‘prove a point.’ And we’re sure as shit not doing this to assert, as some second-generation, post-modern feminists do, that ‘this is what a real woman looks like.’ We’re shining the spotlight on Kelly Shibari to show that we love women of all shapes, sizes, and colors — just like our readers!”
The interview, conducted by Sarah Deming, also explores Kelly’s appeal. “Kelly is real,” Deming wrote. “She can cure you of skinny starlets with predatory eyes … She doesn’t tweet about what a hot, horny slut she is. She tweets about beer and barbeque, travel and art … [and] if you tweet at her, she’ll tweet back — but you had better be a gentleman about it.”
Deming continued, “Kelly isn’t doing [porn] to be political. You probably won’t even notice that you’re learning. After a few hours with her, you’ll simply feel better about your own body and the bodies of others.”
The June 2014 issue is poised to hit stands nationwide and goes live online today.
“What an incredible, amazing honor,” Shibari said. “This really has been a whirlwind of a year, and to have such an iconic magazine feature me as their first-ever plus-size model simply takes my breath away. I have read many, many issues of ‘Penthouse Forum’ as my masturbatory inspiration for decades, and as a full-figured woman, I thought I would never see someone like me featured. To now see me inside those pages — and on the cover — is … well, it really is just the best thing ever.”
Fans can visit Shibari’s site to purchase a limited number of signed copies of the magazine. To order a personalized copy, click here. There will not be a reprint of this issue.
