Category Archives: NudeInMetal.com

Thumbnails, Age Verification And More

Website Errors, Elections And Laws

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Please forgive a rather boring email this time. I recently had a problem with thumbnail generation on SilkSoles.com, now fixed, but symptomatic of what’s shaping up to be a turbulent few months for all adult industry content creators. The reason for the thumbnail problem is, indirectly, legal changes in the USA. Various states have brought in age verification requirements with conflicting regulations, and all web hosting platforms are having to decide what to do about it. Our web hosts and billing provider, Surfnet, has very kindly implemented a system for us to use to handle this automatically.

However, it involves some sweeping changes under the hood, which can cause issues with our content management system which has been faithfully underpinning our sites since 2007. The next few months may see in a few more niggling errors
as the AVS software gets updated and more legal requirements are placed upon us; rest assured we are working to fix these as they arise.

There is a broader issue: the recent election result in the USA brings in a new administration, and some of their backers have made a lot of noise about banning pornography and locking creators and web hosts in prison. This is an attempt to explain what is going on, without getting political, and what we in the industry are doing to prepare.

TL;DR version: the message is that if you are a fan of kinky content, STOCK UP ON IT NOW. The creators need to build resources so we can adapt to necessary changes, and it’s almost certain that heavier censorship is coming to the kink arena. If you wait, you may not be able to buy it at all.

In Detail

Despite the fact that we are British, the USA is our single largest market. Our websites are hosted in the USA, as they have been for a couple of decades, and many of the large platforms through which we sell are also based in the USA.

There is a faction within the incoming administration which openly seeks to shut down the adult industry entirely. The “Mandate for Leadership” document which is guiding framework for Project 2025 explicitly states “Pornography should be outlawed” – something which they are using as a way in to attacking representation and resources for LGBT+ people online. Furthermore it states “The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.”

That’s US they are talking about – your favourite creators, models, producers, websites and the platforms through which we sell. They want it all shut down and all of us doing other things, or in prison.

How strong an influence this view will have in the new administration is currently unknown and we may be catastrophizing.

What is not catastrophizing is that various states in the USA have recently introduced “Age Verification” measures. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Utah and Virginia have all introduced laws like this. More will probably come. Each has conflicting requirements imposed on the age verification solution, so one solution cannot be used for all of them. (For example one state requires re-verification every hour). To the proponents, this is feature not a bug – the more onerous it is for us to comply, the greater the likelihood we just give up.

Surfnet is kindly implementing state-by-state systems for all their hosted sites to at least try to keep our work available to people in those states. It’s a complex problem and is causing endless niggling technical conflicts which need fixing as they arise (in between shoot days and editing days).

It should be up and running on the eStore already, SilkSoles.com has it implemented and it’s broken the model pages and some of my webmaster admin pages; we’re fixing that now. RE and Elegance Studios will follow. We hate to do it – all of the arguments against age verification that we advanced when the UK attempted to bring in similar laws a
few years ago still apply. But we don’t really have a choice at this point.

I should emphasise again that this is real and current.

Kinky content is always the first to get attacked. I can’t put anything implying Slave Auctions up on Clips4Sale any more, no matter how clear the video makes that it is consensual, fictional or a game. For now I am editing a special version of the clip removing reference to the “auction” parts but if other billing companies follow suit the days of cheery Slave Auction videos may well be numbered. Many producers and creators are making alternate edits for the platforms vs. their own sites to pass compliance – that’s not catastrophizing either, it’s already the daily reality of production. I can’t see that getting any better – indeed what’s most likely is that all the billing platforms, even the ones outside the USA, will be pressured into applying similar rules to C4S eventually.

In short – although kinky content is never going to go away, we may well be in for a turbulent few years in terms of how we supply it. The range of what we can offer on the more public platforms may be quite restricted, and the same restrictions may eventually get applied even to smaller platforms and websites.

This alone is enough to cause upheaval in the adult industry. Add to that the continuing evolution of X (nee Twitter) under its new ownership and the adult-unfriendly nature of most other social media platforms and we’re not sure where we will be able to advertise or reach our broader fan bases. Platforms like instagram are only going to clamp down harder on anything which sniffs even faintly of kink or adult content if the administration takes a hard line approach. Clips4Sale and ManyVids will buckle under VISA and Mastercard demands to make content much more vanilla.

If you have favourite models or creators, make sure you get on their mailing lists. Following them on a platform doesn’t help if the platform shuts them down.

Obviously we are all going to try to do something about it, individually and collectively. To do that the one thing we are really going to need is your support. Implementing systems to follow the laws costs money and takes time. Changing billing or hosting or distribution channel is hugely disruptive. What we collectively as an industry beg you to do is to support us, especially for the next six months so we can build up some resources.

Analysis by Alexandra Snow

In case you still think it is just me being alarmist, I’ll quote you a thread by Alexandra Snow (Edited for brevity):

“A non-political thread.

Let’s talk realistic impacts on the adult industry for independent content creators, and my advice for both fans and SWers.

TLDR: fans of kink, femdom, niche fetishes, and individual creators should buy/stockpile content now

Creators: diversify, plan

There’s a high probability that online adult content platforms will face heightened attention from conservative policymakers and advocacy groups, leading to more cautious environments in as little as 3-6 months.

We know this because it’s already happening.

Anticipate that major social media and content-sharing platforms are likely to preemptively adjust their policies to align with anticipated regulatory shifts, potentially leading to stricter content moderation and increased deplatforming of adult content creators.

No marketing.

Introduction of bills aimed at restricting or regulating online adult content is likely. These could include measures to impose more age verification requirements, limit payment processing for adult content, or expand definitions of obscenity.

You can’t access or buy content.

Payment processors and financial institutions may begin to distance themselves, and sites must implement more aggressive content filtering to comply with new laws, leading to loss of income for creators whose content is deemed non-compliant. OF, C4S, IWC, LF, Fansly, PH, etc.

What kind of content is likely to be most affected?
Kink/Fetish/BDSM – Always the first to be impacted.
LGBTQIA+ Themes – Especially trans, but all are at risk
Female Empowerment – See also, femdom.
Fan platforms and custom content – often branded as “unregulated” and “risky”

Hardcore and explicit fetish content often pushes the boundaries of what is considered “acceptable” by conservative standards and may be deemed “obscene” or morally objectionable under more restrictive policies. These categories are often the first to be flagged or restricted.

Platforms may begin to enforce stricter guidelines on hardcore content, banning certain fetishes or practices altogether. Content creators working in BDSM, CNC, or other edge-play scenarios may be forced to significantly alter or censor their content, more than it already is.

Conservative movements often seek to police LGBTQIA+ representation, especially in adult content, under the guise of “protecting traditional values.” LGBTQIA+ adult content is frequently at risk of censorship, especially when coupled with sex-positive or exploratory themes.

LGBTQIA+ creators and those producing queer-themed adult content could face increased scrutiny and removal from mainstream platforms. This might also extend to content labeled as “educational” or “expressive,” if it doesn’t fit heteronormative standards.

That includes girl/girl.

Content creators who focus on educating about safe sexual practices, consent, kink, and other sex-positive topics may see their videos, posts, or websites flagged or removed from platforms.

Policymakers often view it as “promoting” sex work or alternative lifestyles.

Platforms like OnlyFans, LoyalFans, and others that facilitate direct engagement between creators and fans are often seen as a target because they are viewed as enabling “unregulated” adult content.

Payment processors and platforms may impose stricter verification protocols, limit types of content allowed, or outright ban certain activities on fan sites. Creators who rely on custom content requests (which may include fetishes or themes not allowed on other platforms) might be forced to move to more underground channels.

Content that explores female or queer empowerment, particularly around sexual freedom and autonomy, often clashes with conservative values. Content that encourages personal empowerment, or challenges traditional roles may face shadowbanning, deplatforming, or forced moderation.

Here’s my advice:

Diversify Platforms: Utilize multiple platforms to distribute content, reducing reliance on any single platform.

Organize your content and have a plan for how you would redistribute it to other sites if you lose one.

Diversify your topics too.

Stay Informed: Regularly monitor legislative developments and platform policy changes to anticipate and adapt. See also
@FSCArmy

Connect with fans directly: Have your own website, discord, mailing list, Telegram, etc. Keep fans informed, educate them!

For fans and supporters:

– Follow creators on multiple platforms
– Use direct support options, such as Throne, gift cards, crypto, etc
– Engage intelligently on platforms and avoid language and terms that get us flagged
– Subscribe to newsletters and private channels (if avail)

Be patient and understanding if content frequency or type changes.
Recognize that creators may have to adapt or take breaks for their mental health and safety.
Express your support and understanding, and know that these are often necessary to ensure long-term sustainability.
If you’re comfortable, consider advocating for creators’ rights by supporting organizations and policies that protect freedom of expression and digital rights. Raise awareness about the importance of supporting adult creators and the threats we face. Join
@FSCArmy
and
@EFF

Take time to learn about digital rights, online censorship, and how these issues affect adult content creators specifically.

Buy up your favorite topics and content now before you can’t find it.

Learn how to use VPNs.

And send your favorite creators encouragement.

Also understand that unlike legislation, censorship in the adult industry happens more quickly because no one wants to be caught holding the hot potato of obscenity.

It’s easier for sites to comply with these shifts than to fight them because you risk losing your $$ processors.”

We Are Not Going Anywhere. But We Need Your Support, More Than Ever

I’m sorry for the gloom and doom. I feel like I’ve cried Wolf before – because when the UK government tried to introduce these measures they pulled back at the last minute. Restrained Elegance was being investigated when the censorship body was itself wound up. I delayed sending in my response until they’d been abolished. That is not going to happen this time – the state-by-state age verification is already here.

We, and hopefully your other favourite kinky creators, are not planning on going anywhere. But it looks like we in for upheavals in the ways we can distribute what we shoot, so please bear with us. Your continued support is what keeps the adult industry alive.

I’ll send a cheerier post along tomorrow with all the latest releases. In the meantime, please support your favourite creators, the next few months are going to be a bit up and down for the industry I suspect.

New email address

Hi Everyone

Over the years my work email address (webmaster @ restrainedelegance.com) has got more and more unreliable, with more and more emails not getting through to me. I believe this is because of shadowbanning with some mail routers just swallowing any emails to “porny” domains. It’s annoying to say the least, and came to a head this morning when MY OWN WIFE couldn’t send me an email of her appearance on Irish TV to my work address and had to resend to my personal one.

It’s clearly got out of hand, so I have set up a new secure email system using protonmail and a custom domain.
So from now on if you need to email me, please send to webmaster@restrainedelegance.help.

Hopefully that will prove more reliable!

The old email address will still work as well or as badly as it is right now, and it’ll take me a while to change all the “contact us” links and so forth. But hopefully the new address will be more reliable.

Hywel

Custom video/photos update

Hi Everyone,

Did you know that you can order custom videos (now in 4K!) and photosets (in 42 megapixel high res) of your favourite Restrained Elegance models?

Fancy seeing Lauren Louise naked in handcuffs, or Hannah Claydon in a strict hogtie? Lucy Lauren bound and gagged in satin or Sophia Smith in stockings and steel shackles? You can! We can shoot customs with any of our
regular models!

Details are here: https://www.elegancestudios.com/wordpress/?page_id=24888.

I’ve made a few changes, the main ones being to add 4K resolution for video, and to move to the industry standard of payment in advance. I had been taking payment after the shoot, but a few people were slow to pay, and also kept adding little refinements and details right up until the day of the shoot, which is completely impractical for us to handle as a small production house.

So the main reason I’ll be taking payment in advance is
that that represents signing off on the agreed final script in advance of the shoot so we know exactly what we’re producing and won’t suddenly have the customer asking for a new item of clothing, prop or bondage gear at the last minute.

In case you are wondering what the difference is between the Restrained Elegance customs and the ones which Ariel shoots via https://www.askarielstudio.com… Ariel’s customs are the ones shot on her selfie camera, usually stuff that she can shoot solo or requiring an off-screen rigger (which she hires me to do, usually). They are quicker to produce as mostly she just puts the camera on a wide angle setting on a tripod and rolls in one take until they are done.

Restrained Elegance customs are shot in full 4K on a digital cine camera, with full cinematic lighting, high quality sound, and all the know-how we can bring to bear from nearly 20 years in the business: multiple cameras, lots of camera angles, closeups and cinematic production. They’re a bit slower to shoot and a lot more work to edit, which is why they work out a bit more expensive than the AskArielStudio ones. But if you want the very best quality, there’s just no substitute!

Forthcoming models:

We already have shoots in the calendar with:

Ariel Anderssen
Hannah Claydon
Lauren Louise
Czech Beauty
Lucy Lauren
Zoe Page
Natalia Forrest
Chloe Toy

… and we can book any of the RE regular models who are still around, too. So if you fancy a treat and a bondage video made to the highest standards, drop me a line at webmaster@restrainedelegance.com! If we like the idea, we can bring your vision to life!

Contingency Planning

5 Replies

So it looks like the UK has elected a Conservative government. Of the possible outcomes for freedom of expression and freedom of sexual identity in the UK, this is one of the gloomier ones. The attitude of other parties was unknown, but we KNOW the Tories brought in the December 2014 regulations and promised to expand internet censorship to non-UK websites as one of their campaign pledges.

If this had happened two years ago, Ariel and I would now be house-hunting for somewhere to live and work outside the UK. Our friends in Britain might not have been able to see our work, but maybe the rest of the free world could still enjoy our romantic BDSM fiction uncensored.

But a year ago, we found a place and fell in love with it. We have a beautiful, slightly crazy, slightly tumbledown old house which Pandora Blake says is like Narnia. We live in a friendly little town. Not sure exactly how friendly they will remain if we are majorly outed in hysterical right wing local press, but so far all visitors to the house have been entirely unfazed by what we do.

We also pulled the financial trick of moving from the very expensive South East of England to a cheaper and much more beautiful part of the country. The upside is we could afford a house which feels like a mansion to us, complete with a stone dungeon under the bedroom. It couldn’t be more perfect for us. But it sat unsold on the market for 18 months before we bought it- so even if we wanted to sell up and move out of the UK, that is not a viable proposition for us on a sensible timescale. By the time we managed to sell it, we may have had a referendum and no longer even be in the EU!

I’m the first to admit I’m no hard-headed businessman. I’m a bit of a dreamer, a scientist-turned artist, not a practical man, and I suck at salesmanship. Nevertheless, even a rubbish businessman like me managed to build Restrained Elegance up into a thriving cottage industry.

I’m proud of that. I’m not going to let it slip away without a fight.

But, pragmatically, I need to have some contingency plans in place for if we get closed down by the censor. If you want an idea of how heart-wrenching this is, all I can say is read Pandora’s post about her site being censored. She puts it into words more articulately than I can. It’s heart-breaking.

I want to be completely open and up-front about this. So although I’ve not yet taken legal advice, and the censor’s letter has not yet come thudding through the door, here are my thoughts as to what we might be able to do.

Right now, the regulations only apply to sites offering a TV-like video on demand service. In the last few days a challenge has been made to the way the UK is applying this to anyone and his dog who posts a video online.

The best case scenarios- one of the current challenges works and the EU makes the regulator behave sensibly. Or they decide we are without the scope of the regulations as RE is all hosted and run by a non-UK company.

Slightly worse but positive would be that we get regulated, but that the individual censor looking at out work agrees with us that our work is romantic fiction, and doesn’t require us to take everything down. We’d have to pay the blood money to be allowed to continue, but maybe they would apply the regulations sensibly. (We are not hopeful of this. Consider the sort of person who wants make a living stopping “ordinary” people watching other people’s art.)

If the regulations still only apply to video, we could hive off the video parts of RE. Maybe a combination of GeoIP blocking and credit card address verification would allow us to block all video to the UK, or even just videos featuring banned subjects (which we’d guess would be gags and CP, but who really knows? It is up to the censor).

If the axe falls we might have to take all the RE video offline, I guess, and slowly bring it back up as the censor allows. Previews will get massacred, I assume, but maybe the core of RE would be allowed to remain.

The worst case scenario is that the regulator gets the extra powers they want to cover ALL media (so stills as well as video) and ALL websites, regardless of where they are in the world. In that case, the only options would be to leave the UK or close the site. Obviously we really, really hope it doesn’t come to that.

The real bugger for us is that as Ariel and I both rely on fetish work for our income, our ability to pay the mortgage, pay the bills and eat would be greatly threatened if any of the more drastic scenarios come to pass.

We’re not the sort of people to sit passively and wait for the worst. Ariel is working on viral videos. We’re talking to film-makers about campaign pieces and activism to get the worst excesses of these regulations revoked. If we had more money, I guess we would be looking at a bolt-hole outside the UK as a worst-case scenario, but that’s just not a viable proposition at the moment.

Despite the Tory victory, I don’t think the majority of people in the UK really and truly support censorship. There is just still too much stigma about admitting to being an adult and having a healthy interest in erotica in general and BDSM and other fetishes in particular.

Ariel does have non-fetish-related work. Right now, I do not. I’m sorry if it seems a bit cowardly, but I’m going to have to figure out some contingency for me being able to support myself and pay my share of the mortgage. I will try not to let it impact negatively upon the sites; so far I’ve been doing a day’s work then heading off to the hills. I’m trying to practice and see if I can get sufficiently good at landscape photography to make a sideline for the business doing that. I’ve tried mainstream film and video production too but no-one seems to be making any money at that on the cottage industry level (too many people keen to do it, not enough people willing to pay to watch what they produce). At least landscape photography has some proven sales channels, although it is also famously hard to make a living at.

I’m expanding on teaching and tutorials, but how much call for that will there be if the censors get their way? Purpleport and amateur photographers might not be allowed to show bondage photography for much longer either.

Another downside of the move is that I can’t exactly walk into a reasonably-paid high tech job in this part of the world, either. That sounds self-pitying… it isn’t meant to be. I’m an optimist at heart and I’m not afraid of running a business or doing some hard work. I will find some way of making a living. I just don’t want it to negatively impact on RE, because RE is my art, my romantic life, my erotica, my fantasies, and Ariel and my shared life together.

The thing which is going to have most impact on RE is the whole gags-plus-bondage ban in the new regualtions. Although I fucking HATE it, I would be foolish to have a two year stock of gagged videos on disk if we’re suddenly not allowed to show them- that would be tens of thousands of pounds of investment in shoots which I might never be able to recoup.

So the other concrete policy decision from today’s election result is that for the moment we’ll be shooting mostly ungagged videos, unless it is a custom shoot. Custom shoot fees cover the production costs up front, so even if we end up not being able to put the video up on the site, at least I won’t have lost money on it. Maybe enough people will want gagged custom videos shot in the RE style that it won’t change the mix too much. I can already say there are going to be a few more videos with shoes and stockings and ballet slippers and other foot wear; a lot of custom video requests want something other than bare feet. I won’t let it change the character of the site, but barefoot and gagged bondage videos might be a bit thin on the ground for a while if people don’t want them as custom requests.

If and when we get censored, I will not go quietly. I will keep you informed of everything we do or are required to do, and will explain why (as I hope I have in this post).

And with that, I will leave you. I’m going to work on July’s RE updates and cheer myself up. And maybe go out and by a huge fucking cake of a million calories to eat.

Restrained Elegance, Silk Soles and Elegance Studios are your sites too. We will do our best to defend them for you, every way we can. We will fight this.

Hywel

Save BDSM in the UK

9 Replies

Hi Everyone

SIGN PETITION: SAVE BDSM IN THE UK

As you may have heard, most forms of BDSM have just been banned from UK websites, despite the fact that it is legal to peform, legal to film, legal to own and legal to buy from a website outside the UK. It’s just not legal for a UK-based producer to put on their website.

The regulations are ignorant of BDSM safe practice, ignore the consent of the performers, and also prohibit many other forms of sexual expression and enjoyment, especially those involving women actually taking pleasure in the activities. For more details, see these posts by lawyer Myles Jackman and feminist film maker and Restrained Elegance and Silk Soles model Pandora Blake.

Please help us repeal this ridiculous censorship. Sign the official UK government petition here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/72693 and share with everyone you know. Enough signatures and the government is legally obliged to respond. (For UK residents only- sorry, only just found that out).

You can also complain about the new regulations to the censor directly (more details on that from Pandora Blake).

If we cannot get these regulations revised or revoked, fetish production in the UK will cease and your favourite UK models will no longer appear in bondage and spanking films for your pleasure. RE model Nikki has already had to close several of her websites. Virtually all of Pandora’s scenes have suddenly and unjustifiably become illegal. Northern Spanking, AAA Spanking, Spanking Sarah and others have been forced to leave the country – and that is just in the last four days.