By Caitlin Gambee and Ami Van Wygerden
Harvard dropping its controversial “H-Bomb” sex magazine caused a minor bang compared to the explosion Boston University’s sex magazine “Boink” set off Thursday night at the Roxy.
Outside the club, anxious college students waited in long lines to participate in Boink’s opening celebration. Upon entering the Roxy, students became immersed in an atmosphere promoting sexual freedom. Male and female models came dressed in no more than underwear. Some guys took shots of alcohol poured down an ice sculpture of a nude woman, while others perused sex toys on display for purchase.
The party came to a sudden end a little after midnight, when Boston Police shut it down for underage drinking.
“It was not the way we wanted the party to end, but it was totally out of our hands,” said Boink photographer Christopher Anderson.
BU students at the premiere expressed their excitement for the magazine.
“I bought my $20 tickets two weeks in advance. Naturally, I was a little upset when the night ended so quickly,” said BU freshman Eric Westerduin.
Boink, a 95-page high-gloss magazine, incorporates explicit nude pictures and articles covering topics including the importance of condoms, virginity and same-gender sexual experiences. The production cost of the first issue was $35,000 for 20,000 copies, Anderson said. Boink has no connection to BU in terms of funding, but the majority of writers and models attend BU.
The models for Boink were open in discussing their support for the magazine.
“We pride ourselves on having no restrictions. Being naked was how you were born; embrace it, it’s natural,” said Vassili Shields, Boink model and BU sophomore.
Shields and his close friend, Jianni Garcia, have a six-page layout, including black and white photos of them being intimate in the shower and bed.
“We work together very well. Three martinis and our clothes were off,” Garcia said.
The models are photographed fully naked, usually in a college dorm room setting. When asked to compare Boink with Harvard’s H-bomb, Anderson said, “They are two very different publications. The way they were published shows that [Harvard] wanted to be very artistic. We want to be completely different.”
Northeastern students had varied opinions on the material in Boink, and equally mixed responses to the idea of seeing something similar produced on Northeastern’s campus.
“I think it is a refreshing change from the typical porn magazines. It’s not directed at one gender or sexual orientation, but at everyone. I think it would be hard to put something else out like that because Boink seems to have captured the market in Boston,” said Craig Lee, a freshman physical therapy major.
Freshman journalism major Allison Higgins said she sees the potential impact a sex magazine could have, but didn’t appreciate Boink’s methods.
“I think a sex magazine could be a positive thing if it is done in a different way. A lot of this is tasteless, which takes away from any credibility the magazine may have had,” Higgins said.
