Adult VHS

Hi guys! Welcome back to my blog! It’s been a while, I've missed writing here! I hope you had a good winter so far. Mine had been typically Canadian, dark and cold. But I am still alive and well, I am perhaps a beast on the inside (and sometimes outside).

In this entry I mention adult videos and the people who rent them. It’s not at all graphic but I thought I’d like let you know, in case reading about stuff like that bothers you.

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In the late 90s, my family operated a convenience store. It had a section for adult video rentals at the back.

The first time I went inside, it was insane. I saw a picture of a woman with boobs that were so long they dropped to the floor. How does that lady walk around? Is it real? Is this what people like? My mom certainly didn’t have a very high opinion of it. “Ugh. These customers are disgusting. But what can you do, this is what they like to watch. I just wanted to show you so you know.” By “show” she only meant to look at the covers, I wasn’t allowed to watch the tapes, I was fourteen. I also wasn’t interested. The long boobs shocked me into aversion. If that was my mom's plan to turn me away from pornography, it worked.

This was pre-highspeed internet, people had limited ways to obtaining their adult-material. They had to get over the awkwardness of a small Chinese kid handing them a VHS tape with “XXX” written on it.

There was a rounded mirror near the front counter, so that you could clearly see who went into the forbidden 18+ section at the back of the store, and is now carefully selecting their pornography of choice. It was there to keep away thieves and under-age delinquents, but clearly also a spying tool for a nosy fourteen year old.

There was only ever male customers in their 20s to 40s who rented these videos. I’ve never seen a grey-haired man go in. And not a single woman was ever seen stepping inside either.

I often pondered what they could be thinking while they were browsing. “This looks promising, judging by the length of these boobs.” “I like how much skin you can see in this one.” “I dunno. The girls on this cover seems to have kind eyes?” How would they even know what the movies are about, there are no video trailers. Do people just base their selection on what they see on the cover? Occasionally, two buddies went in at the same time, you’d think they would be discussing their choices and coming up with something they both like, but they always kept a large distance away from one another.

Some people were genuinely shy, after quickly selecting the videos, they came out and put their tapes hastily on the counter, all the while looking at the floor.

Some were quite obvious. I remember one man gingerly said Hustler was “a good movie” while handing me the returned tape. I suppose they had plots, I’ll never know.

The income our family store generated from renting these videos played a part in getting me through university. So I am kind of grateful. I hope the long-boobed lady also got some compensation, for I am still concerned about the mechanics of how she gets around, even to this day.