“Eat Shit and Die!”: Rereading power dynamics in fictional depictions of coprophagia

Abstract

In a 2010 online video interview, the pornographic actor Veronika Moser discusses her long-standing interest in 'scat' fetishism (sex acts involving faeces), in particular her "passion" for consuming the excrement of her lovers and fellow actors. Introducing her preferences, she discusses how "[her] main objective was to learn to swallow shit, because that's something very special" (Moser). Indeed, the very excess of the act appears to form a large part of its appeal to Moser - she eventually justifies herself by claiming that "for me there's no extremer act" (Moser). Many of those commenting on the video appear to share a belief in the distinct, "special" quality of the fetish, whilst condemning the practice itself. Such a reaction is to be expected. Coprophagia - the term which describes Moser's fetish for consuming excrement - has long been a deeply controversial and potentially unsettling act, tied up in a series of debates about power and sexuality.