A Field Guide To Arabelle Raphael

When we saw Arabelle's name on Courtney Trouble's crush list, it reminded us that we too have a crush on her--like, a big ol' nasty middle school style one where we try to smash our last names together and draw hearts around the result (Arabelle Fleshbot doesn't really work). We try to push our emotions down, but they seep out and then we have to sublimate our feelings for her with a Field Guide! You know how we do.

Arabelle Raphael was born in Paris, France in 1989 (around the end of February) and moved with her family to California when she was five. Her mother is French and Tunisian, and from her Arabelle received her hair, eyes, and body shape; her father is an Iranian Jew, and he gave her his skin tone and facial structure. Of course, the most important thing Arabelle's parents gave her (besides life) is a positive sense of self and a household without shame:

I grew up in a household where I was never shamed about my body nor sex. We never had "the talk", we just talked about things openly (age appropriately of course). If I had a question I could just ask. Unlike most of my friends, I never really had to come out them. It just was, also my mother is incredibly supportive of my work. All this is why I am so comfortable.

Although Arabelle is relatively new to the adult industry, she says she's felt an affinity for it for a long time. "Sex work has always been a secret desire of mine, even as I little girl. I always saw some kind of power in it." In fact, as she mentioned to QueerPornTV, she remembers "playing stripper" in her youth. She started off with a bit of nude modeling and fetish work, and with each shoot she posed for, she found herself getting more graphic, raunchy, and raw for the cameras. Arabelle soon realized that all of her boundary pushing was leading her towards porn, and deep in her heart, she wanted to have sex on camera. By the way, prior to all that, she was working in retail and tutoring kids in French.

We can't quite figure out what Arabelle's first official porn scene was, but she has named two of her favorites! One is the one she shared with Keni Styles in Burning Angel's "Doppelganger," and it was special because it was her first time starring in a big plot-based porno. The other is her scene with James Darling for Crash Pad Series. Interestingly, her first time at Crash Pad (with the lovely Billy Castro) came right before she came out as queer--she notes, "by that point I was already surrounded by the queer scene. I was extremely lucky!"

Not only is she lucky, she's also a big sweetheart! Arabelle's currently in the process of finishing school and applying to sex therapist programs because she believes that sexuality has the power to heal (and can itself be healed).

I eventually want to specialize in [post-traumatic stress disorder]. Many women with a history of any kind of sexual violation are told that they are damaged for life and will never be able to have a healthy sexuality; I don't think that's true. I feel like psychology and sex work are somewhat related, especially when doing cam work and stripping. I have definitely found myself counseling some of my customers, which I feel is the most taxing part of the job. You never know when it will come up, and you aren't usually expecting it.

On an unrelated note, let's talk about Arabelle's tattoos. Scratch that, let's see what she says about them:

My cherry blossoms and stocking seams are just cause they are pretty. The locked heart and broken heart on my ankles were drunk and emo reactions to a break up. My monarchs are tattoos that my sister and I will share. The high heel is my femme pride tattoo. I have one of my best friend's tits tattooed to my arm (she has mine). The key means I hold the "key" to everything I need no one else does. My feminist tattoo is a feminist tattoo. The scissors mark a very hard time in my life where I made the decision to "cut" many things out of my life. The "rite" is for rites of passage. The hummingbird represents joy. The phrase in French on my stomach means I will not be a slave to regret. And last is the beetle on my wrist which is going to get covered up. It represents rejuvenation.

On her Model Mayhem page, Arabelle says, "I am an acquired taste." We don't know how anyone could not appreciate the mix of sweet and spicy she puts out in the world. Arabelle is thoughtful, driven, gorgeous, and full of love; she's a proud sex worker and a force for good.

Also, her septum piercing is perhaps the sexiest we've ever seen.

Be sure to check out
· Arabelle's Twitter (twitter.com)
· Her Tumblr (arabelleraphael.tumblr.com)
· Her profile on Burning Angel (burningangel.com)
· This interview with Porn Valley Vantage (pvvonline.com)
· And buy her something off her Amazon Wish List (amazon.com)

[At top: photo via Driven By Boredom (drivenbyboredom.com)]