Elizabeth Waterman’s Candyland Gives Pop Aesthetic a ‘Fuck You’ Edge

Candyland cover, open.

By KENDALL KRANTZ October 18, 2024

In the forward to Elizabeth Waterman’s Candyland, Stormy Daniels writes, “How would an adult film star perform if they weren’t being directed? Candyland is the perfect answer to that question.”

Waterman’s work brings together 24 adult film stars for a fantastical exploration of autonomy, collaboration, and feminine power. The result is a series of photographs that merge camp aesthetics with the creative output of empowered artists in control of their narratives.

Waterman explains, “I think there’s a bit of a 'fuck you' in the book. You have a woman who’s in charge and giving a message: ‘I can eat as much of this as I want, while you can’t.’ Or, ‘I get to have fun with the most luscious, tactile, sensual things while you don’t.’” This declaration of autonomy is woven throughout the project, providing a visual and thematic thread that unites the collection.

One of the most striking images is that of Lisey Sweet reclining in a bathtub filled with gumballs. Her relaxed posture and the joyful absurdity of the scene invite a deeper narrative of self-creation and empowerment. “Before her career in porn, she was in biology,” Waterman shares. “She left her job and created a whole career to take dick. Hearing her talk about a gang-bang is akin to hearing about a spiritual exploration.”

This anecdote emphasizes Waterman’s deep respect for her subjects. The relationships she builds with her models go beyond the transactional. Since their shoot, Waterman and Sweet have gone on double dates with their husbands—a testament to the genuine friendships that can emerge from creative collaboration.

Lisey Sweet by photographer Elizabeth Waterman in CANDYLAND

At its core, Candyland is a celebration of creative collaboration. Waterman’s approach captures the charisma of each performer, intertwining their personal style with her distinct red-and-pink color palette. The images themselves are playful yet serious, sensual yet strategic, offering a nuanced exploration of power dynamics.

In Sweet’s bubblegum portrait, she blows a pink bubble that obscures her lips, yet her gaze speaks volumes. Her intense stare draws the viewer in, inviting them to engage on a deeper level. Sweet’s styling is equally significant; her left hand stretches above the sea of gumballs, showcasing intricately hand-painted nails.

A multi-talented artist, Sweet designed the set for her shoot and created acrylic nail art to match Waterman’s red-and-pink aesthetic. This personal contribution underscores the collaborative nature of the project, with Waterman involving her subjects in every aspect of the process. “I go to their house and go through their entire closet,” Waterman recalls. “While I pick garments matching my color palette, they own the clothes.”

This sense of ownership extends beyond the wardrobe. Waterman’s artistic vision is tied to her careful use of color, particularly the recurring themes of red and pink. “Many of the photographs from Candyland were shot on a particular color-streaked film,” Waterman explains. “Red is the color of desire and power. Take red lips, they are very sexual; a woman in red lipstick is the woman in charge. Red is also a color portraying a woman’s genitals. It’s a very sexualized color.”

Though the red-and-pink motif runs throughout the book, Waterman’s intention is to showcase the individuality of each performer. Her ideation process is meticulous. Before even reaching out to her subjects, Waterman compiled storyboards that could reach up to thirty pages, mapping out how her aesthetic vision aligns with the performer’s unique personality and style.

This attention to detail is a hallmark of Waterman’s photographic practice, which, as she notes, is about embodying rather than capturing her subjects. “In this medium, these subjects are typically seen as objects,” she explains. “They are usually sold as commercial sex objects, but here they are displayed as muses with autonomy, awareness, and authorship of the scenes they are in.”

Waterman’s ability to collaborate with such a star-studded group of performers stems from her years spent integrating into the sex work and adult film communities. Her previous book, Moneygame, was a critically acclaimed photographic exploration of strip clubs across the United States. “I spent a lot of time in strip clubs, and that’s where I started meeting porn stars,” Waterman recalls. “A through line of my work is finding extraordinary performers who embody ideals we can aspire to and capturing those ideals in a moment of performance.”

To truly understand her subjects’ jobs, Waterman immersed herself in their world. She participated as a director on adult film sets, gaining firsthand experience in what it takes to perform in front of the camera. “I filmed scenes for Spencer, London, and Jillian, creating scenes they posted and sold. I got to see what their job’s really like, at least from the perspective of a director,” Waterman shares. “I’m really glad I did that; I saw how extraordinary they are at what they do. It’s different when you’re actually there, when you can smell the sex as it’s happening.”

Waterman speaks about her subjects with genuine admiration. “With any performer, there’s a moment they take your breath away by showcasing some superhuman ability, whether it’s a pornstar giving a world-class blowjob or a stripper doing an insane flip off the pole, landing in the splits,” she says.

Candyland, spread

This awe at the physical prowess of her subjects is palpable throughout the book. Yet, it is not just their technical skill that Waterman captures—it is the magic of their performance: “It’s an intimate arena, not a public one like a strip show or circus… What’s powering them is not the crowd but their own fantasy, experience, and sexuality. That’s driving the magic of their performance.”

The magic is not only in the performances but also in Waterman’s composition. Her use of balanced, yet intuitive staging invites the viewer into a conversation with the images.

Each subject’s face is given priority, drawing the viewer’s eye directly to the expressions and emotions that linger as you turn the page. “In one sense or another, all the compositions are organized to draw the eye to the subject’s faces,” Waterman explains. The connection between subject and viewer is thus mediated not by the physicality of the body, but by the power of the gaze.

Candyland is a visual feast, but Waterman urges viewers to engage beyond the images. “Even though the photos are so tantalizing, reading the copy is important. It may sound simple, but it’s easy to be mesmerized by them,” she advises. The photographs represent not just a celebration of beauty and sexuality but also a statement about the power of self-representation.

With Candyland, Waterman offers more than just a collection of portraits. It’s a celebration of autonomy, creativity, and the beauty of women embracing their power on their own terms.

Waterman herself is part of this conversation on power. In one image, she places herself in the same seat where later, Natalie Knight will joyfully devour a slice of cake. In doing so, Waterman sets the tone for the entire book: “There’s a statement here that is the tone of the book: campy, hilarious, and a woman who is clearly in charge of her desire and sexuality.” WM