Orgasm Inc.: The Story of OneTaste

No pun intended - the general idea does not sound bad ... at all. But as with everything (or almost everything I reckon), the more people get involved ... the messier it gets. Again, true for most things ... also while you may like it that way, let's be clear: things that (allegedly) happen here (or are talked about)? Not cool to say the least.

Question is, what is real? What actually happened? And what do we want to believe? Not everyone involved will talk and give their perspective - may sound guilty, but you can't talk about things others have done without making yourself vulnerable I reckon.

On the other hand, you may think when it comes to orgasm: isn't being vulnerable what it's all about? Well mostly I reckon. Now I would not say that this is meant to be erotic or enticing ... or made to arouse you (not judging if it does - well some of it). But more information would have been useful - more insight ... and more clarity ... not everything is the fault of the makers of this ... just saying what some viewers surely have felt watching this. It would be more enjoyable ... with certain aspects (no pun intended)

What happened here? A compelling story about a sex cult that teaches women and men about increasing orgasmic pleasure goes soft when it comes time to deliver. Even from a technical standpoint the film is poorly executed and rife with cliches. I feel for the people who were victims of Onetaste but the majority of the film actually celebrates the cult instead of exposing the predatory nature of the leader Nicole and her close followers. The extremely cliche b-roll shots of people laying in bed "thinking" and staring out a window with tears welling up are almost comical at times. With that said, it's interesting enough to learn that something like this existed and thrived with celebrities and the tech elite of Silicon Valley. Give it a watch if you are looking for some cheap entertainment (or to listen to in the background). HOWEVER.... what you won't find here is the savvy documentary style that Netflix has nailed so many times before. Shame.

As with many Netflix documentaries of late, the biggest flaw with this one is creating it too early. There are no conclusions at the end, no satisfying ending, simply "this is still ongoing." At least with The Tinder Swindler, the guy becomes destitute (although not for long before he's at it again) but at least it was something.

They do a good job in describing how the woman who created it ended up taking ideas from L Ron Hubbard and other people who created successful cults - I think the biggest difference is she after more than money; she was the epitome of "blame the victim" when it came to sex.

The line I found the most interesting (paraphrasing): "I don't know why people always say if women ran the world everything would be great, just look at OneTaste."

Ah, this is yet another addition to the list of documentaries that highlight the ugly side of consumerist America and a cult that tries to capitalize on something that easily sells - SEX. The interviews focus on people who worked for and with Nicole Daedone, the founder and cult-like leader of OneTaste, a company that wanted to improve sexual wellness (especially, for women). The piece swerves between the fantastic yet dangerously coercive nature of Daedone and folks who've had to undergo multiple levels of bodily and psychological trauma as a result of being part of her "closely knit" team. The upper management apparently was in full favor of letting your inner beast loose in the act of sex, which enabled and condoned predatorial behavior.

What begins as a gleefully progressive way of giving women better orgasms, slowly evolves into something exploitative and traumatic. It comes as no surprise, as listening to Daedone speaking about rape and child molestation for a couple of minutes is sufficient for you to go WTF! To think such a company made millions of dollars over the years of its existence is a typical "American" thing to believe. OneTaste seems like another company that's targeting people's weaknesses, making you feel bad for everything you've been through in life (sexually or otherwise), and then asking you to pay big amounts on courses that are supposed to make everything better.

It's quite similar to a ponzi scheme; the difference being that you're exposing your mind, body, and financial status to possible harm. While much of the documentary revolves around the (mal)practices within the company and several interview snippets of Daedone's, the most impactful story comes at the end when a former employee speaks out, using her sister as a mouthpiece. Does it shock you that there are currently no ongoing litigations against Daedone or her company? Naah.

I was in OneTaste and it absolutely messed me up. People who harassed and violated me were welcomed in the community without even a pause. We were encouraged to always be friends and "stay connected". Imagine being told that after someones literally violated you. I heard of it happening often within the community. The leader cares more about money and herself than anything else and publicly condoned this behavior. It took me a lot of therapy to start having healthy relationships after I left. And yet, she still has a strong following. I think this is an important doc for anyone who'd like to be aware of cults, cult leaders and those in the sex positive space in general.