Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Call girls, bondage, pornography, naked yoga, adultery and the science of sperm; it's all here but maybe NSFW
On the meaning of sex and sexual freedom (Probably NSFW)
At the mean, the sexes basically have the same capacities. It’s just that men are more scattered than women, so there are more male geniuses, and more male morons. But that doesn’t mean we’re fundamentally different
If you cheat it shouldn't be with someone it would make a difference to
A mistress is a misogynist who collaborates with an abusive man to deceive his partner
"Reducing desire to its evolutionary effects doesn't tell us much about the epic and often confounding behaviors that it generates"
Rodney Dangerfield, on getting older
I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table
Christopher Hitchens, on living
"The four most over-rated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics"
On growing trend for pornified sex. "Before I knew it, he was out of me, over me, and breathlessly inquiring, 'Where do you want this?' Unfortunately he was not the first nondermatologist to offer a fourth-date facial"
Frank, unsentimental account of virginity loss and sexual discovery. "The thing I badly wanted wasn’t sex but to be rid of my virginity, the last vestige of a childhood spent trusting and respecting adults, seeking their approval"
Revisiting work of Wilhelm Reich. Believed shuddering orgasms were fundamental not just for health but democracy too. Claimed capitalism supressed sexuality, coined phrase "sexual revolution". Built "orgone energy accumulator"
Post-internet, customers don't have to shuffle into a sleazy cinema or sex-shop to get pornography. What do we learn about revealed preferences? Turns out, society has hard-core tastes. Demand skews way beyond naughty nurses
How do we experience sex at various stages of our lives? Frank, funny and touching insights into the sex lives of teens to octogenarians. The anonymity is a reminder of how the British are still reluctant to talk openly about sex
Pretty much the definition of oversharing. Decidedly NSFW, or many homes. But she's such a great writer, this cries out to be recommended. And it's the one chance you'll get to read a piece this frank
Beat this for a first sentence: "It was my research editor who told me it was completely nuts to willingly get fucked at gunpoint." Mother Jones correspondent on doing journalism in dangerous places, and getting over the stress
An insight into the private thrills of spanking as we visit a bi-monthly adult party in New York. Popular with airline pilots, military personnel and chaps from the Pentagon apparently
Paunchy 40-something male explains how he makes a living as a Las Vegas prostitute. Nicely done, risqué but not too rude. And not at all the sort of thing one gets to read every day
Two loving individuals, in the privacy of their own home, indulge in consensual sex. Is it wrong? Society says yes—when it's a brother and sister. But why? When you consider the arguments in detail, are they less strong?
Unpromising looking article that explodes into life when author begins telling how she revived her sex life through Craigslist Casual Encounters. Thoughtful, astonishingly candid and definitely not for prudes
The idea that our body odours are "chemically charged mating signals" is so accepted "you would think that all you need is one good sweat to lure your guy". Pheromones may work for insects but there's no proof mammals even have them
On life as an asexual. "I'm interested in sex from an intellectual standpoint. I'm interested in sex from an abstract relational standpoint. But it’s not something I want on a deeper level. I'm more drawn to high energy cuddling"
Profiles of seven women active in Bay Area bondage scene. Intriguing, educative—but not safe for work, nor, perhaps, home
Imagine Silvio Berlusconi confessing to an agony aunt. An amusing take on the Italian prime minister's alleged sexual preoccupations. Perhaps that’s what to do when you’re not 'bello' anymore
"What if our kids really believed we wanted them to have great sex?" Sitting in on most unusual (for America) sex education classes, with Mr V. “When God was passing out talents,” he likes to say, “I got ease in talking about sex"
Interesting look at the myths of being an escort. Possible reasons for envy: "A woman's worth is constantly equated with her sex appeal. Is it any wonder that women might find it compelling to take that equation to its logical end?"
Sheril Kirshenbaum, Univ of Texas researcher, tells everything you might want to know about the psychology and physiology of kissing—and then some. Beware oversharing about male tongue. Gerbils, by contrast, tap heads
Lighthearted interview with the famous sex author and her daughter. Both entertain with stories of Erica's long line of dubious boyfriends and Molly's wholehearted rejection of a sexually liberal lifestyle
"I found it hard to ignore the slight swinger party vibe. It was also hard to ignore that the final male to female ratio was about 18:5. Definitely not your typical yoga class demographics"
Writer (39, unmarried) reflects on how she got to here, and the "post-Boomer ideology that values emotional fulfillment above all else". Interesting, if lengthy, investigation of the state of marriage, sex and relationships today
Do real men like to cuddle? Tactile reporter investigates, trying out a "cuddle party" and tangling with the "When Harry Met Sally" question of whether sex always gets in the way. Enjoyable stuff
Dan Savage, sex columnist, discusses monogamy. "He believes that pretty much anything can be used to spice up a marriage, although he excludes faeces, pets and incest, as well as minors, the nonconsenting, the duped and the dead"
Discusses the importance of scent attraction between couples, 'A good armpit musk, then, might be the spicy perfume of genetic diversity, an evolutionary come-hither call'
Sex columnists are sometimes assumed to practice what they preach and if they're not sexually experimenting they shouldn't be doing their job. But the challenge of sex advice is to keep the spark alive in long-term relationships.
Male sexual infidelity is always a hot topic for debate. But what is it that really causes people to stray? Vanity? temptation? The power aphrodisiac? Or is it an underlying, constant need for validation?
Thought-provoking interview with Gail Dines, author of Pornland. "Boys and men don’t understand the power pornography has to shape who they are. They go to it for an ejaculation, they come away with a lot more"
"As a culture, we don't take sex seriously enough and don't take it lightly enough either. But the sexual ideal is hard to specify." On the influence of Wilhelm Reich's theories of sex and society
"It's an odd notion of liberty that equates the dangers of legalising pornography and the dangers of prohibiting gun ownership", but it's the prevailing one in America
Relationship psychologist and updater of 1970's classic, The Joy of Sex, chooses her favourite books (including one sex manual) and explains that sex is for life
