Sex in the News
In this weeks sex roundup, we flashback to Cher in a bathtub and then flash forward to a NYC event you won’t want to miss. In between we’ll reminisce about the songs that made us want to put our hands on other people, discuss ways to green our sex life, and take the value of condoms.
Remember the time when Cher sang about it being in his kiss? Well she was onto something, even if what she thought she was onto was a number one hit. When it comes to a kiss, new studies suggest that smooching can tell you a lot about your body, and your chemistry. (Reuters)
File this under cut and paste (that’s what I’ve done with the title of this one, and the one below) “Why Using Sex Toys, Watching Porn, and Going Green Is an Easy Fit.” (Alternet.org)
“Sex Tips for Greens.” (Chico News and Review)
The Onion’s A.V. Club pays homage to 30 songs about the licking and sucking of various body parts. (The AV Club)
Still looking for excuses to have more sex? A reminder of the health benefits of lots-o-lovin’. (The Sacramento Bee)
Of course, lots-o-lovin’ depends on your age and your state of mind. If you’re young, or not sure about what can happen when you have sex, read Alfie Patten’s story. It’s just another example of why proper sex education is so needed in schools. (The Sun)
And if the above story inspires you to practice safer sex, or even if it doesn’t, check out Planned Parenthood’s compilation of condom videos. (youtube.com)
Happening in NY this Friday: "A dialogue on Sex in America: Can the Conversation Change?" It's worth the time if you’re in town -- a panel discussion featuring some of the best and the brightest of the EC. (The Open Center)
Image: "kiss?" by liveandrock on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.
Read more at Waxman's blog.
Tweet- 2-20-09
- Jamye Waxman's blog
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sex and going green
I have been working in the retail and distribution side of the adult industry since I graduated from college in 2005. I originally started working in the "porn shop" because I had developed a very nazi-feminist sense of the industry from college and wished to "know my enemy".
However, I quickly learned that instead of our customers being "perverts" and "deviants", they were actually mostly just normal people who had gotten bored with their sex life and were seeking something more. Some were women who HAD NEVER HAD AN ORGASM! Those were my favorites to help.
It is amazing to think that we have only recently entered an era in which we (the western world or developed world or what have you) have finally "discovered" the female orgasm and are attempting to figure out exactly what it is and how it works... and since female orgasm is not a necessity for procreation (although the cervix DOES expand and contract during female orgasm, creating a suction-like effect that pulls the sperm towards it) our industry faces an onslaught of legal battles every year. In some states, like Kansas, there are still sex toy bans on the books- which links directly to the fear of female orgasm and sex without procreation.
Why do the powers that be wish to keep the magic of the female orgasm in the dark! Let it shine, girls, let it shine! There are more 'powers' in the female orgasm than I think we as a society have even begun to explore. Throughout history, this information has been pushed to the edge or eradicated and as a chic who has been experiencing orgasms since before they were orgasms, I would like to know A LOT more about it! Personal testimonials and extensive sharing have taught me much, if only the scientists would catch up! Haha.
So, to get more on topic with the above articles, when the shop owner found out that I had a college degree he moved me to South Carolina from Virginia to the corporate office where I assist him in running his retail and distribution companies. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that the adult industry has always prided itself on being on the forefront of "alternative lifestyle" issues. Before I had ever heard of phthalates or parabens, we had representatives from all of the major manufacturers in our offices showing us that all of their products are now free of both. California Exotics, for example, had labels reading "phthalate free" before the media had begun running its stories about it. The lubricant company, WET, created paraben free lubes (and a line of lube that has things like cranberry extract to promote healthy feminine areas) and you can see this label on many lubes today. The manufacurers educated us on these issues as distributors, and we have worked hard with our sales teams at the stores to pass this information on to our customers.
The adult industry is and always has been a close knit network of people who take care of each other through thick and thin. Most of the people in the industry that I deal with are very concerned with the direction the world is spinning lately. As an industry, we have always felt excluded from the mainstream and felt that it was our duty to enlighten everyone to the idea that our bodies are wonderful creations of nerves and pleasure centers that many people prefer to fear and alienate instead of love and embrace.
Of course, there will be those who turn the sacred into something ugly in every human endeavor, but I feel it is my duty to say, "Hey, porn is awesome and we are trying really hard to make it more awesome by helping the environment and our own bodies through the products we create and use."
I sense there is a rift between the adult industry and those involved with the green movement and many people in the "new age" movement downright fear and hate those in the adult industry... it is time for us to all put these little arguments aside and recognize the huge alternative community for what it is... a hodgepodge of different ways of living and being that all fill the world with love, light, and, of course, when possible, orgasms. ~*Ibss*~