Sunday, July 05, 2009
Art, We Know What We Like
The Kinsey Institute is hosting its fourth annual juried art show. This year’s show features a wide variety of sex-related photos, paintings, sculptures, etc., chosen from over 700 plus submissions received this year. The show runs through the end of July at Indiana University School of Fine Arts Gallery in Bloomington. If you’re nowhere near Indiana, you can still check out the show by viewing the 100 plus works displayed in the online gallery.
I will say that this is a very LGBT positive show. That being said, I didn’t find very many of the images to be what I consider erotic. Perhaps they aren’t intended to be, although museum curator Jennifer Cahn seems to suggest that they are. Have a look and see what you think. Ask yourself why the show jurors considered each painting, photograph, or sculpture to be sexual. A phallic, ice-encased twig just starting to melt is erotic… to me. A woman artist’s self portrait of herself as a man is not erotic to me. Yes, it has to do with sex and gender but, in this case at least, that isn’t erotic to me.
However, while you’re visiting the Kinsey site, let me recommend a more interesting online exhibit. The Kinsey Confidential exhibit combines art (such as this Paint by Numbers Dildos by Bradley J. Wicklund) with sex-related questions and answers from the syndicated “Kinsey Confidential” column. Click the thumbnails to see the larger images; then click the larger images to see and read the questions and answers.
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Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Gotta Laugh At The Queef
Lacking any better system, my browser’s bookmarks tend to fill up with sex-related news and items of interest to post here,whether I’m posting or not. However, when I go missing and don’t post anything for a while, the sheer amount of sex-related bookmarks that I’ve saved to discuss later tends to… well, proliferate like bunnies on Viagra and Clomid. That is, right now, my bookmarks look borderline obsessive. Basically, if anyone comes in the room, I immediately worry whether they are going to check out the contents of my bookmarks sidebar and immediately have me hosed down with cold water, forcefed saltpeter, and made to watch infomercials until my libido moderates. For the good of all concerned, it’s time to clear some of these out.
I don’t need to tell you that sex can be funny if looked at the right way. Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of deciding to tape themselves having sex and positioned the camera at an unflattering angle (male butts, from the back, fucking away in missionary position are comical… sorry, but it’s true) will know this is true. Back in March, there was an amusing article by Valerie Frankel on MSNBC.com and Self.com on the the joys and fumbles of sex:
Think of the funniest sound in the world. A fart? A burp? Slurp? Squish? Plop? If you don’t make at least three of those noises during sex, you’re not doing it right. How about the silliest positions you could get yourself into? Ankles around your ears? One leg sticking straight up like a cat? On your palms and rear in the air like a camel? Now you see my point: Sex is universally the stuff of comedy.
Sounds familiar to me, as did the embarrassing stories Ms. Frankely shares about her own sexual miscues through the ages. Things happen. Don’t think you’re doing it wrong because you made some noise from places you didn’t think could make noise (boob farts?) or smoothly started juggling a lubed-up toy. The tricky part is deciding in a split second and in the middle of the act itself whether or not to give in to the humor. And remember, even the porn professionals fail comically sometimes.
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Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Not Blind Yet
Ah, springtime! The birds are chirping and gathering twigs to make their nests. The trees and flowers are blooming. And just to prove that man is in touch with nature, you can bet that all across the country, chickens are choking, monkeys are being spanked, and young ladies are giving their fuzzy bunnies a carrot. As I mentioned last week, Masturbation Month got off to its usual hard-pumping start (please feel free to substitute a metaphor more suitable to your gender and/or wanking technique of choice) over the weekend with the 2009 Masturbate-A-Thon in San Francisco. The SF Weekly has a few photos. And while I haven’t found a decent report on what went on at this year’s event, SF Weekly printed an article last week that answers such questions as “How do you make all of these people comfortable while they jack off?” (answer: doggie beds) and “How do you keep track of the number of orgasms with women?” According to judge Nellie Wilson:
“It can be tricky with a woman, because they tend to run together. Is it one long one, for example, or three short ones? Do you segment? How do you make the distinction? Sometimes it’s clear. Often it’s a judgment call.”
From the event’s official site, I did find that the new record for men’s distance ejaculation is 5 feet, 4 inches. And last year’s record holder, Masanobu Sato of Japan, broke his own record for nonstop masturbation and clocked in at just two minutes short of 10 hours! (Ow.)
Elsewhere on the masturbation front, Oprah Winfrey apparently stunned her studio audience into utter silence last week when she and guest, sex educator Laura Berman, suggested that parents not only make sure their teenage daughters know it’s OK to masturbate, but to encourage them to do so, even if it means buying their girls vibrators. The fact that this sounds radical is a pretty potent argument for Masturbation Month and what may first seem like a frivolous gimmick. (We’ll know we’re in trouble when Hallmark comes up with a card.) And if Oprah pushing it and Britney Spears singing about it can help, then good for them. (OK, for those of us with a little more time perspective, I don’t think Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop” or the Divinyls “I Touch Myself” did much good. Maybe we need video? We need Good Vibes to sponsor Tristan Taormino to produce a “how to” video that would be shown to all of the 5th and 6th grade girls instead of the “how to use sanitary napkins and belts” movies Kotex used to show in the 60s and 70s. Not to date myself or anything.)
I also ran across this terrific You Tube video (from Little Plum Pictures) where young women talk about masturbation, particularly about how no one ever, ever wants to talk about girls masturbating and what that means to girls as they grow up:
Finally, there was this humorous piece about a man who discovered masturbation was actually more fun than killing time on the computer, thanks to a power outage.
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Categories: Sex news
Tags: masturbation
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
May Menage a Moi
I just watched the movie, Quiet City, on Sundance Channel. And, while I’ll readily admit to being a mumblecore slut and that therefore my opinion here may be somewhat suspect, I just want to say how much I loved this movie! Yes, the characters (naturally) didn’t do much, but that’s part of the point. While they were going on about their lives, they were genuine and likeable. I also liked the composition of the visuals in and around Brooklyn; it reminded me of when New York still had that “place to be” romance to it. Finally, I thought the lead actress (and co-writer), Erin Fisher, was adorable. Those lips, those eyes! Erin, if you want to come bum around suburban Boston (“Ooo, look! Another Dunkin Donuts!”), just let me know.
May is Masturbation Month. San Francisco’s Masturbate-a-Thon is early this year (this Saturday, May 2). Competitions this year include Longest Squirt, Longest Time Spent Masturbating, Most Orgasms (male record is 31, female is 49), and something new called the Tag Team Fun event. If you can’t attend in person, you can go all voyeur and follow along online. You can also download a pledge form, get sponsors (by the minute or by the orgasm, your choice), and go it alone or with friends. Money raised by the event benefit the Center for Sex and Culture. (And I won’t embed this, but the Center for Sex and Culture is featured in this Penn and Teller Bullshit videoclip on masturbation. The abstinence folk at the beginning and end of this clip make me want to scream… and possibly beat them over the head with a healthy 15 year old.)
I was just discussing environmental initiatives in sex with my pal, JeN. And aside from the eco lubricants (organic, no hormones, glycerin, sugars, etc.) such as Good Clean Love’s Almost Naked flavored lubes, and a new effort to recycle old sex toys (not for reuse… don’t worry), we couldn’t seem to come up with much to recommend for you green, yet horny, types. But then I found the Earth Angel Wind-Up vibrator. Made of 100 percent recycled parts, you simply wind up the vibe for 4 minutes to keep it buzzing away for a half an hour. No more batteries or vampire chargers!
Wait… it’s still April, isn’t it? So, since it is technically still National Poetry Month, I have one last link for you. Visit the A Taste of Sex podcast to listen to poets reading and/or singing their erotic poems (songs, stories, etc.).
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Tags: masturbation, erotic poetry, podcast, sex toys
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Marilyn Chambers Passes the Baton
Yesterday’s news had several odd or unexpected porn-related stories. First, I was surprised to read that Marilyn Chambers died unexpectedly at the age of 56. If you haven’t seen the 1972 film Behind the Green Door, you should. Yes, it’s tame by today’s standards. And yes, some things (clothes, language, the black/white racial messages) may make you wince. But take it for what it was: part of the vanguard movement of getting porn out of the backroom stag films of my father’s day and into the mainstream. And Marilyn Chambers was (at first accidentally and later consciously) part of that movement throughout her adult life.
Here’s a scene from Behind the Green Door I found streaming online. The voyeurism in the club is hotter than the more polished, colder voyeurism in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. The sweat on her skin, the expressions on her face as gets fucked on stage are very, very real. To me, at least. NOTE: Clicking on the video below will open a new and annoying browser window. Don’t click on it unless you’re willing to have that open. Just close it and then you can play the video… which IS worth viewing.
Rest in peace, Marilyn Chambers.
In a lighter story (also on MSNBC… clearly on a roll), I was encouraged to read the story about Japan’s 75-year-old porn star. Shigeo Tokuda has been making porn movies in Japan for the last 16 years and has plans to keep going for “at least” another 5 years. Tokuda’s first career was as a typical Japanese office worker. But for the last 16 years, Tokuda has appeared in over 200 porno films, having sex with women ranging in age from their 20s to his own age. Clearly I’m not the only one inspired by Tokuda, as his movies are very popular with Japan’s rapidly aging population.
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Saturday, April 11, 2009
Well, That’s the Last Thing We Need
Study: Children Exposed To Pornography May Expect Sex To Be Enjoyable
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Wednesday, April 08, 2009
I Only Do It So I Can Breathe
I’m a guy, so it seems like a silly question to ask. “Do you masturbate?” I mean, you may as well ask me whether I breathe or whether I like breasts better than ottomans. But it turns out that there’s actual value in asking the question—and a few surprising answers. A 2007 University of Chicago study on masturbation found that 61 percent of men aged 18 to 60 told researchers in a face-to-face interview that they had masturbated in the previous year. The number for women was only 38 percent. So, right away… maybe people aren’t doing for themselves quite as much as I thought. You might be thinking, “Yes, but look at the ages in the study. Once folks get married, they don’t masturbate as much.” Aha! There’s one of the surprises:
In American culture, masturbation is often viewed as a sexual refuge for singles, as a way to compensate for a lack of sex in a relationship. In this survey, that turned out not to be the case. In both genders, a sexless relationship suppressed masturbation. Respondents who masturbated the most were usually involved in a sexual relationship. Having partner sex, it appears, piques interest in solo sex.
Women were found to masturbate more if they were in a relationship in which they were not getting either enough physical or emotional closeness.
Speaking of masturbation, did you know that masturbation may help alleviate hay fever symptoms? Or sex. Your choice. The research out of Iran seems a little specious and (naturally) didn’t study women at all. The idea seems to be that, since blood flow in the genitals and in a stuffed-up nose are both related to the sympathetic nervous system, an orgasm might constrict blood vessels in the nose as well as the nads and the subsequent relaxation might unblock those nasal passages. It’s worth a try.
Monday is Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. And I’m sure Jefferson would appreciate being remembered as a man of action and not just a man of words. I’m not sure what the other presidents would think of Justine Lai’s series of paintings imagining herself having sex with each of them. Eighteen down, twenty-six to go. And why doesn’t it surprise me that Grant is into spanking?
Compared with Ms. Lai, I’m no painter. But, as I said before, I want to do more art for fun. Here’s a little painting thingee I did last night before bed.
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Categories: Sex news
Tags: masturbation, art, sex research
Monday, April 06, 2009
Spank for a Brighter Tomorrow
Well, it’s spring. And, as you all know, in springtime a man’s fancy turns to his long-neglected blog. Yes. The plan is that I will actually be posting new material. For instance, I am almost finished with the next installment of the “Between Us, A Girl” serial story. Looks like it’s going to be five parts instead of four! Poems will continue. (Speaking of which, why not forward my spring haiku to folks you know? It’s time to flex those flirting muscles.) I’ll be back to commenting on sex-related stories from the daily news. And finally, I’ve got this urge to do some drawing. This one today is mine. I have no idea what will come of this.
I’ve also been doing a little housekeeping. I finally ditched Blogrolling.com for my links list due to their new advertisement policy and basic unreliability. It also gave me the chance to roll my own blogroll internally, break it into categories, cull the dead links, and add a bunch of new must read (or view) sites. I got rid of Meebo for now. Aside from flirting with Devi, there didn’t seem to be much call for a group chat area. Instead, I’ve added a Digsby IM widget. So, if you see I’m online when you’re visiting, feel free to give me a shout or quick grope.
Speaking of news, did you see where researchers have found that spanking enhances relationships? Actually, it wasn’t just spanking. Researchers attended BDSM events in Arizona and Colorado where they measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before, during, and after S&M sessions. They found that:
During S&M scenes, cortisol rose significantly in those receiving stimulation, but dropped back to normal within 40 minutes if the scene went well. There was no change in those inflicting the activity. ... “When sexual intercourse is consensual it is not stressful—even if it is extreme sex.”
The researchers also attempted to measure relationship closeness. In both studies, couples who said their sessions went well and that the party went well also reported feeling closer to their partner afterward. Researchers admit that they haven’t adequately examined the effects of other shared activities on relationship closeness. It’s possible taking a walk and holding hands may have the same effect. Except without the welts.
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Tags: bdsm, art, spanking
Thursday, June 05, 2008
You’re Mumbling
Are any of you fans of “mumblecore” movies? You know the ones. Young, urban twenty-somethings dealing with their first real jobs, first married friends, first month of life without a roommate? If so, you might want to check out the Young American Bodies series. This series is produced by the Independent Film Channel and Nerve.com. It is written and directed by Joe Swanberg (LOL, Kissing on the Mouth, Hannah Takes the Stairs) and you will recognize some of the actors, including Joe’s wife, Kris. Each episode is about 5 to 8 minutes long. Season 1 and 2 are online now. And Season 3 has also started, with new episodes being added daily. Here’s the promo:
What else is going on this morning? Yesterday, it was in all of the news that teens are using their cellphones to take pictures of themselves naked and then send them to their boyfriends or girlfriends. Gasp! What’s more, sometimes those photos end up on the Internet. All together now… “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” I understand when and where this does get serious (e.g., the 17-year old boy being prosecuted for child pornography because his 16-year old girlfriend sent him a picture, breakup where things get ugly and photos are no longer private). But… major headline?
And this morning, it’s a top headline that there were lesbians kissing at Safeco Field in Seattle during a baseball game. Oh, my! Is this really such a scandal in Seattle? Normally, I’d think that an usher having to break up a kiss means that there’s more kissing going on than needs to be going on, I mean, you’re there to see a game, not make out. It’s public; you’re surrounded by people. But these two women weren’t making out. They were just occasionally kissing a little. A “woman nearby” complained to the usher because there were kids around and someone would have to explain to the kids why two women were kissing. Well… maybe someone should explain to the kids why two women were kissing. An online survey at MSNBC is currently running mostly (51%) against anyone of any gender ever kissing in public. 27% say yes, whatever. And then the rest just don’t want kissing in front of the kids.
Of course, this ignores the simple perspective. Have you watched a baseball game lately? You need something to do to pass the time while it’s going on. Knitting, a nice book… and well, kissing. Makes perfect sense. Send the usher my way when it’s time for the seventh inning stretch.
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Friday, May 23, 2008
Redacted in NY State
Just saw this videoclip report over at Salon.com and thought it made an interesting bookend to our celebration of Masturbation Month:
Oh, upstate New York. *sigh* Buy some lube and lighten up.
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Categories: Sex news
Tags: censorship, sex ed
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Fascinated by language, drawn to art, and utterly amused by everyone's naughty bits. Beyond that, I'm hundreds of years old and I live on an island. Read the play.
