When I was in college, I met a girl who was a professional candy taster. That was her job. Discerning whether sweets had the right hints of vanilla or too much caramel was the sort of thing, I imagined, she did all day. It was a defining moment in my life. The “real world” had been painted by adults as a drab, difficult place where we’d be sandbagged with responsibility. Imagine coming to learn that “Willie Wonka” was a job you could actually get.

The exact same thrill of possibility hit me recently when I happened on a story quoting Sarah Forbes, Curator for the Museum of Sex in New York City. Now, there’s a job title that no one—no guidance counselor, biology professor and certainly, no parent—ever hinted was out there.

And yet, such a job exists and Forbes has it. era—in which a fellow sticks his Willie through a hole in a fence only to find himself getting oral gratification from a cow.

Another cinematic classic, circa 1915, featured a couple getting it on as a voyeuristic female—who was clearly enjoying herself—took in the action from a secret hiding place. I remember having the distinctly unique experience of looking at dirty movies in an intellectual setting—far, far removed from the nudge-nudge, wink-wink environment of classic “adult” retail outlets.

Equally intriguing, in an entirely different way, were the historic artifacts and lessons. Among my favorites, a 19th century guidebook: “Guide to the Harem or Directory to the Ladies of Fashion in NY and various other cities, 1855.” I was also enlightening to learn how Julius Schmid, a New York sausage maker who sold surplus casings as condoms eventually went on to launch the Sheik and Ramses brands.]

“My background is in anthropology, with a focus on gender, so actually it’s a really natural transition to this type of role,” says Forbes in explanation of how one comes about landing such a plum gig—or at least how she did.

Initially, Forbes came to the museum as a patron, not a job seeker. “I was just really excited about what was happening here,” she recalls. “It was a very young institution at that point, about two years old, and I was in grad school at the time.”

Forbes liked what she’d seen so much, she sent in a resume. “Someone else with an anthropology background was leaving and I came in,” she says. “I’ve kind of grown or evolved with the institution.” After her serendipitous entre, Forbes started out as a researcher, then moved up to Assistant Curator, before landing her current gig.

Like most who work at MoSex, it’s not easy for Forbes to single out a favorite exhibit. “It would be like choosing between your children,” she says. “You put so much into all of them.” However, she’s particularly fond of a current show: “Rubbers: The Life, History and Struggle of the Condom,” which illustrates the history of the humble sheath and includes “condom art”—like a dress made out of custom-dyed rubbers.

“We were able to have Trojan as an exhibitions sponsor,” Forbes says. Many of the artists created pieces about safer sex. “We were able to pull [them] into a larger narrative, so it has some serious messages it’s fun and it’s playful. I think that’s what we ultimately love about the exhibitions we create.”



Courtesy of the Museum of Sex

And how could anyone not love a show titled, “The Sex Lives of Animals”? The “thrust” of the exhibit is that animals do in fact engage in non-reproductive sex; that they, like us, actually have sex for pleasure: “Oral sex, anal sex group sex, they masturbate, they have same-sex relationships,” Forbes says. “The diversity of sexuality within the animal kingdom is really tremendous.”