Of course, there were plenty of less disturbing topics being discussed… Rachel Kramer Bussel ponders the cultural popularity of making a sex tape while Tinamarie Bernard Demystifies Sexual Bonding… sort of.
Catch up on the rest of our top stories for the month of September below!
Top Ten Strangest Things People Sent Me For September by The Bloggess
Every month friends and strangers send The Bloggess links to baffling, bewildering and often-times hilarious links they can’t share with anyone else. And then she shares them with you. That’s how the circle of life goes.
Mr. Sexsmith Says: Don't Assume All Butch Lesbians Are Stone
You've got questions on gender, relationships, strap-on sex and everything in between. Mr. Sexsmith returns with advice, opinions and insights for all in his new column Mr. Sexsmith Says. This week, he discusses the stereotype and assumption that butch lesbians don’t like to be touched.
Sexist Coffee Ads Made Right
The Bloggess’ friend James sent her this awesome montage of sexist coffee ads from the 50’s. She can’t imagine a time when women wouldn’t respond with “Oh, perhaps I shouldn’t have added so much rat poison, dear.”
Oral Sex Tips to Use on Her by Em & Lo
Last month Em & Lo reviewed the blow job basics. This month, it's time for your cunnilingus refresher course. Like getting in shape or getting rich, there's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to going downtown on her.
Sexual Bonding Demystified…Sort of
Simply put, what we know about bonding owes much to the cerebral sacrifices of non-humans, in part because brain research in people isn’t so easy to do. The cliché also bears repeating: neurobiology is the final frontier, sexually speaking. At the most complex level, then, this is an attempt to demystify what goes on between the ears during courtship, mammalian speaking.
SexBeat: The Rise of Male Bisexual Chic
Whether it’s coming from the mainstream or the gay community itself, that aphorism: “bisexuality is just a layover on the way to gay-town” has been slow to disappear. As more bi men come out — and more straight men experiment with kissing their friends, is male bi-phobia finally on the way out?
Woman Awarded $14,000 from Ex for Lack of Sex
A French woman divorced her husband of 21 years over lack of sex and then demanded compensation for it. The Telegraph reports that a judge ordered the man to pay $14,000, citing Article 215 of France's civil code. Article 215 says married couples must have a “shared communal life,” which includes sex as an expression of affection, according to the judge.
Pride and Prejudice and Porn
Armed with choice words for the would-be literati who condemn her latest effort, writer Mitzi Szereto becomes Jane Austen by way of “Fanny Hill.”
Fail! Midori’s Sex Disasters by Midori
We’ve probably all made a mistake or two in our lives. Some of us have probably done some really stupid things for sex in particular, Midori included. This is her confession of some of the dumbest things she’s done in the pursuit of sexual gratification.
Nikol Hasler: Five Things I Wish Somebody Else Would Tell My Son
Teaching kids about sex can be the toughest job for a parent. You want to make sure they have all the information they need, but sometimes it would just be awesome if someone else could deliver the message.
Perry Pick in Fla. Thinks Gay Marriage Causes Tornadoes and Such
Rick Perry is putting together his leadership team for the “Presidency 5” straw poll in Florida this October and for his co-chairperson he’s picked Pam Olsen. Mother Jones notes that Olsen is the founder of the Tallahassee House of Prayer, a leading anti-abortion activist and someone who believes that gay marriage is the cause of natural disasters.
Having Sex With Other People's Pool Toys is a Problem
Ohio man's “fascination with plastic” keeps getting him in trouble with the law.
Sex Tape Mania: Should Rachel Make a Porno?
It seems like everybody who is anybody has a sex tape floating around these days. Maybe you've thought about making your own — what would it take to get you do to it? Would the reality be as exciting as the fantasy?
Worst Date Ever, Perhaps ...
We’ve all seen the Facebook warning that so-and-so “only shares some profile information with everyone.” Well, we’re not sure if 21-year-old Adam Minton had that on his page but he certainly withheld his evening plans from Leah Gibbs, 23, when the pair hooked up through the social networking site.
Sex Hacker: Six Tricks to Tweak Your Sex Life
If you’ve ever had one of those “I never knew my smartphone could do that!” moments, you know how much fun it is to discover those little tricks that can change an activity forever. Even when your between-the-sheets life is off-the-charts awesome, the novelty of a new “tweak” can be a pleasure in and of itself. Check out these six sex hacks and add some of your own!
Creating and Nurturing Open Relationships
You've considered it. Maybe you've even talked about it, but how do you actually go about opening your relationship to include other people? The direction and design depend on you, but there are important principles to keep in mind to ensure success.
How to Pick Up Strangers & Be a Super Hero
Small acts of kindness toward a stranger can lead to an heroic effect in that person's life. Midori recounts a recent experience with just such an act by a person she considers to be a genuine hero.
Lane Bryant Accused of Promoting Lesbianism with Ad
Have you happened to catch a glimpse of the new Lane Bryant magalog? This one's absolutely gorgeous. It's got five female “regular sized” models of different races and hair colors wearing Lane Bryant's new T3 jeans, some heels, and nothing else.
Mothers and Christians (and another regular-sized model) are outraged. Because really, what Lane Bryant was trying to display with their image is that it's okay to be a naked lesbian.
She Plays, He Plays: The Zini Deux Really Is Meant For Two by Rydell Johnson
A passing glance at the Zini Deux vibrator does not give it away as a serious sex toy. When magnetized together (more on that later), the two pieces form an innocent-enough looking egg-shaped massager that appears ideal for loosening a stubborn calf muscle or working out a knot in your back.
True Blood: Queer Mystics
In the dominant Western culture, the roles of transgendered, extremely feminine and homosexual men have been downplayed and marginalized, but in many cultures, those men who did not conform to traditionally masculine archetypes were actually treasured as a magical link to the spirit world.
Getting an Eel Up Your Penis is Even Less Fun Than You'd Think
This is the kind of advice that should seem to go without saying, and indeed, no one evidently said it to Zhang Nan because one of the tiny eels he was bathing with during a spa treatment in China slithered up his penis and wound up in his bladder.
Ben & Jerry's Wants You to Taste Their Schweddy Balls
It takes some balls to release a product based on a 13-year-old comedy sketch. But Ben & Jerry’s not only has those balls, Time reports that it’s offering them to the public in a new ice cream flavor, Schweddy Balls, as in Pete Schweddy, a character played by Alec Baldwin on a 1998 Saturday Night Live parody of NPR shows.
Tuesdays With Nina: Negotiating a Threesome (or Foursome) with a Reluctant Partner
Setting up a scene that involves multiple partners and making the space that allows for everyone’s feelings and expectations can be tricky, but it's important to make sure all involved are comfortable and understand the rules if you want to pull it off without acrimony or fostering resentment.
Sex Hair: Letting Go of a Lifelong Obsession
When a story starts with “we were drinking Jim Beam out of beach buckets,” and ends with “so I had to cut all my hair off,” it should really be a lot crazier than this one. Nonetheless, that story is at the root of a 20-year obsession with hair, its length and the weird sexual psychology that can go with our coifs.
American Apparel Runs Into Plus-Sized Backlash
Now that their contest for “booty-ful” models (Wait, what?) has come to a close, American Apparel is taking fire for refusing to give the prize to the rightful winner. Instead they decided to “award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out,” women they “will be proud to have representing our company.” And the winner just doesn't fit that bill. Why? Well because she made a mockery of their contest, that's why. The nerve of her!