‘Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke.’ Lynda Barry MASS SEX APPEAL The association of smoking and sex was fired up by Hollywood and the advertising world, with stars like Bogart and Bacall apparently inviting the smoker to share their exotic lifestyles. Ad campaigns in the 19th century had used risque pictures of scantily […]

The English word ‘penis’ comes from Latin and it originallymeant the tail of an animal. ‘Репе’ is Latin for ‘inside’ and itmay have implied the part that goes inside (the vagina). Thecorrect plural is either ‘penes’ or ‘penises’. ♦ ♦♦ Ithyphallophobia is a fear of seeing, thinking about orhaving an erect penis. ‘The mind can […]

‘I used both hands to hideMy blushing, sweating cheeks. Indeed, I tried. But oh, what could I do, then, when I foundMy bodice splitting of its own accord?’ From When His Mouth Faced My Mouth, Amaru, c. ad800,translated by John Brough The female response cycle is in three stages of desire, arousal and orgasm: ♦ […]

Popular internet-based simulation Second Life is experiencing more and more sexual activity. Cybersex is becoming one of its most popular online activities, with the virtual world playing host to sex clubs for fans of long-distance computer love. Sex is limited to specialist sex zones, where users can begin with chat and description, and then move […]

In 2006, Henrik Christensen of the European Research Network told The Sunday Times, ‘People are going to be having sex with robots within five years.’ Sex dolls have been around for hundreds of years and dames de voyage, lifesize females made of cloth, were particularly popular aboard ships. These days cheap vinyl blow-ups are run […]

Peering through a telescope into the future, it appears that, thanks to science, our sex lives are about to take off as never before. We will take advantage of advances in surgical techniques to acquire perfect bodies, make use of ‘neuromacrosensing’ which sends in microscopic ‘nanobots’ to caress sensitive areas with pinpoint accuracy (producing unprecedented […]

Are blondes really dumb and dependent on men, and why is this attractive? Are Tinkerbell, Cinderella and Goldilocks good role models, or is it all one big fairy tale? Could blondes actually be dark horses who know exactly how to get what they want? ‘I can be smart when it’s important, but most men don’t […]

In Greek and Roman times, bathing was communal with a focus on cleanliness rather than sex. * In ancient India, some male spiritual groups participated in a disciplined naked existence, while the Hindu sect of the Sakas celebrated nudity and sex as natural. * The Jain religion still practises nudity today. * In the Middle […]

The popular book A Marriage Manual (1935) by Hannah and Abraham Stone offered couples advice and information on sexuality in marriage and they also set up America’s first marriage guidance service. Their studies found: О 76 per cent of women had a ‘normal sexual attitude’ ф 20 per cent ofwomen were not interested in sex […]

In 2006, apparently almost half — 49 per cent — of divorcing couples in Britain employed private investigators to check up on their spouses’ fidelity, compared with 18 per cent in 2005. The figure is made up of 30 per cent women and 19 per cent men. Men brought about 69 per cent of adultery […]