Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Resident Blogger for Red Tent Sisters - Ellen Macro
Since the Red Tent Sisters store has sex toys and we just finished the season in which “giving toys to all the girls and boys” is the mantra of the first world consumer culture I thought toys would be an appropriate topic for this blog entry! Additionally, perhaps some lucky adults got new toys over the holidays … for those who didn’t there’s no time like the present for a present!
Talking about things that are normally kept “private” [ie. are silenced by cultural taboos] is important - this includes but is not limited to sexual and reproductive topics. It’s important for women to talk about bodily things that are often only addressed in sex ed classes [if then!] or in mainstream magazines [if then!!] so that they get to know the real variation that exists between women.
Here’s a few questions for you to ponder [unfortunately or fortunately no answers providedJ ]
When was the last time you talked to your friends about your partner and/or who you’re attracted to?
When was the last time you talked with your friends about sex?
When was the last time you talked with your friends about masturbation?
Have you ever talked with your friends about masturbation?
Ever wondered why female masturbation is a lot more taboo than male masturbation?
Have you ever noticed that people are commonly thought to have a “sex life” only if/when they are sexually active with other people?
Is it possible to have a happy sex life of one?
It may be more taboo for women to talk about masturbation because of the way men have historically treated female sexuality. In many cultures, female pleasure is secondary to male pleasure or even no-existent. In the past in western cultures, girls (and boys) have been warned not to touch themselves. In other cultures, this is even more drastic. I know you must know about the barbaric practice of female circumcision where the clitoris (and even labia) are cut away, often in unsterile conditions) to keep the girl "pure" for her future husband. So, with procedure like that still widely practiced, the world in general appears to shun female sexual pleasure - which may be why female masturbation is preceived as taboo. I think that it is a wonderful behavior for women (and men) to engage in. And it is becoming more mainstream. Of course it was highlighted in the HBO series "Sex and the City". It was also recently brought up in the ABC series "Private Practice". One woman said she never did, and the other two women were astounded that she did not, as if to suggest that they masturbated and thought that all women did. Maybe things are finally changing. I certainly hope so.
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