Straight men prefer some muff.

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From the Daily Mail Online:

When it comes to 'ladyscaping' the Brazilian and the Hollywood are old news as it is revealed that men prefer a more natural look
  • Just 12% admitted to liking the Hollywood where all hair is removed
  • Most popular was the 'Bermuda triangle' - a neat, trimmed style
  • Least liked was the 'G Wax' which leaves a small square of hair

For years women have been convinced that porn star style waxing and vajazzles are the quickest way to impress their other halves in bed, with nearly two thirds saying that their look down below is calculated to please their man.

But it appears that it's time to wave goodbye to painful waxing for good, after a new survey found that men actually prefer a natural look.

According to the poll, which canvassed 1,000 men, the most popular look is is 'trimmed and tidy' – a far cry from the Hollywood, which involves having all hair removed.

Nearly half (43 per cent) of those who took part in the survey, which was commissioned by waxing brand, Nads, said they preferred their women to look as natural as possible but with a 'Bermuda triangle' - trimmed hair and waxed edges leaving no bikini hair overspill.

17 per cent plumped for the Brazilian, a landing strip of pubic hair, while 15 per cent liked the heart shaped 'Heart Breaker'.

Just 12 per cent chose the full Hollywood, with most men saying they preferred their women to have some hair 'down there'.

The style that men hated the most was the 'G Wax' – a closely trimmed small square of hair that most felt looked a bit silly and a bit of a turn off.

Among the men who took part in the poll was Sidcup father of two, Mark Tailworth, who said: 'I’d hate my wife not to have some hair, I much prefer her to be well trimmed than sporting some ridiculous, unsexy design.'

Others, including 27-year-old Daniel Smith from Essex, said that they did enjoy seeing the odd Hollywood or vajazzle on their girlfriends.

'I like it interesting - like unwrapping a present and finding a surprise,' said Daniel. 'I do prefer some hair so a design like the landing strip or heart shape is good for me and no surprise, vajazzling is popular in our town.'

Nads CEO Sue Ismiel said: 'Pubic hair styles are fast becoming just as important as the hair on your head.

'Popular designs for women and it seems men are the landing strip, heart shape and triangle patch indicating some hair is sexier to sport than "the all-off". But make sure you know what you’re doing as once styling begins there is no turning back.'

Evangelical Christians softening stance on gay marriage.

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From Politico Magazine:

Evangelicals Are Changing Their Minds on Gay Marriage And the Bible isn’t getting in their way. By Jim Hinch

Amy Tincher is an evangelical Christian who plays bass in the band at her suburban Ohio church, where she and her fellow congregants firmly believe the “words we adhere to” are those in the Bible. But last summer, without telling her husband and two kids exactly what she was doing, she boarded a plane for a conference in Kansas whose purpose many evangelicals would plainly consider heretical.

Tincher was one of 50 people flown from around the country and the world—Canada, China, Nigeria and South Korea—to a four-day Bible boot camp dedicated to discussing, and embracing, gay relationships. The gathering was organized by Matthew Vines, who by then was enjoying modest fame for a 2012 YouTube video in which Vines, looking even younger than his 21 years, delivers an hour-long lecture arguing that the Bible does not, in fact, condemn all same-sex relationships. The video has gone viral, racking up more than 730,000 views to date, landing Vines on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Styles section and helping him raise $100,000 for the conference, where he launched The Reformation Project, a nationwide network of pro-gay evangelicals committed to ending their church’s longstanding hostility toward gay people.

Tincher told me she had once “tried on” an anti-gay attitude to fit in with her conservative community in Liberty Township, outside Cincinnati, but like many evangelicals, she struggled to see how homophobia could accord with an all-loving Christian God. So when her pastor sent her a link to Vines’ video, she recalls, “I remember sitting in my kitchen and just crying. I knew it in my heart, but I had never been told that from the pulpit.”

It’s no secret that attitudes toward same-sex relations have changed in this country: Gay marriage is legal in 19 states plus the District of Columbia, and all major public opinion surveys now show a majority of Americans are in favor of it. But Matthew Vines and Amy Tincher are no longer outliers either: Increasingly, even evangelical Christians, long known for doctrinally condemning homosexuality, are embracing gay people, too.

Read the rest here.

And the video clip of Mathew Vine, outlining how the bible does not forbid homosexuality:

My book, "God and the Gay Christian," is now in stores. Order it here: http://www.amazon.com/God-Gay-Christian-Biblical-Relationships/dp/1601425163/ Sign up for The Reformation Project here: http://www.reformationproject.org. Matthew Vines speaks on the theological debate regarding the Bible and the role of gay Christians in the church. Delivered at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas on March 8, 2012.


The science behind morning wood.

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From I Fucking Love Science:

Why Do Men Get Erections In The Morning? by Justine Alford

It’s an amusing, albeit often highly inconvenient, phenomenon that half of the world’s population has to deal with on a regular basis. So what's the science story behind that morning glory? Let’s find out.

Morning glories, or nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) as they are correctly called, are spontaneous erections that occur during sleep or while waking up. All blokes without erectile dysfunction are graced with them and they normally occur around three to five times during sleep.

NPT actually starts in utero, or in the womb (seriously), and continues throughout life. If it’s any consolation, men aren’t completely alone—women also get clitoral erections and vaginal engorgement during sleep, and various nonhuman mammals also get NPT.

While a few different theories have been proposed over the years to explain NPT, what causes it still remains uncertain. NPT, just like clitoral erections, is associated with REM(rapid eye movement) sleep. One idea is that during REM sleep, noradrenergic cells(neurons that release the neurotransmitter noradrenaline [norepinephrine]) located in an area of the pons (part of the brainstem) called the locus coeruleus are switched off. It is thought that these cells are associated with the inhibitory tone of the penis; therefore, when their activity is reduced during REM sleep, testosterone-dependent excitatory tones can be expressed which result in an erection.

It’s also been suggested that NPT is triggered by the release of nitric oxide (NO). NO is released by cells that line the inside of blood vessels which then diffuses into smooth muscle, causing it to relax. This also causes blood vessels to dilate, hence increasing blood flow to the penis and voila, an erection. It’s thought that increased activity of part of the pons during REM sleep triggers a cascade of events that ultimately lead to NO release by nerve fibers. This is also regulated by androgens such as testosterone.

So we have discussed how, but what about why? One idea is that these sleep exercises actually contribute to the health of your junk. Erections cause the erectile tissue (corpora cavernosa) to swell, which in turn oxygenates the tissue. This oxygenation maintains its viability and helps to prevent cavernous fibrosis, a condition that can ultimately lead to erectile dysfunction.

Another interesting theory is that pitching a tent prevents men from wetting the bed. There are two main types of erections: psychogenic and reflex. The former starts with stimulating thoughts or images which trigger an erection via nerve signals. The latter is an involuntary process that occurs without sexy thoughts and it's believed that a full bladder can trigger them. The nerves controlling these reflex erections are located in the sacral nerves of the spinal cord which are also stimulated by a full bladder. Since it’s difficult to pee with a stiffy, it’s thought that NPT may prevent accidental nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting). While this may sound plausible, it seems unlikely because the body has lots of other methods to prevent you from wetting the bed. Furthermore, it doesn't really make sense given that nocturnal enuresis also affects women.

It seems the most likely explanation is that all of that nighttime mischief is really helping to keep your crown jewels healthy. Be pleased he’s looking out for you.

Sex advice from a 90-year-old guru.

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Inspiring. A very worthy read. From the New York Times:

90-Year-Old Sex Columnist Shatters Taboos in India By Ellen Barry

MUMBAI, India — EVERY morning, a 90-year-old newspaper columnist named Mahinder Watsa takes a seat in the study of his apartment, where, on a good day, a breeze lofts in from the direction of the Arabian Sea.

Before him is a fresh delivery of anonymous correspondencefrom all overIndia, some of it handwritten and dropped into a village mailbox, some typed and sent by email. Inside is a crescendo of sexual anxiety.

“My friend saw me while bathing. According to him, the size of my penis is not more than that of a cashew nut. What should I do to increase the size?” “If a man and a woman masturbate at the same time, thinking about sex, can it lead to pregnancy?” “Also, I was wondering whether there is any possibility of a guy getting pregnant if he has anal sex with another man?”

Dr. Watsa does not laugh when he reads these letters, nor does he weep; he has been at this too long. He admits to being irritated from time to time, and this is sometimes evident in his responses, which manage to be both grandfatherly and withering. To wit:

“Take a foot rule and measure from the pubic bone to the tip of your organ. If it’s longer than two and a half inches, it is enough to satisfy a partner.” “There are no angels to carry your sperms to the person you are dreaming about.” “Mr. Ignoramus, for the rest of your query, visit Google and educate yourself on the basics.”

In a culture that is both obsessed and bewildered by sex, Dr. Watsa has carved out an essential spot for himself as a crotchety, unshockable truth-teller. As the Ask the Sexpert columnist in The Mumbai Mirror, he has — gently, gently — pushed the limits in Indian popular culture, among other things by introducing the words penis and vagina instead of the squeamish euphemisms that are commonly taught to children.

Over the nine years he has been writing the daily column, by his editor’s estimate, he has received upward of 40,000 letters seeking advice onsexual problems, the vast majority seeking basic information. Answering them, he steps into a vacuum in a country where, according to a government study conducted several years ago, only about a fifth of young men and women reported receiving any type of sex education.

Read the rest here.

Rev Bev Talks Kink.

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Generally speaking, increased religiosity is associated with more conservative (and often negative) attitudes about sex. But, there is huge variation within religions when it comes to attitudes towards sex. As an example, Rev Bev is an ordained clergy in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who offers very sex positive sex advice and information (check out her website here). This is a clip of her discussing BDSM: 

Rev Dr Beverly Dale explores various moral guidelines for a wide variety of sexual practices.She does this in a non-judgmental way and with a sense of humor! Watch out! Rev Bev has served as a church pastor and a campus minister at the University of Pennsylvania and is an ordained clergy in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

You can check out the rest of her video clips on her YouTube channel, here. Apparently, there is no topic she is not willing to discuss.

Research: The average porn star.

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While this study isn't academic in the sense that it was done at a university, was paid for by a funding agency, and went through the peer-review process, it is exceptionally good. The researcher (and authour), John Millward, waded through piles of publicly available data to determine the characteristics of the average porn star and what they do. The resulting article is entertaining and provides infographics displaying his findings. From John Millward:

For the first time, a massive data set of 10,000 porn stars has been extracted from the world’s largest database of adult films and performers. I’ve spent the last six months analyzing it to discover the truth about what the average performer looks like, what they do on film, and how their role has evolved over the last forty years.

‘Without any mental deliberation, picture the average female porn star. Just let her spring into your mind’s eye looking however she looks. Can you see her?’

I had bumped into a friend who I’d not seen in a while and this was the first question I asked him. He didn’t realise at the time that I’d been in self-imposed smutty exile for an untold number of weeks, working on the largest study of porn stars ever undertaken, and now I was out and eager to spread the news.

‘Erm, yeah, I suppose,’ he said.

‘What does she look like?’ I asked, struggling to hide my smile.

When he replied by saying ‘a blonde with big boobs’, I must admit I relished the opportunity to lean in, let the grin spread across my tired face, and say ‘That’s what everyone says. And in fact, it’s wrong’.

‘Oh,’ he said, after I explained how I knew what the average porn star actually looks like, as well as what her name probably is, how many films she’s most likely done and the probability of her having a tattoo or body piercing.

‘So you’ve spent all this time watching hundreds of porn movies?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘I’ve spent all this time analysing the demographic profiles and filmographies of ten thousand adult performers. There is a difference.’

‘I see’, he then said. ‘And how, dare I ask, does one go about doing that?’

Go read the rest here.

And the massive infographic depicting his findings (click to make larger):

Hump!

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Speaking of porn…this film festival/film competition has blown up. It was the brainchild of Dan Savage and some of the staff at the Stranger newspaper in Seattle. And now it's coming to Vancouver. The details:

It's the Sexiest, Funnest, Most Creative Dirty Movie Fest in the World... HUMP!

Since 2005 the HUMP! Film Festival has challenged ordinary people from all over the Pacific Northwest to become temporary, weekend porn stars-by making their very own five-minute dirty movies for a chance to win big cash prizes! And they did not disappoint! The resulting short films run the gamut of sexual styles: straight, gay, lesbian, transgender... every color in the sexual rainbow... and some we never knew existed. HUMP! films are funny, thought-provoking, sad, artistic, outrageous, and almost overwhelmingly sexy-because they're real. And they're real because they were created and performed by sex-positive people, just like YOU. That's why we're bringing the very best of HUMP! to your town! See 20 of the hottest HUMP films in action... they'll make you laugh, squeal, and marvel at the broad (and creative) range of human sexuality. It's the HUMP! Tour 2014! And you're going to have a blast.

The homepage (tickets) is here.

The trailer (NSFW):

Director and Editor by Alin www.alindragulin.com Art Direction by Scrappers www.scrapperstown.com Music by Matt James https://www.facebook.com/TRAINHOUSERECORDS

Stoya on porn, feminism, and capitalism.

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From her blog:

I see feminism and porn as two separate entities. Doing porn is not necessarily an act of feminism, sex positive feminism is not necessarily pornographic. The two can intermingle happily or butt heads, depending on the groups involved. The adult industry and the status and control of women varies vastly. Joanna Angel, Belladonna, Kimberly Kane and Sasha Grey all control their own careers and are doing quite well. Joanna and Bella both have their own production companies AND actually run them. Joanna in particular made some serious changes to what people think is sexy and what sort of look the adult industry as a whole puts in their films. April Flores (who also goes by Fatty Delicious) is another woman who is opening up ‘mainstream’ pornography to different body types/shapes and pushing for them to be highlighted purely as beautiful women as opposed to only starring in niche market films. Kimberly Kane and Mason are directors who make movies that show what *they* think is sexy.

Digital Playground is owned by two people. One is female. For the past three years they have managed my career and controlled my image and brand. They’ve brought me opportunities and they’ve told me I can’t do certain things. This is a capitalism, not anti-feminism. This is an (ideally) symbiotic relationship between any artist/performer/talent and their production company/publisher/label. In any situation that involves working for a company, the company tries to get as much work as possible while paying the worker as little as possible. The worker tries to get paid the most they can for the work they do. This happens in hiring negotiations between secretary and office HR manager, freelancer and client, and musician and label. Sometimes people don’t know how much they can ask for, sometimes they get out-negotiated, sometimes they do get taken advantage of. That concept applies to any industry and any worker of any gender. Like other industries, pornography has a range of working conditions, levels of respect for their workers, and general treatment of women.

Read more from her blog here.

Gail Dines on porn, feminism, and capitalism.

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I don't post much on anti-pornography advocates and their research, as many consider it unreliable (i.e., lacking scientific rigour) and overwhelmingly biased. However, I believe it's still important to acknowledge their work, as it does feature prominently in the debate about access to, and regulation of, pornography. Also, some of their criticisms are valid.

Gail Dines is arguably the leading anti-pornography campaigner and academic of the current generation. Her research and writing is celebrated by anti-pornography advocates, but has also been sharply criticized by many working in the field. The following snippets are from an article about her and her work, published by the Guardian:

"Porn culture doesn't only affect men. It also changes "the way women and girls think about their bodies, their sexuality and their relationships," says Dines. "Every group that has fought for liberation understands that media images are part and parcel of the systematic dehumanisation of an oppressed group . . . The more porn images filter into mainstream culture, the more girls and women are stripped of full human status and reduced to sex objects. This has a terrible effect on girls' sexual identity because it robs them of their own sexual desire."

[...]

"To think that so many men hate women to the degree that they can get aroused by such vile images is quite profound," says Dines. "Pornography is the perfect propaganda piece for patriarchy. In nothing else is their hatred of us quite as clear."

[...]

As a result of her research, Dines believes that pornography is driving men to commit particular acts of violence towards women. "I am not saying that a man reads porn and goes out to rape," she says, "but what I do know is that porn gives permission to its consumers to treat women as they are treated in porn."

The rest of the article, including much more discussion of Gail Dines and her views, can be found here.

New female empowerment action figures: IAmElemental.

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From their Kickstarter page:

IAmElemental Action Figures for Girls

IAmElemental Action Figures for Girls were designed to accomplish three goals.

MORE HEROINE, LESS HOOTERS

First, they are intended to be a positive and fierce re-interpretation of the traditional female action figure.

After scouring toy stores in search of action figures that are appropriate toys for young girls, we discovered that the typical female action figure on the market today is not actually designed for girls at all (or even boys). Instead, most are created for the adult male collector, decidedly more Hooters than Heroine.

We set out to design a series of figures with healthier breast, waist and hip ratios; fierce, strong females worthy of an active, save-the-world storyline that fosters creativity in kids.

IT'S CHARACTER, NOT CHARACTERS

Second, IAmElemental action figures encourage girls to reinvent the superhero myth by creating their own empowering stories. In the traditional, male-dominated superhero universe, action figures are endowed with powers from without (via a spider bite, mutant DNA, or some sort of "accident"). In the IAmElemental universe, the girl herself is the superhero - and she has all the superpowers she will ever need already inside of her.

We have converted the Periodic Table of Elements into "The Elements of Power," and we will unveil these powers, series by series, one after the other.

The first series, available first on Kickstarter, is the Courage Series.

The Elemental parts of COURAGE:

Using Joan of Arc as our Muse (because real heroes walk among us), each figure in the series is the personification of one of the Elemental Powers - and we are talking Superpowers.
Bravery, for example, is defined as not shrinking from challenge or difficulty, and her Superpower is the ability to create a protective force field around herself and others.
Magic and fantasy are critical elements of both imaginative play, and daily life. If you want the extraordinary to happen, you have to believe in the impossible.
We live in a world where product tie-ins are a de facto part of the average media marketing plan, and children are spoon-fed a perfectly-packaged storyline with the purchase of every action figure. Yet, we fervently believe that girls (and boys) are not only capable of creating their own stories, but that story creation is a vital part of their emotional development.
Why live vicariously through someone else? Why not be a real, live Superhero?
PLAY WITH POWER
Third, we set out to create a toy that is super fun to play with and collect. We knew from the outset that if the figures weren't well-designed, nothing else would matter.
So, we spent months carefully considering every aspect of the process, working collaboratively with the amazing team at EleventyPlex, in order to ensure that we ended up with the best 4-inch articulated action figure possible.

Go check out the rest of the photos and a video here.

They were hoping to raise $35,000 and they ended up with almost $163,000. Clearly this idea is well-supported.

Emails from students.

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While this isn't related to human sexuality, it is related to class (and is funny). Some of these emails are very similar to some that I've received over the years. I've included below the ones that are.

From The Toast:

Every Type Of Email College Students Send Their Professors by Mallory Ortberg

“hey professor i dont think ill be able to make it to class tomorrow, do u think u could email me the reading and whatever notes u go over, also i will not be able to make it to the final for personal reasons, when do u think i could come into your office and make it up, would summer vacation work for you”

“Hi professor X! Before the exam tomorrow, do you mind answering these 47 very specific questions I have about the material that I’ve been meaning to ask you all semester? If you do not help me I will fail and lose my scholarship and probably die, thank you in advance.”

“hey I just realized that since I didnt show up for the midterm or do any of the homework im probably failing the class, is there any extra credit i can do between now and tomorrow to make sure I get at least an A?”

“hey professor!!! noticed that im getting a D- in the class, any chance you could make that a B+, otherwise i wont be able to graduate this spring and my entire life will be literally ruined forever. ps i probably won’t be in class tomorrow my hands are kind of cramping up”

See the rest here.

Raft sex.

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From the Huffington Post:

Edwin Tobergta Accused Of Sex With Pool Raft YET AGAIN By Hilary Hanson

This guy definitely has a type.

Edwin Tobergta, 35, was arrested in Hamilton, Ohio on Wednesday for allegedly having sex with an inflatable pool raft by the side of the road, Fox 19 reports. This is the fourth time Tobergta has been arrested for this kind of offense.

In 2011, Tobergta was caught with his pants down in an alley with his neighbor's pink, inflatable raft.

He went to jail, but was arrested again in 2013 for having sex with the EXACT SAME RAFT, which had inexplicably not been thrown out. The 2013 offense occurred at Tobergta's own home, but he was charged with -- and pleaded guilty to -- public indecency because it happened within the view of children during the day.

It is unclear if Tobergta's most recent alleged offense took place with the same pool raft.

In 2002, Tobergta was arrested for publicly pleasuring himself with an inflatable pumpkin. That object wasn't a pool toy, though, because come on, a man needs a little variety.

In his newest mugshot, Tobergta is wearing a T-shirt that reads, "I'm out of my mind. Please leave a message."

Dude, get your own raft!

(Art) Project: Beautiful Agony.

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From Vice:

Coming on Camera: Beautiful Agony's Orgasmic Porn By Rula Al-Nasrawi

[…]

That project is Beautiful Agony—also called “Facettes de La Petite Mort.” It’s an Australia-based erotic website that posts daily videos of people masturbating until they orgasm. The twist is that the videos are only filmed from the shoulders up, so all you see is a succession of O-faces. The videos are basically webcam versions of Andy Warhol’s experimental “Blow Job” short film. Anyone from a DDD-cup porn star to your 95-year-old granddad can submit a video of themselves getting their rocks off. The videos range from one-man shows to group circle jerks, but you never see what’s going on down below. The name “Beautiful Agony” speaks to the almost painful tension you feel right before you come, followed by a zen-like state. The beauty lies in watching people of all walks of life momentarily lose control in the best way.

[…]

Founded by Richard Lawrence and Lauren Olney in 2004, Beautiful Agony hasn’t changed a lot since its inception. The site still has an old Windows 90-something look to it. The only difference between now and its debut is the long list of monthly subscriptions Lawrence and Olney have collected over the years. Pay $15 and you have access to hundreds of videos of people finishing themselves off, and confessing their innermost sexual secrets, for a month. Pay $100 and you’ve got access for the entire year.

Lawrence told me over Skype that the site was essentially born out of the duo’s frustration with mainstream porn.

“If we were to sort of parallel the porn industry with the car industry and imagine what a car looked like if it had the same values and the same sort of commitment to excellence that porn has, I think that you’d be looking at a piece of junk that costs $3 million that would run out of petrol after three miles.”

So Lawrence and Olney took matters into their own hands.

“We said, ‘Why don’t we try this and see what happens?’” Lawrence said. “I think we were a little too embarrassed to film our own [videos] and show each other, so instead we just lent a video camera around to some friends of ours that we knew were open-minded.”

[…]

Along with erotic projects like Hysterical Literature (photographer Clayton Cubitt's video series of women reading literature at a desk, while being pleasured underneath the table) and MakeLoveNotPorn.TV (a site where regular people submit their own sex videos for online rental), Beautiful Agony is pioneering a shift in the porn industry away from the male gaze.

“[Beautiful Agony] is something that fits right in with what has been kind of evolving over the last 10 years with the feminist porn movement internationally,” said Mireille Miller-Young, a professor of feminist studies at UC Santa Barbara. “It’s implicit critique is that the graphic display of pornography doesn’t necessarily equal pleasure for the viewer or the performer, and that you could possibly have something that’s less graphic or a more confined view."

Read the rest of the article here.

Homepage here.

And their videos on Vimeo here.

Video collage: