LoveLife: Latest in Sex, Love & Pop Culture News and Videos // Current

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4 days ago

Sexually spread diseases up, better testing cited

Sexually spread diseases continue to rise, with reported chlamydia cases setting yet another record in 2008, government health... more

xiola
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Religion - "Mental Health in the Community"

This short documentary uncovers the place of mental illnesses, such as Bipolar Disorder, within modern religion and the Church of... more

FinalFightFilms
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Lesbians parents better at raising children?

Stephen Scott, director of research at the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners, has said his research shows children from... more

TravG73
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The Largest Street Gang in America

How many more times are we going to see cops abuse their power and get away with the same excuse? How can we, as tax payers,... more

KSirys
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Sex Pills For The Female Libido Are On Their Way

The pharmaceutical industry has discovered the female libido. German biotech company Boehringer Ingelheim is "putting the... more

doggeman
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World March for Peace & NonViolence - london

As part of the INTERNATIONAL WORLD MARCH FOR PEACE London, U.k short This journey takes us between Hyde Park and Battersea... more

da100thmonkey
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Plastic-hardening chemical makes men soft

Regular contact with high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a compound commonly found in plastic food and drink containers, appears to... more

retro_Syl
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Masturbation 101

It is a subject that would make most parents, teenagers and teachers blush, but officials in Spain are tackling masturbation hands... more

TravG73
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The Saddest Video You Will Ever See

Sorry to ruin your day, but someone shot a sea lion in the face in Sacramento, leaving the poor thing writhing in pain as he keeps... more

bigredkev
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Sexual Hook Ups Damned By Chastity Groups, Hailed By New Feminists

"Today's first base is kissing ... plus fondling this and that. Second base is oral sex. Third base is going all the way. Home plate is learning each other's names."

So wrote Tom Wolfe in his 2000 book "Hooking Up" -- a term that describes a wide range of coupling from making out to intercourse.

For more than a decade, the "hookup" has been an integral part of the American college experience -- a result of the increased permissiveness that came with the sexual revolution of the 1970s.

Just recently at Harvard University -- sometimes pegged as "godless and liberal" -- the hookup culture came under fire, mostly from a small but growing abstinence group called True Love Revolution.

They argue that women who invoke a new kind of feminism -- the right to have sex whenever and with whomever they choose -- is demeaning to women.

"A popular thing to say among this intellectual crowd, in the ivies and in feminism in general, is to say that sex is empowering and a real woman uses her sexuality in any way she pleases," said Rachel Wagley, a 20-year-old sociology student who is TLR's co-president. "It's blatantly false and a lie that this culture tells to girls for their own benefit." Silpa Kovvali, a 21-year-old computer science concentrator, argued in a Harvard Crimson editorial that there is nothing "inherently degrading" about engaging in casual sex -- in fact, she said, it can be "empowering."

But chastity groups seem to be on to something -- a growing unease that although hooking up can be liberating, it can also be annoying and sometimes destructive.

"It's a huge part of life here," said Maariya Bajwa, a senior at the University of Florida. "When I used to take the bus I'd hear random people having conversations about random hook ups they had. I was like, 'Uh guys, we're on a bus. I don't need to hear about your one-night stands.'"

By the end of senior year, the average college student has had 6.9 hookups, mostly after a "good bit of drinking," according to a survey of 4,000 students at five universities by Stanford University sociology professor Paula England.

Her work revealed that while 24 percent of the respondents had reported never having hooked up, 28 percent had more than 10 such casual sexual encounters.

England, who set out to explore the dating habits of college students, found they were kissing, having oral sex and sometimes intercourse with "no expectation that either party has an interest in moving toward a relationship."

"There's a lot of degrading treatment of some women and it is empoweringly free for other women," she told ABCNews.com."Today's first base is kissing ... plus fondling this and that. Second base is oral sex. Third base is going all the... more

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9 days ago

Babeland challenges 'puritanical' sexual ideals

Amid a myriad of sex toys ranging from dildos to handcuffs, Audrey McManus, education coordinator at Seattle's Babeland sex shop, is adamant that fear has no place in sexual education.

Babeland's mission is simple—to create an atmosphere where sexuality is made comfortable and accessible. Its flagship store, located on East Pike Street, was created in 1993 after Claire Cavanah and Rachel Venning noticed a lack of women-friendly sex shops in the region.

While the store has grown and expanded its target audience and has multiplied to stores in New York and Seattle, the focus remains the same—to educate and create a positive environment for sexual discovery and exploration.

“We live in a society based on puritanical values,” McManus says. “Americans have this reputation of being so sexual, but we really are oppressed.”

In relation to other sex shops on Capitol Hill including The Crypt and Castle, Babeland offers a distinctly different atmosphere. The first noticeable difference is the bright lighting and colorful walls, which are intended to create a more inviting space. The displays are also presented in a less discrete way. Customers are encouraged to ask questions, turn the equipment on, feel vibrations and get comfortable with the devices before purchasing them.

Babeland clientele breaks down to roughly 65 percent women and 35 percent men. According to McManus, most people who visit the store are heterosexual, but the store’s selection is not limited to any one sexual identification.

“Gay men just don't think this store is for them,” says McManus, who indicates that gay men make up the smallest percentage of customers. “Our gay porn selection is kind of bad. This is not the mecca for gay porn.”

Along with selling sex toys ranging in price from $15 to more than $100, Babeland provides extensive sexual education classes and workshops focused on increasing sexual pleasure and releasing stigma. When it comes to teaching about sex, Babeland focuses on three key elements—lubrication, communication and relaxation.

On Nov. 8, Babeland hosted “The Art of Oral Pleasure: Clit Trick,” an event focused on educating people and their partners on oral stimulation. In an effort not to be gender exclusive, they will also be hosting a workshop Dec. 13 titled “The Art of the Blow Job.”

“The goal is for anyone to go shopping for sex toys without feeling judged,” McManus says. “There really needed to be a place where women felt comfortable shopping.”

Babeland tries to make their products easy and accessible for customers.

“Sex is something everybody does,” McManus says. “Everyone in here is here for the same reason. It is a very comfortable place to shop.”

McManus, who has been working in the sex toy industry for years, also suggests that people who are nervous and intimidated also check out Babeland's extensive online shopping collection.Amid a myriad of sex toys ranging from dildos to handcuffs, Audrey McManus, education coordinator at Seattle's Babeland sex... more