Behind the Chintz Curtain » education

e[lust] #49

Jane — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 19:44:36 +0000

This month’s e[lust] is out! (And can I just say that I’m beyond thrilled to be one of Molly’s featured picks for this edition. :-))

Photo courtesy of Love Hate Sex Cake

Welcome to e[lust] - The only place where the smartest and hottest sex bloggers are featured under one roof every month. Whether you’re looking for sex journalism, erotic writing, relationship advice or kinky discussions it’ll be here at e[lust]. Want to be included in e[lust] #50? Start with the newly updated rules, come back September 1st to submit something and subscribe to the RSS feed for updates!

~ This Month’s Top Three Posts ~

A pill for that?

When I Get Annoyed, Shit Happens.

The Dildo Wars- Dildology & Doc Johnson

~ Featured Post (Molly’s Picks) ~

Sense, Sensibility and Censorship

Triggers, Asses and Subby Places.

~ Readers Choice from Sexbytes ~

There is no Freedom Without Risk

Parlour talk: a girls’ night in

Jane — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:47:24 +0000

Sex. Do you talk about it openly? And if you do, exactly how much do you confess or share in the company of others? How frank are your conversations?

Personal experience tells me that the act of sex and our perceptions of our sexuality often become more complex as we get older. Generally speaking, we’ve learned what we like, what we don’t, and often, with a little maturity and experience, find ourselves wanting to explore things that we may have been too timid to tackle or acknowledge in our youth. However, for many of us, finding the time and the space to talk about what interests us with other like-minded people can be difficult. And invariably the things we discuss and the conclusions we draw from our conversations are not widely shared.

The other week, I was contacted by a very lovely lady by the name of Angelina, part of the team from The Boudoir, who wanted to let me know about an initiative the latter have started in the U.K. called Girls Night In. The premise? Groups of ladies getting together to talk frankly about their sex lives behind their very own (chintzy) curtains and, in the process, helping to build an online information resource for others who may be less comfortable with being so open.

So how does it work, exactly? Well, you get a group of friends together (between five and ten women who you feel comfortable talking in front of), members of the Girls Night In team arrive with some wine and nibbles, and the conversation kicks off. All participants remain anonymous (unless they wish otherwise) but aspects of their discussion are captured (discreetly) and then shared with others via The Boudoir’s education section, The Parlour. So if you decide to talk about fellatio, for example, then your thoughts and perspectives will be captured and detailed for others in a variety of forms – in text, as an animation, or perhaps as part of a multimedia creative piece. (You can see an example of a captured Girls Night In comment in this Parlour article on mutual masturbation.) At the end of a Girls Night In session, as a thank you, all participants receive a gift from the Boudoir team, together with a £25 gift voucher.

Personally, I think this is a great idea. I have to acknowledge that The Boudoir is a commercial entity and will undoubtedly gain insights from these sessions that will help them from a business perspective – but I also think that companies who are willing to listen to women and are prepared to curate and maintain useful, relevant resources on pleasure and sexual health are worth supporting. Angelina’s philosophy?

‘The Boudoir is both a resource and a service, not just a sex shop.’

The Girls Night In team are prepared to travel, so wherever you are in the U.K., please do get in touch with them if you’re interested in helping them out. You can find everything you need to know, including how to get in touch and book your session here.

Title image: courtesy of The Boudoir

The post Parlour talk: a girls’ night in appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Teach me a lesson

Jane — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:15:03 +0000

Sex education – and not the kind they teach in schools. I’m a big fan of it and have a fair number of non-fiction books devoted to various sex-related subjects: sexual psychology (Dirty Minds by Kayt Sukel), oral sex (Masterclass: Going Down by Ian Cameron), and sadomasochism (SM 101: A Realistic Introduction by Jay Wiseman) to name just a few. But, sometimes, there’s no substitute for practical experience.

Just over a year ago, I attended an adult sex education class for the first time with my other half and, hands down, it was probably one of the most interesting and liberating things we’ve done as a couple. Being able to talk to someone with the experience to answer topical sex questions in a practical and non-judgemental way and having the opportunity to see things demonstrated (and try a few things ourselves under the watchful eye of the tutor) was wonderful. Even better, that first class opened the door to a whole lot of other lines of thinking and exploration for us. Some new adventures, if you will.

Earlier this week I received a marketing email from British-based sex toy retailer Coco de Mer, reminding me of their new salon season and, I have to say, they’re running some great classes this November, including An Introduction to Sensual Massage, Sensual Spanking, Mistress in the Bedroom (this one has the fabulous Mistress Absolute at the helm), Backdoor Antics: Practicals of Anal Sex, and Female Ejaculation and the G-Spot.

Coco de Mer aren’t the only ones offering scintillating sexual learning opportunities, however. Hoxton-based Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium, too, are serving up an eclectic mix of reasonably priced classes to fill your evenings as the nights draw in. There’s still plenty of time to sign-up for Rough Sex for Good Girls & Nice Guys, which is open to both women and couples on 23 November, but if you’re not doing anything next Wednesday (24 October), how about some women-only Strap-On & Pegging tuition?

You can never have too much knowledge.

* Please note that the above class lists aren’t exhaustive.

For the full Coco d Mer salon schedule, please click here.
For the full Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium class schedule, please click here.

The post Teach me a lesson appeared first on Behind the Chintz Curtain.

Behind the Chintz Curtain » education

e[lust] #49

~ This Month’s Top Three Posts ~

~ Featured Post (Molly’s Picks) ~

Blogging

Thoughts & Advice on Kink & Fetish

Sex News, Opinion, Interviews, Politics & Humor

Erotic Non-Fiction

Erotic Fiction

Thoughts & Advice on Sex & Relationships

Parlour talk: a girls’ night in

Teach me a lesson