Seriously?

I’m taking a quick break from all of this talk about submissive men being devalued, and femdom being broken, so I can get this out for some airing.

Marriages are more satisfying for both partners when wives are thinner than their husbands, according to a new study.

The four-year study of 169 newlywed couples found that husbands were more satisfied initially and wives were more satisfied over time when the fairer sex had a lower body mass index — a common measure of body fat.  The study was published in the July issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science.

 

They were able to figure this out from only 169 couples?

I’m going to imagine that most people have an idea in their head about what is  or is not attractive, and that probably changes over time. But what also changes over time are other factors that probably outweigh (heh heh) things like muffin top or cellulite.

Now, I’m all for being fit, as those readers who have seen this go from a sex blog to an exercise blog can attest. But I’m also a believer that attractiveness is not just about weight, or even weight distribution. So in the interest of presenting a responsible, opposing viewpoint, I’m just going to leave a few of these pictures lying around. Nothing much, just various women of assorted ages, all of whom not looking like anything like a stick.

 

---

How young?

I like my women the way I like my coffee: strong, hot, and witty. That’s one of the reasons that I read Fern’s blog Domme Chronicles.

Her recent post “How Old?” has nothing to do with wit, though. Instead, it brings up a serious question: How do you deal with a young person with a sincere interest in BDSM? It’s already difficult enough to talk to young people about sex, because so many roadblocks are there, from religious and conservative groups who try to discourage it for moral reasons, to liberal and politically correct groups that try to discourage it because of the potential for power abuse.

But the inherent possibilities for a teen or very young adult to get sucked into a bad relationship with a jackass masquerading as a dominant may weigh – ethically speaking – on any one of us who is witness to such a situation.

Back when Usenet was a more frequented medium, I was a regular on the group soc.sexuality.general; it was a great place for adults to discuss various aspects of sexuality without (much) fear of judgment, and the group managed not to become a pickup dating site. Because of this, it had a large number of women regulars, so there was always a good mix of new and experienced people.

Once in a while, there would be a visitor who would ask questions, and who would reveal (as much as can be believed on the internet) to be considerably younger than the norm. Most of the group members would simply stop conversing with underaged teens for fear of the potential legal ramifications. And indeed, this was always a difficult decision because we’re so torn with wanting to be a good resource, but not wanting to be arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor (a legal issue here in the US).

Anyway, go visit Ferns, tell her I sent you, and then let’s have a discussion.

Porn leads to unrealistic expectations for men

Oh, wait? Did I say “porn”? I meant “romance novels.” Sorry.

No, hold on. Did I say they cause unrealistic expectations for “men”? Sorry, sorry, I meant for “women.”

From the LiveScience blog:

Romance Novels Bad For Women’s Health and Psyche, Psychologist Says

Romance novels can be a bad influence on women and lead them to make poor health and relationship decisions, says a British psychologist.

The novels give women unrealistic views about what to expect out of a relationship because they, well, romanticize love, said Susan Quilliam, a relationship psychologist based in Cambridge.

“They offer an idealized version of romance, which can make some women feel bad about themselves because their relationships aren’t perfect,” Quilliam said.

Hold on… isn’t this the same thing that women have been saying about men who read Playboy, Penthouse, and who watch porn? That the constant exposure will lead to unrealistic expectations?

However, Quilliam stressed, she is not saying women are gullible and don’t understand the difference between fiction and reality. Nor is she saying there is no place for romance novels in our culture.

So, then it’s possible for rational-minded, thinking adults to make a distinction between fantasy and reality? Amazing.

But the novels add to an underlying view in society that in women, emotions and passions trump reason and solid decision-making, Quilliam said. Women should not try to follow their emotions at all costs, but instead balance them with reason.

“The thing that’s going to make relationships last is a mix of romance and common sense,” Quilliam said.

Right. It’s important to mix things up a bit.

I’m sure that most porn watching men would have said this very thing… if you could drag them away from Redtube.

How is this affecting women? Quilliam told MyHealthNewsDaily she often gets letters from women who are in a stable relationship, but feel emotionally attracted to another man. The women think these emotions mean they should abandon their current relationship, because the passion has faded, and go in search of new love rather than trying to work things out.

I wonder if those letters represent a statistically significant population sample?

In fact, everyone, not just female romance readers, can benefit from this advice, Quilliam said.

“Nobody — man or women, romance reader or non-romance reader — should be making their decisions based on,” an idealized version of romance, Quilliam said.

Heh. Party on, Garth!

---

And since this is a short article, let’s add something appropos to make it interesting.

Sirius-ly?

I don’t know why, but whenever I read a weird, odd, or bizarre news headline, it’s almost guaranteed to come fr0m our friends across the pond.

Here’s this week’s item:

Irish woman dies after sex with dog

A man was before Limerick District Court after his Alsatian dog had sex with a 43-year-old woman. The woman later died from an allergic reaction. The incident happened in 2008 and the dog has been held in custody since.

So, apprently it took two or three years to investigate this. Is that because it happens frequently, or because it’s so unusual, even for UK standards?

The reason for the death? I had no idea that this could even happen.

The woman fell ill after the incident and was rushed to Limerick hospital where she died from a severe allergic reaction to the sex.

Ah, now I understand why the investigation took so long. They needed to find an interpreter. How else would they reach this conclusion?

Police are apparently satisfied that the sex was consensual.

 

Consensual? Seriously?

 

Okay, everybody post your puns in the comments. Come on, I know you’re dying to write one.