Well, today is certainly a day we never thought would come: Goop’s second sex issue is here, and inside appears an article on a topic we never thought would be associated in any way with Gwyneth Paltrow. (More on that in a bit.) We love that she and her team are willing to take risks in order to shed light on things oft considered unspeakable, to educate readers and give them a safe space in which to start conversations on taboo topics. Below, some Cliffs Notes for those who don’t have time to peruse the whole thing—or who just don’t want to be fired for doing so.
OMG, They Really Went There
The full title of this article is actually Reality Check: Anal Sex, but we couldn't bring ourselves to publish graphics containing the word "anal," so here we are. This piece is a Q&A with Paul Joannides, a research psychoanalyst and author of The Guide To Getting It On!, on how to make this practice both safe and enjoyable.
You can read the full piece here.
Is porn simply an exploitative, "sexist, erection-deflating, marriage-wrecking, impossible-body-standard-generating scourge" or can it have positive qualities and purposes as well? Goop explores this with the author of Ethical Porn For Dicks, A Man's Guide To Responsible Viewing Pleasure.
You can read the full piece here.
Our favorite takeaway from this piece, a Q&A with Girls & Sex author Peggy Orenstein, actually has nothing to do with sex. She suggests that in order to silence your inner critic, you stand in front of the mirror naked and write down everything you see, with one caveat—you're only allowed to record the things you like.
You can read the full piece here.
This is the classiest-looking roundup of sex toys we've ever seen. Literally only on Goop would you find bedroom toys that retail at $1000+, natural condoms and the like displayed as though they were this week's picks from Net-A-Porter. We love it.
You can peruse Goop's sex shop here.
"Being single 'later in life' can be really glamourous" writes this author—a thousand times yes! We love this piece for debunking the sad-single-woman myth and instead illuminating the truth of dating at 40+: that you're free from goal-oriented dating (e.g. getting married and having kids) and are instead able to seek out genuine joy. What a mind-blowing concept!
You can read the full piece here.
This is a tricky subject in 2017. We all know that casual sex is more readily available than ever, and many of us no longer know where the boundaries are (or where they should be). The bottom line, as per this interview with Justin Lehmiller of The Kinsey Institute, is that you must know yourself; how you feel about what you do (or don't do) is all that matters.
Read the full piece here.
