B E B E R E

I don't know why I bother buying the French edition of Marie-Claire, really. I think I need a good dose of Anti-Americanism with my 101 fashion tips. It's a pity, because it didn't use to be the Jenny Jones freakshow peppered with stories about why such and such a problem is America's fault. Used to be good, practical stuff (recipes, inexpensive clothing ideas and human interest - women related articles). Decent light reading material to keep up my French.

One of the headlines for last month's magazine was, provocatively enough: "DERNIER FUREUR AUX ETATS-UNIS: L'ORGASME QUI DURE UNE HEURE." Hmm, I thought - latest rage, really? Why had I not heard of this? Where do I sign up for this amazing new breakthrough?

The story talked about a 'course' held in the San Francisco area (of course!) by a couple of self-proclaimed sexologues on how to have hour or more long orgasms. The money line from this was - and I'm paraphrasing: "in a country with the reputation for its ferocious puritanism, amateurs of the art of sensual pleasure who tend to come from urban areas are filling up the popular courses.

I don't need to go much further than to say that it all sounded like a sex show that you'd see advertised in the Phoenix here couched in terms of some holistic philosophy and sketchy credentials. (Both instructors were PhDs from the Love Institute, or something like that.)

I guess I was just amused at the whole premise: Americans who are at the same time perhaps looser than the average (I had experienced this a fair bit during my time there - confusion between liberty and libertinage, no doubt) and brutally puritanical looking for something new and gimmicky. I want my orgasm, and I want it supersized! It's amazing the gymnastics that one can go through to attempt to make a point.
Sort of made me think of this:

Lileks on the infamous Guardian Olive Garden Story

Enjoy the above. It's a hoot!