the more the curiosity to explore, warns psychiatrist V Chalam Das. Dr Vipin says parents and teachers should openly discuss about the positive and negative aspects of sex. "Media can also help in channelling their thoughts in the right direction," he says.
All people in this post are amalgams of people I know, so if you think this is about you ... it probably is.My dear friend, henceforward known as Crystal, (a name I used once to great effect) called me the other night in a state of crisis. She'd forgotten something at home and returned sooner than expected to pick it up only to find her husband of 15 years, Frank (pronounced Franc) watching an adult film on his MacBook Air.
There was a breathless pause wherein she awaited my shock and dismay. But all I said was, "And ... ?"
This may be a sign of the apocalypse, but I wasn't shocked, dismayed, appalled, perturbed or even mystified. It just seemed pretty ordinary. I'm going to guess that most people -- I have no statistics to back this up so feel free to jump in -- but most human adults have at least upon one occasion viewed for the purpose of self- and/or couple gratification theSopornos. Search your soul -- or just your computer history -- and tell me I'm wrong??
Pornography has always existed -- have you seen the Mayan hieroglyphs? The ancient texts of the Kama Sutra? Just head to your local museum of art where it won't surprise you to discover that Rome is the "birthplace of modern pornography" -- and of course all roads lead there.
I was watched like a hawk by my parents when puberty hit, and even so I was exposed to my first pornographic image as a seventh grader by my friend Annabeth Lingua (admittedly not her true identity).
Annabeth was bookish, with owl-lensed glasses. She wore her hair in a bowl cut, skirts to her knees and blouses buttoned up to the neck. She was a Good Girl. But her mother, Savannah, was a lusty divorcee who sunbathed topless in the backyard while we scandalized middle-school girls treaded water, pimply and flat-chested in the swimming pool nearby.
One day when Savannah traipsed out at 4 p.m., no doubt to meet one of her liaisons in an upscale Howard Johnson, Annabeth and I were left to our own devices. Before five minutes had passed, we were eyeballs deep in pornographic magazines found under the master bed.
I had only recently read (in my closet with a flashlight) a purloined copy of Judy Blume's "Forever," from which I discovered one could kiss and copulate simultaneously. Imagine my stupefaction that both could also be done while standing in pleather stilettos!
In 2012 we have either the good fortune or extremely bad luck of being able to access pornography in our homes on televisions, computers and even on our cell phones. Not that I've done that. I've just heard that you can do that.
I'm ambivalent about pornography. It bears an unsavory sheen. Also I worry I'll be smote from above should I use pornography for my private gratification. That perhaps I'll be cursed with a flesh-eating virus rendering me fingerless in recompense for my transgression.
But here is what I'll admit in print. Cable TV has single-handedly kept things frolicsome in my marital bed for 14 years. Fourteen years, people. Fourteen. Years. And Henry won't be able to pry his wrists from my lifeless, rigamortic grip until we hit the Golden Anniversary. We'll both be pushing 100, but it's going to happen.
Some of my favorite aphrodisiacs include True Blood, Spartacus, Hung (which sadly was canceled), Girls and Game of Thrones. Oh sure, sure, the story lines are compelling, the dialogue whip-smart, the worlds rarefied, but let's face it, these shows are all soft porn.
Soft or hard (yes, a pun), I think pornography can help keep a marriage fresh, vital, funny and ever-evolving if it's not used as a replacement for actual sex with your spouse.
And just as the Native Americans bless the animal that sacrificed their lives to provide them dinner, I too sometimes bless the performers who sacrificed their dignity to give me my ... FADE TO BLACK.
Do you dare leave your thoughts? You can use your Porn Star pseudonym. Mine is Buffington Shelby (street I grew up on, first pet).Women are suffering from an epidemic ofinsecurity about their bodies, a shocking new poll has revealed.
According to the poll conducted by YouGov, 59 per cent women said they have negative thoughts about their looks at least four times a day, while half feel guilty at least some of the time after eating.
Worryingly, one quarter of women would take it as a compliment if someone told us we looked too thin, the Sun reported. The exclusive survey also found that many women blame "women" for making them worry about weight. 45 per cent said it was their own gender rather than men who made them feel like they have to be thin.
The survey of 1,831 women across the UK also revealed that a vast 74 per cent believe society - general portrayal of the image of beauty is currently too thin.
However, almost half (42 per cent) of the respondents claimed that in reality, a size 12 is "perfect".
Research shows an alarming increase in the number of people in the state who are addicted to porn... students included.
God's Own Country, of late, is in the news for all the wrong reasons. The latest addition is the alarming increase in the rate of pornography. When compared to other states, Kerala is the largest producer of porn videos in India, say industry insiders. They point out alcohol addiction, lack of sex education and a conservative society as factors contributing to this development."Surprisingly, a large number of school children are addicted to porn," says psychiatrist C P Somanath. He recently attended to a case where a Class II student was brought to him by the boy's parents for counselling as he was caught watching a porn video.
Dr Somanath points out that if children are exposed to such videos during their sexually evolving stage, they get acquainted with such videos and even develop an addiction towards it, which may continue even after they get married. Psychologist Dr Vipin too shares the view and says that excessive use of porn for sexual pleasure has paved way for cybercrimes and rapes too.
About 136 cases of obscene publication or transmission were reported under the IT Act by
the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2011, and Kochi was identified as the hub of cybercrime, followed by Calicut and Trivandrum. "Those exposed to such obscene videos have poor impulse control as their mind would be pre-occupied with such obscene and gross thoughts," explains Dr Somanath.The lack of sex education in the state is also to be blamed for this development. "Through sex education, children should be taught to respect their body, what to watch and what not to, and practice a healthy relationship with their partner and friends of the opposite gender. However, sex education is almost nil in most schools in the state," says Dr Vipin.
The society is also too conservative. The more you restrict someone from doing something,
According to the poll conducted by YouGov, 59 per cent women said they have negative thoughts about their looks at least four times a day, while half feel guilty at least some of the time after eating.
Worryingly, one quarter of women would take it as a compliment if someone told us we looked too thin, the Sun reported. The exclusive survey also found that many women blame "women" for making them worry about weight. 45 per cent said it was their own gender rather than men who made them feel like they have to be thin.
The survey of 1,831 women across the UK also revealed that a vast 74 per cent believe society - general portrayal of the image of beauty is currently too thin.
However, almost half (42 per cent) of the respondents claimed that in reality, a size 12 is "perfect".
Research shows an alarming increase in the number of people in the state who are addicted to porn... students included.
God's Own Country, of late, is in the news for all the wrong reasons. The latest addition is the alarming increase in the rate of pornography. When compared to other states, Kerala is the largest producer of porn videos in India, say industry insiders. They point out alcohol addiction, lack of sex education and a conservative society as factors contributing to this development."Surprisingly, a large number of school children are addicted to porn," says psychiatrist C P Somanath. He recently attended to a case where a Class II student was brought to him by the boy's parents for counselling as he was caught watching a porn video.
Dr Somanath points out that if children are exposed to such videos during their sexually evolving stage, they get acquainted with such videos and even develop an addiction towards it, which may continue even after they get married. Psychologist Dr Vipin too shares the view and says that excessive use of porn for sexual pleasure has paved way for cybercrimes and rapes too.
About 136 cases of obscene publication or transmission were reported under the IT Act by
the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2011, and Kochi was identified as the hub of cybercrime, followed by Calicut and Trivandrum. "Those exposed to such obscene videos have poor impulse control as their mind would be pre-occupied with such obscene and gross thoughts," explains Dr Somanath.The lack of sex education in the state is also to be blamed for this development. "Through sex education, children should be taught to respect their body, what to watch and what not to, and practice a healthy relationship with their partner and friends of the opposite gender. However, sex education is almost nil in most schools in the state," says Dr Vipin.
The society is also too conservative. The more you restrict someone from doing something,