Every Monday, The CSPH takes a look at a book or film focusing on an aspect of sexuality. This week we are featuring The Official Booty Parlor Mojo MaEvery Monday, The CSPH takes a look at a book or film focusing on an aspect of sexuality. This week we are featuring The Official Booty Parlor Mojo Makeover: Four Weeks to a Sexier You by Dana B. Myers. If you’re a woman looking to find inspiration to liven up your sex life, this book may be for you. However, readers should note that Mojo Makeover uses exclusively heteronormative language, and while much of the advice offered is sound, much of the language is directed at cisgendered women in monogamous, straight relationships. With that said, Myers is still to be commended for her flirty, casual, friend-like style that makes readers comfortable with the material they are reading and practicing.
The four-week “makeover” in this book is designed to boost your Mojo, or your sexual confidence and enthusiasm by featuring quizzes à la Cosmopolitan magazine, advice, how-to tips, and a variety of empowering activities and exercises to get your Mojo flowing in four weeks.
The first section focuses on self-reflection and contains my favorite Mojo activity: positive body-banter exercises for the readers to work through. One of the most positive aspects of this book is Myers’ dedication to self-love and flipping negative thoughts into positive ones!
The majority of the second section is spent on understanding personal style and a wardrobe and bedroom makeover. Unfortunately, in this section, “Lingerie Body Builder” exercises for weight loss and body sculpting are touted as a natural step towards gaining confidence when wearing revealing clothing. I do not believe you need to undergo a drastic body change in order to be “lingerie ready,” just as I believe you do not need to wear specific clothes to be sexy. I feel discomfort with the way this portion of the makeover is framed, but if you would like to be aware of these exercises, or if they make you feel more confident, know that they are provided in the Mojo Makeover.
Week three is where things get extra sexy. Myers encourages self-stimulation for this week and highlights the importance of communication with a partner. She includes engaging reflective journaling exercises to encourage open communication and self-reflection, which are useful and on point with the makeover. In the week three section, readers also encounter the “5-O” (Five Orgasm) program where Mojo Makeover participants are instructed to have at least five self-stimulated orgasms each week. Myers gives creative inspiration for solo sessions and tips for reaching orgasm alone or with a partner. She also suggests keeping an orgasm journal to track sexual experiences. While her tips are helpful, she fails to address the plethora of pleasurable sexual experiences outside of orgasm. Therefore I would recommend adapting her journaling activity to include all the pleasureable parts of your sexy times, with or without orgasm. Try journaling about three of your favorite things that happened during your solo session or partnered sex. This will keep the pressure off making yourself or a partner orgasm, and will keep you enjoying the experiences you’re having on a regular basis. With this process, you can journal your experiences and love every single facet of your sexy time.
Another handy tool in the week three section is a sex accessory guide that introduces different types of toys and how to choose an appropriate one. Toys are presented in an easily-approachable manner, although the book avoids anatomical terms: “lady petals” are brought up instead of labia, the clitoris is referred to as “C-Spot,” and the anus is mentioned as the “A-spot.” While this may make certain readers more comfortable with the information presented, I recommend supplementing the Mojo Makeover with this “Scarleteen” article about female genitalia, because knowing your anatomy goes hand-in-hand with knowing what will please you sexually. If you’re looking for even more information, here’s a great article with information about whole-body anatomy and how it relates to pleasure (because it’s not always just about the genitals, folks!).
The final week focuses on exploring foreplay, fantasies, and flirtation. Here, Myers dishes out more fun ideas and tips for practicing and playing and encourages readers to go forth and explore. For the post-Makeover woman, Myers has written an additional section at the end of the book about how to keep Mojo alive forever. As always, Myers delivers a creative variety of checklists, sexy scenarios, activities, and other Mojo Maintenance.
This book is recommended to a very specific demographic: straight women past their late-twenties who don’t have a lot of experience exploring their sexuality and sex positivity. Myers does a great job reaching this demographic and helping them find their sexiest, most confident selves through both text and activities. Ultimately, this is a book that is great for people who need accessible information or an introduction to sex positivity in their lives. I recommend supplementing certain activities as previously advised, and checking out the included links so that you don’t miss any juicy, essential information as you go through the Mojo Makeover.
The culture and knowledge of sex has progressed and regressed throughout history. Margolis uses mythology and research to discuss orgasm, which is oftThe culture and knowledge of sex has progressed and regressed throughout history. Margolis uses mythology and research to discuss orgasm, which is often misperceived due to reluctance by many to have a frank discussion about it. The book is organized in historical order, and does not limit itself to the last few centuries of North America. Knowledge of modern tribes is used for guesswork on orgasms in the BC, and texts such as the Kama Sutra are explored for information on orgasms in other countries and eras. The journey of the orgasm throughout time and place is discussed in this dense and engaging history. Three theories on female orgasm were discussed when evolutionary theorists realized that sexual pleasure didn’t relate to chance of pregnancy. The first theory suggested female orgasm as “an adaptation to enhance the monogamous pair bond,” because, through familiarity, a long-term partner would know how to make the female partner climax. Theorists of the second theory saw monogamy as unnatural, a social value brought about by political repression, and stated that multi-orgasm was evidence of insatiable desire. The final theory discussed female orgasm as part of the similarity in the womb between developing fetuses. Female orgasm was, essentially, an echo of the male orgasm. Protesters against society’s decisions are present throughout time just as they are now. Egon Schiele painted self-portraits of himself masturbating in order to protest against the conservatism of Austrian society. The intimate history of the orgasm proves to it’s readers that, no matter the decisions of medical professionals, religions, and others, people frequently draw their own conclusions as to how to lead sexual lives, and what they should or shouldn’t do with their own bodies....more
Paul Joannides is an author, researcher, radio host, and sex therapist as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Journal of Sexual MedicinePaul Joannides is an author, researcher, radio host, and sex therapist as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Journal of Sexual Medicine and former member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Sexuality Education. Needless to say, Joannides knows a little bit about the politics of sex; specifically the kinds of topics the average person wants to learn about but may be too nervous to ask of their doctors, friends, or sexual partners. The Guide offers easy-to-comprehend and relatable lessons on a variety of sexually related topics, and has even been assigned as a course textbook in college sexual-education classes across the country.
Though the book is just shy of 1,000 pages and contains 81 separate chapters, intriguing chapters like “The Importance of Getting Naked,” “The Zen of Finger Fucking,” and “Nipples, Nipples, Nipples,” make it a reasonable task to read the entire manual in just a few sittings. That said, however, each chapter presents a self-contained lesson on a particular sexual topic, organized into section by general focus area. It is a great resource for someone looking to read specifically about the basics of anal sex, sex during pregnancy, or caring for your vulva or foreskin, among other things. One particularly insightful section is entitled “Sex & the Human Condition,” containing chapters on sex related to cancer, diabetes, and disabilities among other topics that are not typically covered in a book about sex.
One area that is not fully covered or at least feels somewhat underrepresented is the sexual behavior of non-heterosexual individuals. While there are four chapters covering orientation and gender, the book itself reads as very hetero-normative. This being said, there is no shaming or criticism of any kind concerning alternative sexualities and it is a well-known fact that gathering information directly from people who identify as anything other than straight can be difficult due to the extreme prejudice and injustice directed at individuals in this category.
Perhaps the most refreshing and entertaining elements of Joannides writing and presentation in The Guide are the straightforward language surrounding topics of sex and the blush-inducing, enjoyable illustrations that accompany each chapter. Most scientific or medical terms are clearly defined, and the illustrations—by Dærick Gröss Sr., an illustrator of fantasy and comic book art—present a refreshingly graphic and fun (yes, sex can be fun!) depiction of the topic at hand. In short, The Guide to Getting It On is definitely a valuable book to own for any type of professional in the field of sexual health and sexuality, but perhaps more importantly, it is a valuable book to own for any type of person in general....more
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