I was thinking today how much I miss the TV show Sex and The City.  I love the quirky friendship of the 4 women on the show and how even though they were so different and had such completely varied interests, they still had such a great bond with each other.   One of the most impressive parts of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte was their ability to talk about most any subject with each other– in particular (thus the theme of the show) was the topic of sex and relationships.  I wondered today what they would think of my latest adventure…the one I am not telling my own friends about…yet.

I read online an article that talked about Erotica and the rising number of women that are buying it in various forms to enhance their relationships.  I was intrigued by this and decided to go to a local adult store to check it out.  Yes, I was a bit embarrassed and was looking over my shoulder the entire time to see if anyone I knew saw me going into the store.  I was really dying to see what was inside this place and took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.  I was in, and there was no turning back now.  At first I was embarrassed, but the salesgirl was amazingly normal looking (I have no idea what I was expecting, really) and the place wasn’t at all trashy.  It was sort of like being in a Victoria’s Secret shop, except with a wider variety of merchandise.

The lingerie was definitely there, but this wasn’t your mother’s lingerie. These items are the stuff that fantasies are made of.  Bras and panties made of satin, lace and precious little of it.  All of it was very, very sexy.  This stuff was incredibly beautiful and bound to hit the floor in a hurry. Some pieces were missing strategic parts; breasts and crotches in some were fully exposed. Easy access, I suppose and I was definitely intrigued.  I took lots of mental notes.

I spent a good amount of time checking out the books and media section.  Yes, there were your standard fare of “porno tapes” but what surprised me was the amount of books that have been written to enhance every aspect of your sexual experience.  I saw everything from the “Kama Sutra” to “Your Orgasmic Pregnancy”.  This might be the stuff you are too shy to ask your friends (unless they happen to be Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte) and maybe even your doctor.  I actually picked one up for purchase. Hey, this is education at its finest hour! I can always justify buying a “book”!

The selection of toys, vibrators and other pleasure-enhancers was a little mind-boggling.  I remembered one episode of Sex and The City in particular where Charlotte got strangely addicted to her Rabbit vibrator.  I had always wondered about that and noticed, that yes, indeed this vibrator does exist. Looking around the store I had to admit that some of these gizmos definitely looked fun give a whirl. (I know, I think I’m funny…) Apparently you don’t have to be a big brave girl to give one a try anymore.  There are many very non-intimidating choices for novices. Certainly I could see the real value in a woman getting to know and be comfortable with her body. There has to be legitimate good in knowing what you like and being able to share that information with your partner. There was a very wide range of devices from the very small and discreet to the more bold units that definitely weren’t for beginners.

Another fun thing that I saw was a wide variety of bedroom “games”—these could definitely come in handy for couples anxious to “amp” up their love lives but need a little more direction to get things going.  Perfect!  If you are too shy to suggest something, well now you can blame it on the game…sounds like the perfect way to start a fire burning.  I’m really starting to like this store and my hands are beginning to get full of merchandise I want to buy…(My oh my)…I need a basket.

All in all, I had to giggle at my little trip into the land of Erotica and found it much more fun than I had anticipated.   It wasn’t at all the seedy adventure into the tawdry land of porn that I had expected.  Rather this place made sex seem normal, wanting good sex really normal and making sex fun, well something to be embraced and sought after.  Who wouldn’t be down for that?   Sex sells and apparently women are buying it.   Sex and The City?  Not quite.  Today I took PORN 101 and I really learned something.    As for my little erotica class, with my purchases in hand–I’m giving myself an “A”. xo J.