Hello folks,
At my bachelorette party I received a booklet entitled "Sex Manual" copyright 1952. It appears that I have not shared its wisdom with many of my faithful blog readers. And although I do not wish to divulge all of its secrets before I bestow it upon Sister Sassy before her wedding night, I must share a few favorite quotes.
1. On the cover is a warning: "This booklet is distributed only through the medical profession. Orders recieved direct from laymen without prescriptions will be returned to the senders."
2. The Need of Sex Instruction: "Nature is a powerful and imperious organic impulse. But we have omitted in sex education to instruct youth as to how this disturbing drive can be brought into harmony with other elements of the marital experience." Such as knowing your spouse's nose-picking habits. Less disturbing, indeed.
3. The entire "How to Use the Condom" chapter. THE condom. Because you really only need one which you should wash then cover with talcum powder until its next use-- which will probably be some time next month because you certainly wouldn't want to over-indulge. Don't forget to inflate it before-hand to check for leaks!
4. "The connubial bliss of many a small or medium-sized woman has been marred by the thoughtlessness of a heavy partner lying dead weight upon her." I like this quote just because it's inspired me to use the words "connubial bliss" in everyday conversation.
5. The "Different Positions for Intercourse" chapter skeptically challenges other books that list "as many as eleven postures," but goes on to conceed "It is conievable that male and female gymnasts might effect sexual union in a wide variety of postures, even while standing on their heads." I'm thinking that Dr. Lombard must have had some kinky fantasy about this, because I'm not sure how else you could come up with this stuff.
6. "To keep peace in the family the completely frigid woman might even be advised to pretend to get excited and have an orgasm. This would flatter the average husband and tend to keep him at home." Tend to. He makes no promises, frigid ladies.
9. On women's hygine: "Cleansing. . .with soap and water should be done daily. There is nothing so femininely attractive to a man as daintiness."
10. "As a contraceptive method, withdrawal is said to be successful . . . 87 to 97 per cent among intelligent individuals; the percentage is no doubt lower among others." How exactly are they measuring this? Successful as in no pregnancy results, or successful as in the couples manage to "withdraw" in time? Either way, I'm relieved to see the percentages for "intelligent" individuals.
11. Finally, I love this bigoted quote on the use of coitus reservatus as a contraceptive. The author does not describe what it actually is, but assures us that "Even if it suits some cultures, it is not for normal people."
Oh, the fifties.
4 comments:
I am so thankful to get a sneak peek! Now that I'm engaged I find I just have more in common with married ladies and really have nothing to say to singletons so I'd really like to get a jump on being judgemental about other peoples' sex lives. Thank you Motion DeSmiths
A single copy of the 1965 version of this book was briefly available on Amazon, but it looks like somebody bought it.
The whole success percentage rate always baffles me when it comes to reproduction. Emily was reading this book that said something like every woman has a 25% chance of getting pregnant each month.
But, there was no constant to go along with that... no basis in what would, in fact, qualify said woman to get that 25% chance, other than -- I'm assuming -- having unprotected sex. I'm gonna guess that the percentage goes up with the frequency, timing, fertility, age and health of both the potential mother and her partner(s).
But what the hell do I know, right? After all, I have degrees in journalism, not biology! ;)
And Sister Sassy... you have no idea what awaits you. It's really weird to talk to your married friends about sex... it's like this really fun activity in which you're all (allegedly) involved... just not with each other. However, it seems that once the topic turns from recreation to procreation, certain specifics of the blessed act are no longer taboo to share with others (i.e use of contraceptives, planning, timing, frequency, etc.). It's really... odd.
For guys, it seems to be a strange extension of locker room talk, except no one is lying anymore. From what Emily tells me about women, it's mainly about sharing various facts, especially concerning pregnancy.
Yep. Married life is a different world... and it totally rocks! You'll love it.
the "withdrawl" contraception rate is BS, even when coupled with other forms of contraception. I got the kids to prove it.
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