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  • The Godfather of Masochism: In Memoriam: Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

    On the 115th anniversary of his death, we still have much to learn about sex, power and the true nature of love from the man for whom the term “masochism” was invented.

  • The of Eroticism of Skin

    You could say skin holds a certain magic that’s frightened us and attracted us since forever, right from the very beginning.

  • Leather: The Ultimate Masculine Fashion Statement

    Leather has a well-established niche in gay history. A look at the macho pioneers—from military men to bikers and artists—who shaped leather culture as we know it today.

  • On Spooning

    The Victorian Era added an important term to the sexual lexicon, other than merkin. When a family shared a bed, Mother and Father would instruct the kiddies to squish together and lie on their sides facing the same direction. Everyone stayed warm and more children could fit in the bed. Thus, spooning was born.

  • The Strange, True History and Evolution of the Personal Ad

    Contrary to popular belief, the personal ad is not yet another invention of the internet. It’s been around for centuries, continuing to evolve with each generation’s needs, desires, and fetishistic frenzies—from the earnest days of ‘matrimony papers’ to today’s user-friendly searches on websites such as Craigslist.

  • Smoke After Sex? (You’re probably just doing it too fast.)

    And certainly these days, since almost no one smokes anymore. For years, smoking and sex have been tied together. Literature, cinema and television have celebrated the post-coital cigarette to the point of cliché for eons. And now, unless you’re French or Quentin Tarantino, smoking is outré—in a big way. Is the image, moreover the act, even relevant anymore?

  • That Was Then, This is Now

    Every era has had its rules for acceptable standards for clothing, communications, relationships, etc. There were also consequences for stepping outside that behavior. Here’s a look at quid pro quo—then and now—highlighting different eras in history to trace the trajectory of passion, fashion and culture.

  • Sex v. FCC: Epilogue and Backstory

    The wacky, super-true tale of the FCC—how it came to power, and why it fears boobs.

  • Sex v. FCC: Act I

    What is sex itself were hauled before the FCC and forced to defend itself? G.L. Morrison considers the twists, turns, and inherent satire of such an eventuality.

  • Bettie Page: Posed for Our Sins

    The pinup model who wanted to be a missionary...

  • Above Our Nelly Knees: The Stonewall Riots at 40

    The 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots takes place this Sunday. Sexis takes a look back at what Stonewall meant then, and what it means to this day.

  • Rhythm of Sin: The War on Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll

    Music is sexy. Dangerous sexy. Back in the annals of history, some caveman Casanova figured out smacking out a rhythm on a rock with your club was more conducive to lovemaking than clubbing her over the head. Women have loved drummers ever since.

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century, Part 7

    Hubris in Neon: SEXIS sits down for a one-on-one with the ’80s, and, as usual, “The Me Decade” speaks for itself, or in this case, himself…

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century, Part Six

    The ’70s: The most odious decade ever. No kidding. It was beyond bad. I mean, Roger Moore as James Bond? Puh-lease! Well, at least everyone was fucking.

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century, Part Five

    From white kid gloves to a roll in the mud, ladies and gentlemen, we bring you the rise and fall of the Madonna/whore decade!

  • Eroticism & the Executive Branch: Sex Lives of the Presidents

    So everyone’s all atwitter about the hotness of our new First Couple, right? But we’ve been obsessing on the sexayness of our Commanders in Briefs since, well...as long as we’ve had presidents. From the rumors of Lincoln’s homosexuality to the derrings do and don’t of FDR, to the inherent weirdness of Garfield—Wise Young Mommy takes a fond look back at the sex lives of a few of our presidents.

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century, Part Four

    The Fifties! The Pelvis. Poodle skirts. Pat Boone. Nat King Cole. Hugh Hefner. James Dean. Ozzie and Harriet. Is it Safe to Come Out of the Bomb Shelter Yet?

  • Ragged Glory: The Rise and Fall of the Noble Stag

    Today, we know porn as a mainstream product which pervades nearly every facet of our social fabric. It wasn’t always that way--a century ago, pornography was a strictly underground affair, rearing its head up in men’s lodges and dance bars as the stag film. Bob Modern takes a look back at the glory days of the stag, from meat shots to Apple Knockers and all the way to Marilyn Monroe herself.

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century, Part Three: Supply, Demand, Gender-Bending and Nuclear Cheesecake

    Springtime for Hitler on the Paris Runways. Pin-Up Girls Pump More than Morale. Plus our 21-Gun Salute to Gender Bending in the Military.

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century, Part Two: A Rumination on Tomatoes, Platinum Blondes and the Rise of Butch Chic

    Warning! Dangerous curves ahead. Blonde ambition conquers all…and we ain’t talkin’ Madonna.

  • Seminal Styles of the 20th Century: Designers, Divas and Fashion Firsts That Shook the World--Part One: From the Gilded Age to the Flapper

    Does sex influence fashion, or does fashion influence sex?

  • Mondo Sexo: The Heady Days of Sexploitation Sinema

    Are you curious? And if you are, are you curious-yellow, or blue? Before blue movies were legal, there was a decades-long movement of filmmakers pushing sexual boundaries--a genre known affectionately as sexploitation. Bob Modern takes a fond look back at film’s most lurid and eccentric genre.

  • The Venus Pendulum: A Brief History of Women and Sex

    How do you condense the history of female sexuality into 1500-ish words? With dignity, aplomb, and an occasional dig at the Victorians.

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