by Katie
Throckmorton
GirlPorn.
That’s what my male friends call it, the stack
of trashy romance novels sitting next to my bed. The bodice-rippers and
happily-ever-after tales of girl-meets-boy that you can pick up for less than $5
at any place books are sold.
There are several different publishers of these
titles, countless different genres and multiple imprints of each, ranging from
the very tame – “And then they kissed” – to the deliciously detailed – well, you
get the idea. I started reading
these little slices of heaven when I was in high school, my friend and I
“borrowing” them from her mother’s stash and flipping through until we found the
good parts.
Later I began to enjoy the whole love story,
and at 180 pages a pop, they’re an almost guiltless indulgence. I also, however, discovered that there
were books classified as “erotica”, stories that existed solely to be about sex,
and were never tame. You can find a
shelf of erotica in even the biggest bookstore chains, a single shelf, in the
back usually. As if it were
something to be ashamed of. Poor
souls – they’re missing out.
When the boys call it GirlPorn, they’re hitting on
something deeper than they realize.
For far from the leave-nothing-to-the-imagination videos that most men
prefer, (and let’s be honest, aren’t always that bad), erotic literature suits
women much better than men. We’re
not the highly visual creatures that men are, we’re thinkers: yes, give us the
steamy sex scenes, but also the details behind it – what’s their
relationship? Is it love, or a
one-night stand? Erotic books
provide these details while also letting us flesh out our own, as do any good
books. If we prefer our male leads
to be brunette with bulging biceps, then they can be when we’re reading
them. In a film, the choice has
been made for us.
Erotic-lit can be lingered over, enjoyed over the
course of several nights, or, like I did, skipped to the good bits first. And because there are so many genres,
it’s a breeze to find one you’re in the mood for – historical, mystery, lots of
sex, more romance, super kinky, or extra vanilla.
The boys may
laugh, but start out your next evening get-together with a little out-loud
reading. Set the mood with candles and low lighting, your sexiest lingerie, and
snuggle up on the couch/bed/kitchen counter. Pick a juicy scene in one of your
favorite books and start reading it to him. The naughty words coming from
your mouth will make him forget he once laughed at your bedside
collection.
copyright 2007 www.ScarletGirl.com
Katie Throckmorton is an author and romance consultant who has been one
of Scarlet’s girls since May 2007, and is loving it more every day! The products
are fun and classy, and she is excited to share them all with the women she
knows and meets through Scarlet Girl. She is also a regular contributor to
Scarlet’s Letter and the archive of articles at www.scarletgirl.com.
Katie’s favorite items – at the moment – are Jenna’s Velvet Jewels in
pink, the Jack Rabbit Vibe (always a classic!), and the Hot and Heavenly Massage
Oils. Katie is always booking shows in the San Jose, CA area, but is also
willing to travel up the peninsula and to the East Bay, and even San Francisco
if she is needed there.
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