22MOON.COM
You can see the whole Earth from the Moon!

.

.

_Art by EUGENE DELACROIX

.

Give It Up For

Masturbation

By Julie Bogart

_______July 26th, 2009

Sirens website

SIRENSMAG.COM

Give It Up for Masturbation

____Links are in GREEN

__-__Part ONE of TWO

Spanking the monkey.

Jerkin’ the gherkin.

Slapping the salami.

There are hundreds of

euphemisms for male

masturbation,

most of them funny,

most of them known.

While masturbation among men

is generally perceived as normal,

common,

and even necessary,

female masturbation is still one

of the most taboo of subjects

(up there with our periods

and our difficulties with orgasm).

Even with our

girlfriends we don’t go there.

A woman will spill every detail

about the mind-blowing sex

she had the night before,

but the out-of-this-world

orgasm she gave herself?

Not a word.

Though this could also be

because she’s not having them:

According to a recent study conducted

by sociologists at the University

of Chicago,

only 38 percent of women reported

masturbating during the previous

12 months

(compared to 61 percent of men).

What gives, ladies?

Taboo or not,

masturbating is just about the best

thing you can do for your sex life,

not to mention your overall

health and mood.

If you’re among the majority

of women who haven’t flown

solo lately,

it’s time to take the

plane out for a spin.

For those of you who’ve

mastered the art of self-love—

just as with sex—

you can always benefit from

trying something new.

.

__-_Art by WILLIAM ETTY

.

Why Masturbation is a Must:

It leads to better sex,

better relationships,

and more pleasure.

Masturbation acquaints

you with your body—

its needs,

turn-ons,

and hot spots.

“Ultimately,

each of us is responsible for

our own sexual enjoyment,”

says psychotherapist Lisa Schwartz.

“By engaging in self-pleasuring,

a woman can learn about her

likes and dislikes,

what is ‘normal’ for her —

her sounds,

how she feels,

what she thinks

about when turned on,

what toys she likes.

And this self-knowledge can

be used to enhance her sexual

experience with others.”

Stephanie Buehler,

psychologist and sex therapist,

agrees:

A woman

“needs to not only get to

know her own genitals—

her clitoris,

labia,

and vagina—

but also the rest of her body,

so that she can communicate

that to her partner,”

she says.

It’s better for your health.

.

__._Art by JUDE MACEREN

.

Much has been said about the

health benefits of orgasms.

If you’re masturbating,

you’re having better

orgasms more frequently.

According to sexologist

Yvonne Fulbright,

masturbation can help

relieve chronic back pain,

alleviate premenstrual cramps,

and even help you

avoid yeast infections.

Because orgasms cause the

muscles of the body to fully relax,

self-loving can also help with sleep,

anxiety and stress.

It can get you through a dry spell.

If you haven’t had sex in a few weeks

(cough, months),

getting your solo groove on

can make those lonely nights

much more bearable —

and even a little fun.

.