Porn for Women by the Cambridge Women’s Pornography Initiative. Photographs by Susan Anderson This little gift book was shown to me by my good friend M., who always recommends the best books. Apparently, the Cambridge Women’s Pornography Initiative did a survey to find out what really turns women on, and then sent their photographer out to photograph a few fine-looking men doing just those things. One man picks up a garbage bag, while the caption on the facing page reads*, “As long as I have two legs to walk on, you’ll never take out the trash.” Another holds out a piece of cake saying, “Eat it! I don’t like to see you so thin.” One man in bed lifts up the covers: “Is that the baby? I’ll go get her.” The Amazon entry is full of reviewers saying that this is either a joke or rampantly sexist. While it is both funny and sexy, I also think it’s fairly accurate. I’ve read of many studies showing that women find a man who will help with housework and be considerate of their partners a bigger turn-on than, well, sex with no foreplay, or porn designed for men. The result is a turn-on for (straight) women you could safely show a child. No, this shouldn’t be the fantasy that porn implies, and yes, women do enjoy real sex – but this is still awfully fun. And kudos to my love, and to the partners of so many of my friends, who embody the sexy ideals expressed in this book.

*I don’t have the book with me, so these are quotes to the best of my memory.