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Sleeping Around Craigslist

By Anna Reed and Lily Penza, East Bay Express. Posted July 9, 2008.


Two middle-aged women discover that casual sex can be anything but casual.

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AlterNet is resurfacing some of the best and most popular articles published in 2008. In this piece, published this July, Anna Reed and Lily Penza go undercover to explore what sex life is like on Craigslist.

It takes a woman about a thousand words and a condom to get laid on Craigslist. But for a woman to be laid properly -- by a passionate lover who knows what he's doing -- well, that's a whole different ball game.

We are both middle-aged women who have spent the past 11 months sleeping around Craigslist. At an age when most women were sending their firstborns off to college, we found ourselves -- through chance and circumstance -- single, tumescent and ripe for adventures. Those adventures have spanned 10 counties and four states and involved roughly 45,000 e-mailed words, 27 phone calls, 36 face-to-face initial dates and 13 actual lovers -- and re-aggravated our carpal tunnel syndrome from all the typing.

Years before embarking on Craigslist, both of us had experienced sexual abandonment. We were both hungry for intimacy and physical touch after years of wandering in the desert. Our lives were on similar trajectories.

Lily Penza, 46, had been overweight since her teens and suffered from dangerously low self-esteem. At age 28, she moved in with the first man who looked her way. It was a virtually sexless union for 10 years before a therapist helped her come to her senses and move on. Lily never married and spent most of her life caring for an ill parent who died recently. So she lost 40 pounds and decided she would make up for lost time.

Anna Reed is a 50-year-old who, as a young woman, had been raped and pressured into sex during the so-called sexual revolution. She had read books on women's sexuality -- Barbach, Tisdale, Jong, Hite and Nin -- but each held only a small piece of the puzzle. Not one of these authors could tell her as much about sexuality as her own inner life did. Emerging from a stale and sexless marriage, she would do things her way this time around.

Lily turned to the free Craigslist personals because didn't want to spend any money getting laid. She started answering ads last July. She was open to every person and every experience -- even Republicans, as long as they could kiss. Lily told her close friends about how thoroughly she would be sleeping around, joking, "I want my vagina to have call-waiting." Now she is enjoying the adolescence she never had, dating like an oversexed high school student but armed with the wisdom and savvy of a woman in her 40s.

Anna decided to try Craigslist because she found other online dating sites too silly. Now, despite her wrinkles and middle-age spread, she "dates" a multitude of guys. But they aren't really dates. "We don't go places together; they sometimes buy lunch but just as often they don't. I'm sleeping with them. Actually, that's a euphemism; we have sex." With a lover whose bad back has him on the injured reserve list, Anna knows what to do: click on "Casual Encounters" and start the e-mail banter that almost always leads to a meeting. "I don't have a boyfriend," she says, "I have a team roster."

Lily and Anna are not our real names, but then you probably knew that was coming. Virtually everyone on Craigslist lies about something: their name, their age, their weight, their marital status, maybe even their penis or bra size. For the purposes of this story, we have changed everyone's names to protect their privacy.

The two of us met when Anna answered an ad that Lily's then-boyfriend, Scott, posted on Craigslist. Lily and Scott were seeking a third partner to join a menage a trois. Before anybody actually met face to face, Lily dumped Scott and canceled the threesome, but she became e-mail pals with her would-have-been sex partner, Anna.

Once we met, we realized we had a lot in common, and began sharing our respective experiences. Our adventures have included the hot, the not-so-hot, and some potential hook-ups that never even got off the ground. There were memorable ones, like Lily's first date, which ended at 3:30 a.m. at the Power Exchange sex club. Or the ex-con who went down on Anna for an hour straight.

There were forgettable ones too, like the alcoholic art dealer, or the guy who excused himself in the middle of sex to smoke a cigarette. And there have been multiple-partner dates, which involved average-looking East Bay residents who swing, tie up, dominate, submit, and spank.

What kind of sex did we find? Some of the lovemaking was wonderful, a lot of it was initially awkward but got better as time went on, and some of it was downright disastrous. Upending the notion of "Casual Encounters" -- as Craigslist dubs its "Just Looking to Get Laid Tonight" category -- we both discovered that casual sex is anything but.

Perhaps because we are highly verbal, our initial Craigslist encounters involved a ream of e-mail. Sometimes we just coordinated the logistics of the hookup, but equally often, we wrote and received profoundly intimate and revealing letters -- an epistolary of erotic stories.

Then there is the issue of sexual chemistry, which is arbitrary, inexplicable and largely unpredictable. Terrific e-mail connections don't guarantee a sizzling face-to-face meeting. And not everyone keeps their word. More than once, last-minute cancellations left us calling one another for support, or just drunk, horny and alone with a DSL connection.

Finally, there's the zany sitcom a woman's life becomes when she's juggling multiple lovers: scheduling dates; trying to keep personal data straight on each man; finding enough time after work to shave her legs, dye her hair, exfoliate her skin, apply mascara, and MapQuest the planned meeting spot.

But when it works -- and it has -- there is the sheer joy of exploring sexuality without any strings attached. And sometimes a woman can find a treasured friend with benefits, an outright boyfriend -- or the love of her life.

Besides all the rules that sensible people follow when dating online, like "meet in a public place," "let someone know where you are," and "condoms are non-negotiable," we developed our own special list for middle-aged chicks who date on Craigslist:

1) A lot of men want to screw Sarah Silverman. (Three lovers told Lily the potty-mouthed comedian was their "fantasy fuck.")

2) With ads for people over forty, add at least five years and ten pounds to the photo. That way, when the older and heavier date shows up, you won't be as disappointed. This rule is as applicable to men as it is to women.

3) Men have a tendency to overreport the number of sex partners they have had. Women underreport.

4) You better have a good memory if you want to date a lot. In case you don't, call everybody "honey" to avoid mix-ups and make a cheat sheet on each with the name of their dog, their favorite movies, wines, and sexual positions. Failure to take notes will make pillow talk a minefield. If you are compulsive, go ahead and make a chart.

5) Promise little, deliver much.

What we found

Probably because the ads are free and largely uncensored, Craigslist has become "Hook-Up Central" on the Web. There's no long questionnaire and no profile required as there is on other dating sites. There's just a bunch of hungry people looking for everything -- large breasts, big dicks, big beautiful women, skinny transvestites, long-term partners, friends with benefits, illicit affairs, spankable lovers, submissive studs.

The unspoken acronyms behind online personals are HIV, HPV, HSV, and HepB. Sexually transmitted diseases are the scourge of the modern gal navigating her way around Craigslist. Studies show one of the highest rates of new HIV transmissions is currently among women over forty. Just as a middle-aged woman knows she is ultimately responsible for her own orgasm, she also knows she alone is responsible for her own sexual safety. If a man won't agree to wear a condom during sex, the thinking woman gets out of bed, gets dressed, says goodbye, and doesn't look back.

Some people who date on Craigslist are careful, some are not. Some couples want full blood work and a credit check before they'll swing; other couples bone strangers at the Power Exchange with just a few words beforehand.

But for a heterosexual woman who wants to get safely laid, there's a fully stocked candy store on Craigslist waiting to be robbed blind. On a recent Sunday night there were 1,000 men in the Bay Area looking for one woman, any woman.

Most of the ads were written in a vulgar and tasteless style which didn't even tempt an answer. For instance: "I often travel and find myself bored in a hotel room and not really interested in another half-assed handjob from some pregnant meth-head for $100. ... So, I'm doing something very uncharacteristic: thinking ahead." This man seemed to be looking for women to meet him in his hotel room the next time he was in town. His ad said he was "well-versed in the appropriate acts and mechanics" and able to "control myself so that everyone has a good time." But though we like a man who is proud of his skills, he pissed us off by equating us with hookers. And his characterization of prostitutes as "pregnant meth-heads" is incredibly offensive.

Other ads were more tender: "Please, I feel so lonely," or "Please I just want to hold you." Many of the men who post on Craigslist are married, and some are upfront about it. There is an endless variety of enticing, amusing, and erotic messages. It's never dull.

Neither of us ran our own ads; it was more fun to see what the guys were offering. Lily answered ads in the Men Seeking Women section while Anna looked in Casual Encounters. Anna was okay with the explicit nature of that milieu, and the ratio of men to women worked in her favor. Anna thinks like a guy anyway: have sex first; if that works out, see if love follows.

Nearly every Craigslist ad included the poster's alleged age and geographical location. We answered ads that ranged stylistically: some were hilariously funny and tongue-in-cheek; some showed intelligence and creativity; others were just plain romantic. A good vocabulary excited us: one guy claimed he was a "naughty sesquipedalian." A very funny ad entitled "Hideous Freak of Nature Seeks Sympathy Sex" included a surprisingly attractive photo of a buff male torso in briefs. Often one of us was the only woman to respond to an ad -- that is, the only real woman. There are enterprising escorts, cyber-bots, and pay-to-view porn scams galore that spam male posters.

Many ads have photos, not just prose. This tactic increases the chances the posting will be read, but not necessarily that it will be answered. After all, the most common picture is the erect phallus. But, without a ruler or other scale reference in the photograph, a gal is skeptical. You also find narcissists in cyber-space: "You will suck my cock. You will lick my balls. You will do it all to ME." C'mon guys, you've gotta give us a reason to hit the reply button. What's in it for us?

Once we answered ads, we sought photos right away; no need to invest 2,000 words in someone whose face or body didn't appeal to us. We sent current G-rated portraits to a new contact. Current is the key word here; people on Craigslist frequently post photos taken at least ten years earlier, or photos too dark or too far away to show details. Men send photos posing in front of motorcycles, sports cars, and boats; we're guessing they think these props boost their sex appeal or give the impression that they have money. We didn't give a whit about the props; it was the smile, the pose, the overall confidence that drew us in. The tackiest photo is a picture of a guy smiling with a woman's arm over his shoulder, but the rest of her is cropped out.

The web etiquette we prefer: a compliment from a guy when they received our photo, as preparation for stage two. Flattery is nine-tenths of seduction. Sometimes a man's picture isn't as enticing as his ad or his initial verbal foreplay, so a friendly but firm rejection is in order: "I don't think this is going to progress any further, but I wish you good luck and happy hunting."

Did we use the now-clichd "three-date wait" before going to bed with the men we met online? Not always. Did we throw out the rule book, cloth cover and all, and go against the advice of every therapist, professional matchmaker, and guest on Oprah by sleeping with men too soon? Yes we did. There is animosity in online forums about this; some women complain that women who bed men on Craigslist right away are spoiling the dating scene. They claim that if men don't have to buy dinner or court a woman in order to get her in bed, they won't. It's the old why-buy-the-cow-when-the-milk-is-free argument, to which we say, "Give us a break." We didn't intend to upset the natural order. We just wanted to have fun.

And, now, some of the dates:

A cunnilingus expert

One of the first posts Anna answered was from a 55-year-old guy who said he would be happy to give cunnilingus for an hour -- no reciprocation needed -- and he was "not weird."

Anna: "I love cunnilingus. But after an hour I would need ... something else. Are you for real?"

Arthur: "Yes, I am for real ... girlfriends have remarked how uh, dedicated I am when it comes to that activity. I thought it would be fun to find someone who appreciates that. So tell me about you!"

Anna: "Okay ... when I was in high school, my first sexual experience was in the back of a Chevy when my boyfriend went down on me; he initiated me to my first orgasm. I've never found anyone who was nearly that, um, dedicated. If you are for real, it would be wonderful."

And wonderful it was. Arthur was intuitive and long-lasting. Plus he was a sweet guy. What's not to like?

Mr. Fit

Meanwhile, Lily met a 57-year-old self-described "Sensually Charming Man" whose ad read "Fit/Athletic, mild mannered, financially and emotionally secure, and sensitive." Their rendezvous was at the Lafayette Reservoir where, strangely, Mr. Fit became quite winded after the first slight grade change. Perhaps his definition of being "athletic" involved sitting on the couch watching sports. While they connected intellectually, Mr. Fit accused Lily of misrepresentation.

"In your e-mail you said your eyes were green," he told her. "But they are actually hazel."

Lily didn't call him out on his own apparent exaggeration of his fitness level; she just smiled and said her goodbyes. She chalked it up to a good walk spoiled. Later, channeling her inner-bitch, she realized she should have said to Mr. Fit: "Don't worry about the color of my eyes -- you won't be looking into them ever again."

Erection dysfunction junction

Phil's e-mails and phone calls with Lily were irreverent and spontaneous. He gave great e-mail. A former art dealer, Phil and Lily discussed de Kooning and Franz Kline. They discovered they both loved Richard Thompson's music. Phil wrote that his ideal woman was a cross between "the shiksa goddess Diane Keaton, and Sarah Silverman." Lily, who is brunette and funny, thought she and Phil might be a great connection.

When they met for the first time at Peet's coffee, Lily was nervous because they seemed so perfect for each other. Phil, on the other hand, was utterly mellow.

"Wow! You are so relaxed," Lily told him.

Phil's response: "I had a shot of scotch before I got here."

Their date was at 12 noon. Maybe Phil had confused a bottle from his liquor cabinet with his mouthwash? Since they were so compatible -- and they were physically attracted to each other -- Lily proceeded with the date as planned. Later that evening, when they made it back to his place, Phil poured them each a glass of brandy and got to the business of pleasing Lily. But his penis had made other plans.

The problem of erectile dysfunction looms large among men of a certain age. It's difficult for men and women not to take it personally. It wasn't just Phil; erectile dysfunction surfaced in a few dates. What we don't understand is, why don't men with this problem compensate by developing other skills, like oral sex or French kissing?

Anna concluded that erectile dysfunction might be the great equalizer: "It makes older men more vulnerable now, more human than when they were young and at the top of their game."

Some men look to better living through chemicals: One of Anna's lovers with an erratic erection brought his little blue pills by the fourth date. Another guy, a 49-year-old from Hercules, accidentally dropped a half tablet of Viagra out of his pocket when he was making out with Lily on her bed. He was mortified -- he apparently hadn't planned on telling her he might need to enhance his erection -- although Lily was fine with it. The awkwardness of the moment subsided, but killed the date.

Younger guys

The cure for old guys with erectile dysfunction is younger guys. Trouble is, sometimes they have erectile dysfunction too. A younger guy is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. There are a fair number of attractive, fun men in their thirties and forties who post on Craigslist looking to hook up with a woman ten or fifteen years their senior.

Dylan: "I just happen to like the dynamic. It's not a fetish or a fantasy. I'm looking for a casual physical relationship that also involves interesting conversation, and older women generally have more life experience to learn from."

A younger man knows that the alarm bell rang on an older woman's biological clock years ago. She already has the kids, the career, the house, the car. Of course, none of that may keep him from dropping her like a hot potato when a younger woman enters the scene. When Anna finally met the 41-year-old Tim face-to-face on the San Francisco Embarcadero after four weeks of hot e-mail, she whacked him with her tote bag when he admitted he had backed out of earlier plans because he had slept with a younger woman instead. The bitter irony: he had suffered erectile dysfunction.

"That's for being stupid enough to think that a twenty-year-old woman would be a better lay than a fifty-year-old woman," Anna said, grinning at Tim. "And this is for realizing you screwed that up," she added, kissing him.

A tale of two men

Lily met two men on Craigslist who would rock her world: Luke, who restored her faith in romantic love; and Carl, who made her want to change her phone number, pull the covers over her head, and never go on another date again. Some relationships enhance your life while others diminish and deplete you.

Luke, 48, from Washington, honored and celebrated the righteous, smart, pretty, fun-loving woman he saw in Lily. Carl, who never did cop to his real age, but was well over sixty, made her feel like a hostage.

The former was the first Craigslist date who understood that the largest sex organ in Lily's body wasn't between her legs. Last summer, Luke spent weekends on his boat at the Berkeley Marina and he and Lily started dating. Luke knew how to deal with a smart woman; if he didn't touch her brain, he wouldn't be touching her body. He was funny, audacious, and he kept Lily engaged and interested, in bed and out of it.

Lily and Luke fell in love. It was synchronicity: they both wanted the same thing -- and it wasn't monogamy. Although they live in different states, they still see each other once a month for passionate lovemaking -- and lots of adventures; indoor skydiving in Union City, Raiders games at the Coliseum, halibut fishing on the San Francisco Bay, hunting in remote areas of Washington state, and dancing to live music, from Ben Harper at the Paramount Theatre to jazz at Yoshi's.

While seeing Luke, Lily answered Carl's ad. Carl was at the other end of the commitment spectrum: he wanted monogamy and he wanted it right away. Shortly after meeting Lily, Carl took his ad off Craigslist, professed that he loved her, and started introducing her to his friends and family.

Carl thought Lily was "The One" for him and he was upset she wanted to keep dating other men. He put more and more pressure on her to date him exclusively and get serious. Had she entered a strange parallel universe where the guy wants a relationship and the chick just wants sex? "At a minimum, I need a situation with a friendship that's beyond a booty call between boink buddies," Carl wrote.

Does the double standard really still hold in 2008? Can a man belt-notch and think he's "sowing his wild oats," but when a woman does the same thing, she exposes herself to being called a slut? Are we all still in high school?

Lily ran this by Anna. "I would prefer the term "sex-positive feminist," but you can call me a slut if you have to, because there just isn't a word for it in the English language," Anna said. "Maybe 'love goddess' would be a good alternate." Lily prefers the term "Supertramp," largely because she likes really bad '70s music.

This poses a larger question: is promiscuity really possible for women without attachment forming? There's no easy answer. Anna admitted she fell in love "at least a little bit" with every man she slept with. Women are complex social creatures and our sexuality often requires some emotional or cerebral connection beyond just skin and friction. But there has to be friction.

And with Carl, there was some seriously good friction. Carl was expert at orgasm-inducing foreplay. He was a technician with a mission: he helped Lily find her G-spot, and then went further and found her elusive A-spot (a cluster of nerve endings located about halfway between a woman's G-spot and her cervix). Tip: look for a man with really long fingers.

Lily was sprung. She told Carl "I love you." But she knew in her heart she really should have said, "I lust you." Out of bed, Carl was controlling, possessive, a chronic complainer, and could be rather boring. The complete truth was, Lily loved Carl because he was an amazing lover.

She continued to date him for the great sex, but the strain of lying to him took its toll. Guilt stopped her orgasms, even when Carl worked hard to get her there. She was foiled by the mind-body connection. After a weekend of whale watching in Monterey, during which it became painfully clear they were totally incompatible out of the sack, Lily broke up with Carl.

Time is limited, especially for a middle-aged woman, Lily realized. She felt she had wasted three months with a guy who drove her crazy by day -- even if he also drove her crazy at night. Carl did not take it well: he sent her scathing e-mails and filled her answering machine with accusatory messages.

After the break-up, Lily was getting closer to knowing what she didn't want. And with Luke, Lily got closer to knowing what she did want.

Lily turned to Anna for advice, who urged her not to settle. Anna also reminded Lily that while they are both late to the game, there's still plenty of time on the game clock.

Menage a Trois

Despite the languid, Henry-and-June, Paris-in-the-rain romanticism that surrounds the menage-a-trois fantasy, Anna had to type e-mails for months to try to set one up. She contacted twelve couples and four pairs of men, but not one of these e-mail exchanges led to a single three-way tryst.

Threesomes are a pervasive male fantasy -- check out any porn film if you need confirmation. It also is a common post from couples with a female partner harboring bisexual feelings. Anna herself had been pushing away bisexual feelings for many years, and decided she would finally explore them.

Anna used to live as if there were a paradise in the afterlife, but now she lived as if her name were already listed in the hotel register in Hell. Maybe this set-up wouldn't lead to true love, but it would certainly be interesting.

She found that one person was usually much more into the idea of a three-way than their partner. Sometimes it was a man or a woman talking their significant other into trying something a little different on Saturday night. "First we'll post, then we'll decide whether we want to do it." That's the kind of attitude you get when the ads are free.

Before going to a meeting. Anna always asked to hear from the silent partner. She wanted to be sure that everyone who was there wanted to be there. If the eager party couldn't get the recalcitrant party to turn up online, what were the chances of getting them to show up naked?

Anna didn't have a whole lot of meetings. She answered one ad from a couple based in Oregon and met them face-to-face at Peet's on Fourth Street. They divulged that they didn't believe in condoms. Anna could handle garden-variety atheists, but how can you not believe in condoms?

When wooing, pairs of men were much better coordinated than couples. Two men would successfully tag-team Anna in e-mail exchanges until a meeting could be arranged. Among the dates that never went all the way:

Anna drove in the pouring rain to Chow in Lafayette to have beers with Bill and Richard, the friendly, oh-so-normal guy-next-door team. It would be easy to imagine Richard standing behind you at the hardware store, Bill standing in front. Either way, it doesn't matter as the three-way never came about.

Next came happy hour in Sausalito with two overprivileged captains of venture capital. Kevin was quite handsome and aloof. His partner, Neil, owned a yacht and was old enough to be her dad. Anna noticed people at the next table staring at her from behind the men's camel hair jackets. They were listening. As he left, Neil discovered he knew the couple at the next table. Yikes.

Anna had an urbane terrace lunch with Steve, 46, and Mark, 55, at Oliveto's in Rockridge. Unfortunately, Anna found the waiter ten times more irresistible than her dates. Silver-haired Mark interested her, but she couldn't imagine kissing Steve. Now that's a bit awkward all around.

In the end, Anna found these threesome meetings rattling. It isn't easy to flirt with two guys at the same time. And not every pair of men were effective at getting to the rendezvous:

Dick, Chuck, and Anna exchanged a staggering 105 e-mail messages, but only two were written by Chuck. After weeks of voluminous correspondence, Dick finally revealed he had lost his partner. It seemed that Chuck had fallen in lust for Dick. Anna wondered why he hadn't entertained that as a possible outcome from the get-go.

Swingtown

Undeterred, Dick went ahead and answered a foursome ad with Anna as his new buddy.

Paul and Missy were an attractive middle-aged married couple. Dick jumped into an e-mail correspondence with Missy and pretty soon the four found themselves seated around a table of raw oysters at Pearl on College Avenue. The evening went surprisingly well: Missy, 47, was chatty, funny, and friendly. Paul, fifty, resembled Anna's childhood TV star crush -- Bob Crane, the colonel from "Hogan's Heroes" who always got the girl.

The next day Missy followed up in an e-mail: "Dear Anna and Dick: Would you be willing for us all to get a STD panel done to share -- so we know what each has or doesn't have?" What a buzz kill.

But in a subsequent e-mail Missy revealed that her first husband had contracted HIV and died of AIDS from secret affairs he had had during their marriage. Although she was HIV-negative, Missy had understandably deep concerns about STDs, so the four would lay their cards out on the table. (Missy even forwarded Paul's test results via e-mail as a PDF.)

Anna trooped to the Berkeley Free Clinic for her HIV test. She squirmed when she realized she was old enough to be the intake counselor's mother. Anna tried to explain why a condom wasn't always an easy sell with men in her age bracket -- largely because they never had to wear condoms during the go-go '70s. The 25-year-old counselor nodded her head, but it was clear that Anna wasn't gapping the generational differences in sexual mores. Anna was sent off with fistfuls of condoms in every color: mint-flavored, lubricated, ribbed, and twisted. She did learn one thing: not to floss her teeth before, during, or after sex, to reduce the risk of oral-genital virus transmission.

The big night finally came for Dick and Anna to drive to Missy and Paul's condo in San Francisco. Of course, they didn't all have identical chronic STD profiles. What would be the odds of that anyway? Undaunted, Anna brought along every safe sex device available at Good Vibrations; dental dams, lickable lube, vibrators, Saran Wrap, and all those free condoms. That night, Anna shared a peak sexual experience that crushed her bones to stardust.

The next day, Anna visualized her happy future in a group marriage, but that lasted a nanosecond. The interpersonal dynamics of four naked people were exponentially more complicated than a relationship between just two people; and most of us know what a picnic that can be sometimes. In the morning-after e-mails, it was clear Missy felt the swinging foursome was a one-time event, although Anna would have liked to have seen the couple again for another go-round.

The life lessons

After we decided to collaborate on this article, the number of dates we went on fell way off. It's tough to find time to have sex when you're writing about it.

Lily dated Luke exclusively in the past few months. Their love grew deeper when, in April, Luke was handed an unexpected diagnosis of kidney disease. What started out as casual sex on a boat in the Berkeley Marina, ended up as friendship caught fire. Hearts can and will be broken when sleeping around Craigslist. And in love, just as in life, there are no guarantees.

Anna remains in the game full-time. We are publishing under pseudonyms to protect our kids and our day jobs, not because we have shame. Truth is, we are grateful to be having the passionate sex we missed when we were younger. We thank the men and women we have met on our journeys. And we share the real list of what we've learned:

Be yourself.

Trust your body and your intuition.

Be honest with your feelings.

Practice safe sex.

"No" is a complete sentence.

Have fun.

This article first ran in the East Bay Express.

Editor's Note: To get more compelling, original articles about sexuality in your mailbox, sign up for our free Sex and Relationships newsletter.

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Posted by: Joshua Holland on Jul 9, 2008 9:43 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
just a test

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: test Posted by: Knowmad
» RE: test Posted by: morticia
» Sorry folks... Posted by: Knowmad
I was actually sad to read about this....
Posted by: Voicedude on Jul 9, 2008 9:48 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...not about the liberating of these women, but about the venue they chose. A friend of mine posted my entertainment business on Craigslist and I only heard from the bottom-feeders: those who thought it was the norm to ask for the maximum of services and time in exchange for one third the usual price. Then they were incensed when professionally told that wasn't going to happen. These were the clients that we try to avoid at all costs because of unreal expectations coupled with a sense of entitlement. Clearly out of the loop on how this - or anything - works. In short, these are the kind that would be rejected from even the sleaziest reality TV show! You might as well pick stray men up at Charles Bukowski's old bar. Ewwww!

Craigslist may be a good place to dump some last minute baseball tickets, but that's about all the quality you'll find there. A note to these and other ladies: there are plenty of good, honest, middle-aged men out there - even those who are open minded enough for Erica Jong's "Zipless F*@%", but you won't find us on Craigslist.

My two cents......

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» What's below "bottom-feeders"? Posted by: MartianBachelor
So...why is this on Alternet?
Posted by: izzyK on Jul 9, 2008 9:51 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
So I actually read the article here. Often sex-specific articles on Alternet will talk about rape, gender power structures, the sex industry 9and abuse therein). This however is exactly what it says, it is article by two middle aged women talking about what guys they slept with and what they found interesting. Heck the article actually is interesting as they are both fairly skilled writers. Alternet, though, is a political site, what possible relevance does this have? I am not asking rhetorically.

Consider me ignorant or ill-informed or un-nuanced--I don't care. This could have been any number of publications, I just don't see why it's page one on Alternet. maybe some of you do..

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» RE: The Personal is Political Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: So...why is this on Alternet? Posted by: Walks-in-Storms
Bravo Ladies!
Posted by: premarachel on Jul 9, 2008 10:08 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bravo ladies!

Thank you for sharing such a humorous and achingly oh so true slice of life. As a 67 year old woman who only quit dating on craig's list three years ago (I became a voluntary travelling sex slave for a very wealthy couple) I resonated with all the experiences you wrote about. Keep going, girls, believe me, life never ends until you say so, and it really does get better.

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» RE: Bravo Ladies! Posted by: claude
Changing roles
Posted by: oregoncharles on Jul 9, 2008 10:17 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I liked the article, I actually read all six pages, and I think it's a real contribution to the huge project of remodeling our gender roles.

But I have one bone to pick with Lily and Anna: their failure to run an ad themselves. True, it's just practical: why should they, when the men do?

The should because without running their own ads, they're perpetuating the "feminine" stereotype of passivity. "Hey, the guys are taking the initiative, why should we?" That's a trap.

And if they run ads, they just might turn up guys they wouldn't find otherwise, who might be just what they're looking for. That's what the men are hoping for, isn't it?

(Full disclosure: I'm long since out of the game, but my son is single, lonely, and looking at singles ads, including Craig's List. He's noticed that very few women advertise, aside from prostitutes or scams, and it pisses him off. And guess what? He doesn't have an ad on Craig's List. So if you're female and looking for somebody who isn't an aging libertine, maybe you should run your own ad.)

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» RE: Changing roles Posted by: Inanna
» RE: Changing roles Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: Changing roles Posted by: Fog
Not reality for all
Posted by: kegbot1 on Jul 9, 2008 10:21 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Ah yes, the bay area. Not like the rest of the America I know but I read the whole piece anyway. I found it rather sad but typical.

So did Lily dump Luke when his kidney condition became too difficult for her fantasies? The essay doesn't say.

"Does the double standard really still hold in 2008? Can a man belt-notch and think he's "sowing his wild oats," but when a woman does the same thing, she exposes herself to being called a slut? Are we all still in high school?"

The short answer is yes. An infantilized culture comes home to roost where we consider our own sexual needs to be tantamount, shuffling through lover after lover looking to fill that lingering emptiness inside that no amount of consumerism can seem to fill. And in the end, the sex you have is, well. . . the sex you have.

Although many don't believe it, we choose our hook ups the way we choose cars. It's all part of the consumerism that's apparently built into our American DNA. Online dating and these sites are basically selling themselves (as commodities) to the highest bidders. Sexual prowess, looks, money, power, stuff. How will this person reflect on my 'market value?' Will I 'settle' or can I buy/sell higher. If I just lose a few more pounds, get that plastic surgery, the new car, the new upscale address, etc. etc.

As someone back in the dating scene in his mid 40s after 20+ years of marriage, I can honestly say I'd love to go back to my high school dating days. At least back then, you understood the rules implicitly. Now everyone has a checklist that must be filled out before 'the purchase' can be consummated.

And we wonder why we are so profoundly unhappy.

"The former was the first Craigslist date who understood that the largest sex organ in Lily's body wasn't between her legs. Last summer, Luke spent weekends on his boat at the Berkeley Marina and he and Lily started dating. Luke knew how to deal with a smart woman; if he didn't touch her brain, he wouldn't be touching her body. He was funny, audacious, and he kept Lily engaged and interested, in bed and out of it."

I call bullshit. In my experience over the last year, so-called 'smart' women will dump a funny, smart and engaging man for a stud with a fat bankroll or new car faster than you can say 'where do you buy your clothes?' Intelligence counts for nothing next to looks, income and status. But then again, intelligence counts for little in American life anymore anyway.

And then again, the essay, such as it was, details the loves and lives of people in the bay area, one of the most self-absorbed and narcissistic areas of the nation. YMMV.

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» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: PirateJesus
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: kegbot1
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: PirateJesus
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: kimbari
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: kegbot1
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: PirateJesus
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: GoddessLissa
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: Walks-in-Storms
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: theshadowknows
» RE: Not reality for all Posted by: Aphroditely
Excellent article!
Posted by: ssdd on Jul 9, 2008 10:27 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Thank you for the laughs ("I want my vagina to have call-waiting" - LMAO!) and lessons. I'll avoid the floss next time I score with casual encounters...

Bravo!

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Bravo, ladies!
Posted by: littlemanintheboat on Jul 9, 2008 10:37 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I, too, believe you should have posted your own ads but still applaud
your exploits. I wish I had found you when I was young.. I was very much into older women. I had some of my best sexual experiences
with women 10 or more years older than me (it might be a little different now that I am 56 and the tables are turned..ha!)..
It was almost always a lot of fun and I learned a lot about women. If your still in the game you should give more time to playing with younger guys (imho) - I know many are intrigued and turned on by women like you but I think the woman needs to be a little more aggressive in pursuit of the younger man. Anyway, thanks for the
blast from the past... ah, the memories.. (I ain't in the nursing home yet, though! :)

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» RE: Bravo, ladies! Posted by: john mont
» RE: Bravo, ladies! Posted by: papibear
Two middle-aged women discover that casual sex can be anything but casual.
Posted by: logansafi on Jul 9, 2008 10:59 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Now, can alternet publish the same pap with this single difference?

'Two middle-aged men discover that casual sex can be anything but casual'

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» Good point Posted by: kepstein7777
» RE: Good point Posted by: Walks-in-Storms
I have one word...
Posted by: Quannah on Jul 9, 2008 11:27 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Eewwwwwwwww!!!!

I don't want to know that much about you!

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» RE: I have one word... Posted by: littlemanintheboat
» RE: I have one word... Posted by: Quannah
» RE: I have four... Posted by: mr. joshua
» RE: I have four... Posted by: Quannah
Fun, not badly written, where do I sign up?
Posted by: Balanchine on Jul 9, 2008 12:11 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Although I found it a bit more than coincidental that the woman who found bliss did so with a guy with his own boat....

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STDS in the elderly
Posted by: ohjeezigotaids on Jul 9, 2008 1:05 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The rates of STDS are always the highest in the elderly. Once a chick hits menopause people tend to stop using protection and diseases spread like wildfire. Plus once you get certain STDs they never go away and the numbers add up. So the fact that STD rates are the highest in people over 40 is no surprise....they're even higher in people over 70.

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» "once a chick hits menopause"... Posted by: olderworker
» RE: STDS in the elderly Posted by: Aphroditely
"crushed her bones to starlight..."
Posted by: kimbari on Jul 9, 2008 1:11 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
That phrase alone was worth the 6 page read!

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» RE: "crushed her bones to starlight..." Posted by: Walks-in-Storms
Fascinating read.
Posted by: Libsrule on Jul 9, 2008 3:47 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If I didn't know better I would have sworn this was written by my friend Carol. She has had the worst luck with the majority of the men she has met through various sites including Craigs.

Most of them are not looking to hookup but want a wife or mother depending on their particular swing.

She was just floored at the amount of men who decided within a few days that NOW they wanted monogamy even though all of her emails had specifically said that was not what she was looking for; that she wanted to date different men and that casual sex was her ultimate goal. She was well off, had grown children, and grandchildren, and was single.

She has been a friend of mine since 1981 and we've talked about this for years.

She did find out though, that the younger men 20's, 30's were the ones most interested in the casual aspect,and were enthusiastic in the sack but just hadn't learned their chops yet, plus they really hadn't gotten that far in life so experiences were limited financially.

She did rave about one gentleman but he really was just looking for a one weekend stand and had hoped he would want more of those weekend stands.

Personally I think this is a great article and maybe these women were ahead of the game, but nonetheless it does show Cougars do exist.

And thank the stars (or stardust) for that.

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Interesting, But...
Posted by: grumble-bum on Jul 9, 2008 3:48 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm in the habit of largely ignoring the sex & relationship articles on Alternet because they're so often self-righteous, smug, fearful, or a mix thereof.

This one, I read all the way through, perhaps because I liked the overall sense of good humor & the decent writing.

One thing bugged me, though. While the tone was largely warm, it seemed like the ladies in question had rather high expectations for the men they planned to meet. In particular, for two people who admitted at the outset to having lived almost entirely sex-free lives, I found their criticism of their varied partners' abilities, both socially & in bed to be rather strange. I'm not implying that they didn't know what felt good & what didn't; obviously an individual can determine that for his or herself, regardless of how much experience they have. What I found odd was that neither of them expressed any real doubt about their own performance, at least not in the body of the essay.

I'd be curious to hear what the aging boytoys felt about these encounters. Isn't it possible that one guy was a boring date because he found his date boring, or that another couldn't perform because his partner was missing clues on how to arouse him?

I guess what I'm getting at is that, given the personal information both women revealed in the first few paragraphs, isn't it also highly likely that the men they dated had similarly complex & potentially dysfunctional sexual & relationship histories?

I'd like to think that if I was writing a similar article about my trials & triumphs with women, I would be more forthcoming with my own stumbles.

Just a thought.

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» RE: Interesting, But... Posted by: Balanchine
» RE: Interesting, But... Posted by: kegbot1
Cliched article
Posted by: Gravitas on Jul 9, 2008 4:35 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What a stupid cliched article! As a middle aged woman who had met several interesting people via online, this article reads like a C- English assignment. First of all, I was offended by her stereotypes of fat women as being desperate and without dates. Where did you recycle that, a 1960s Weight Watcher's commercial? Sorry honey, but I met a firefighter, cop, film director and architect and I didn't lose an ounce. In fact, I weigh 220 and still get hit on in real life. I am 47. Maybe no one looked her way because she is insensitive to others and had low self esteem to boot. Furthermore, not all of us consider and older, heavier date to be a dissapointment.

As to the rest of the article including the details, like a previous poster said, way way more than I want to know.

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» RE: Cliched article Posted by: kegbot1
» RE: Cliched article Posted by: ArtemInox
» RE: Cliched article Posted by: claude
Hooray for Craigslist!
Posted by: cgandpg on Jul 9, 2008 5:32 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What a wonderful service Craigslist provides! One can send messages to the Universe requesting any heart's desire one aspires. Done intelligently, it is possible to go beyond one's comfort zone and explore territories often left to the wildest of imaginations.

The article, while surprisingly long, felt genuine and gave an honest accounting of the experiences and experimentations that these two women encountered. Having had little sexual satisfaction in their budding youth, they seem to be making up for it big time in their middle years. I sincerely hope it turns out well for them.

Being highly autonomous, I probably would have felt quite repelled and shocked by such disclosures in the past. Just the thought of sharing the temple of my Soul with complete strangers is so utterly alien and incomprehensible to say the least, I still believe Craigslist offers alternative solutions to those who distain bars, are prehaps trapped in isolated, loveless marriages of convenience, and/or simply feel empty by themselves. Different strokes for different folks!

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This article does a good job of documenting America's precipitous cultural/moral decline
Posted by: Democratic Socialist on Jul 9, 2008 6:54 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This article only reiterated in my mind how America and much of the rest of Western world is declining rapidly on so many levels as we speak.

I'm not prudish at all about sex, but these people's shallow obsessed with "casual/anonymous sex" only shows them to be the superficial, vacuous, and ultimately empty people they are as they seek to make up for their lonely lives by seeking orgasms (which only last a few seconds) with a bunch of complete strangers. And why is AlterNet, a leading leftist/progressive website, actually promoting this garbage?

Additionally, this article is rife with anti-male rhetoric. It also promulgates a double standard...if this article was about men who were seeking all kinds of casual and anonymous sex with women these men would obviously be immediately denounced as predators and scumbags. But judging by the comments here these women are actually APPLAUDED for their predatory-brand of sexuality and their sexual/moral superficiality.

I'm glad I read this article though as it gave me even more evidence that the values and morality of this country are plummeting due to the sickening influence of the American media along with the dissolution of traditional institutions which once served to bring people together instead of drive them apart.

Devoid of any real connections between themselves and others, these women are forced to look for MORE-MORE-MORE (like any typical American/Western consumer) in order to satisfy the ever-widening hunger in their soul for deep and lasting connections. It's all very sad really, and I pity them.

The attitudes displayed in this article by these women is not entirely their fault, so my gripe is not solely with them and thus I don't fault or scold them too hard personally -- it's difficult to fight back against the gutter-culture on display in the mass-media and elsewhere, and oh-so-easy to succumb to it as these women did. That beiong said, the main reason for my comment here is that I wanted to state that the attitudes in this article reflect a deepening trend which clearly illustrates the rapid social/moral/economic decline of The West and its people.

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gotta love all the funny comments......
Posted by: premarachel on Jul 9, 2008 6:59 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Ha, ha, ha, gotta love all the funny comments.
but don't understand the sour puss's or grapes...lol (maybe from the grapes it's because a twenty year goes into a fifty year old, a lot more times than a fifty year old goes into a twenty year old.) It seemed to me the message was obvious: Being a good lover is about ..... wanting to be a good lover for your partner. ....and beyond that loving unconditionaly, none of that demanding selfishness so many think expresses "true love." Most women over forty hate being patronized, manipulated or controlled, and why on earth would we choose to be in a relationship that isn't working for us, out of sympathy????? hello! Bravo to these two women for being themselves, and boohoo if anyone can't stand the thought of liberated women making their own choices even when they don't fit other people values. We don't live to fit your values.....that was in the dark ages.

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silverslim
Posted by: silverslim on Jul 9, 2008 8:51 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I had loads of sex and multiple orgasms when I was younger and now I don't get any and don't know how or where to find good men - and based upon what I read in this article I'd be terrified to try craig's list! I had mindless sex back then and ended up feeling empty and lost - now I know better. good sex is deep and evokes powerful feelings. why would I want to share a great orgasm with some jerk? after a strong, mindblowing orgasm I want intimacy with the person in my arms, to feel safe sharing those feelings. maybe these people haven't had a real orgasm or real intimacy either.

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» RE: silverslim Posted by: Docent
» RE: silverslim Posted by: Walks-in-Storms
» RE: silverslim Posted by: boing007
» RE: silverslim Posted by: pomes
» RE: silverslim Posted by: silverslim
You can find a good roommate on it
Posted by: form5166 on Jul 10, 2008 9:30 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
but you do have to weed through a lot of losers! Now you know what it's like to work in the hiring department of any company.

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OMG!!!!
Posted by: DesertStone on Jul 10, 2008 9:32 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
OMG

The sick depravity of western society my god truly baffling. If this is liberation and civilization please keep it. To think these are the people who feel they will “civilize” the rest of the humanity. Please keep your civilization to yourselves. God forbid you people manage to impose your ideas about liberty and civilization on the rest of us.

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» RE: OMG!!!! Posted by: pomes
» RE: OMG!!!! Posted by: Greg2008
» RE: OMG!!!! Posted by: pomes
» RE: OMG!!!! Posted by: olderworker
» I know!, women rapers! Posted by: messedup
If this is the definition of "liberation"
Posted by: pomes on Jul 10, 2008 9:54 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
... then I pity these people.

What a trite, meaningless existence.

Only women get this kind of celebration for their promiscuity. Which is ironic to me because the social stereotype is the opposite of that. I'm still waiting to see a guy get status and prestige for being promiscuous.

I'm waiting for the male version of Sex and the City... actually come to think of it, spare me.

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» so sorry try again Posted by: pomes
Now Don't Get Mad...
Posted by: loxias on Jul 10, 2008 1:32 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You know what I want to see? Some good old stories about how fun it is to quit work at 35 and shoot heroin for 10 years. Sure you might lose your family and health, but feeling good is all that matters. Also, I don't see nearly enough articles on how big a waste of time school is, and how antiquated the age 16 is for mandatory education. We need more workers who will accept a lower wage and be less concerned about benefits, don't we? If people were educated enough to actuate solutions, who would read political news?

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» RE: Now Don't Get Mad... Posted by: goeswithness
Unfair! I wanna play!
Posted by: Greg2008 on Jul 10, 2008 4:32 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My [childish] reaction to this article is that it's SO easy for women to find sex partners, and so much more difficult for men! No fair!
[I didn't say it's easy for women or anyone to find good-quality sex partners; but when you've gone without forever, quality can wait...]
Yes, I've tried everything...

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» RE: Unfair! I wanna play! Posted by: pomes
Why is Alternet publishing this article?
Posted by: maude21 on Jul 10, 2008 11:53 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Look at where it is in the Most Read section! LOL

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Go to Church
Posted by: truthseeker2012 on Jul 11, 2008 1:30 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Go to church and repent to Jesus Christ, The end is near!

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So, two older women are now a couple of sluts.....
Posted by: papibear on Jul 12, 2008 5:25 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
.... and, what, they're telling us because they seek validation or something?

Congratulations, ladies, you're now sharing your vaginas with men you barely know from the internet, and you're telling total strangers about it on the internet. Here's your cookie. Enjoy it.

I'm surprised these women don't just walk up to single men on the street and ask them point blank if they'd like to fuck. They'd get pretty much the same results.

If these two are seeking respect, they're going about it the wrong way. I mean, sure, men like sluts, let's not deny that. Men do like sluts, especially men who can't get any that easily. Sluts are fun to have around, and are sometimes interesting people intellectually. But let's face it. A woman who sleeps around that much is about as respectable as a man who sleeps around the same amount - which is to say, not very much.

Whether male or female, if you're sleeping around that often, you're probably desperate. Which is not to say we can't sympathize with your pain of not feeling wanted, it's just, hey, be honest and admit that you're desperate and you sleep around because you're either just insane with lust for multiple sex partners or you've got some emotional problems you need to overcome, if not both.

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Nuh-uh
Posted by: Shellianne on Jul 12, 2008 10:07 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I have to say I don't get it. I don't get at all why Alternet posted this article. Why do we care? And what does this have to do with anything of relevance or importance?
Re the article itself, I have 2 comments. One is that it was really well written.
The second is that the women & their story were & are incredibly immature and shallow, among other things. They reminded me of 13 year old boys, smirking & sniggling. The only explanation I can possibly think of is that they really REALLY did miss their entire adolescence, as well as a lot of values-integration, & are now trying to experience the first, while having no clue about the second. Sorry, ladies, but that's not what its all about. All the years we struggled for gender equality were not meant to result in equal immaturity, sex objectification and superficiality. But hey. It apparently resulted in the freedom to pursue the lowest common denominator.

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I liked Supertramp
Posted by: whealeydj on Jul 13, 2008 12:44 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Maybe Breakfast in America was popular pop at the right time in my life in high school, so it invokes nostalgia for the pre Reagan, pre Aids era when stupid miliary interventionism was unthinkable and STDs were easily cured once caught. I found article interesting but was disppointed that Alternet readers want to cast stones (or pebbles anyway) at each other about sex lives; live and let live is my philosophy.

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late reading this adventure
Posted by: grkjr on Jul 13, 2008 9:50 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
i think it great that you have shared your sexual travels and please do not pay attention to all those who would judge you... but then i don't think you are.. sex, money, politics.. they all run hand in hand for me and provide as much value to our being who we are as anything else. I was a little surprised to find, what i thought a progressive crowd to be so judgmental.. but what the hell, such is life. The responses certainly illustrate why we such a nutty culture when it comes to our sexuality.

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i can relate
Posted by: msallthat46 on Jul 15, 2008 2:40 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I have had the best time with my newfound sexual freedom and have found many wonderful sex partners through the internet sites...i have also found love and unexpectedly...

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What about STDs
Posted by: maude21 on Jul 15, 2008 11:20 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Despite having men use condoms, these two California moonbeams are putting themselves at risk for every known STD. Their capers strike me as the height of foolishness.

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» What about em? Posted by: messedup
Excellent
Posted by: arjay on Jul 17, 2008 9:05 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This article was the longest thing I've ever read. I was about to quit after the 1st page. However, I had to know the ending. I applaud you ladies for writing this, despite the criticism. I, too, have delved into CL, and have yet to write about my adventures. In fact, mine aren't even as numerous as yours, I feel a little jealous!

I will be linking to this in the near future.

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