Stories about: relationships
Claiming that one orgasm is better than the other doesn’t help anyone. We don’t need this kind of pressure.
Desire and reality: What children’s stories teach us about being ‘wanted’
From an early age, children’s stories instil in us the values and expectations that shape the relationships we have over the course of our lives. The way desire is portrayed in some classic children’s stories resonates with how adult relationships are shaped: we’re taught we can only be ‘real’ if we are loved. As adults, …
“She let me come inside her,” my brother said as he walked into my apartment. “Who, one of my girls? Was this last night?” I replied in shock. “No, no. This was different, some French girl I met last night,” he responded, as he sunk into the couch and turned on the television. “Ohh that’s …
Caught in the act: The ethics of watching the Ashley Madison cheating scandal unfold
There is something thrilling about watching a cheater get caught. It’s a story with all the good stuff – transgression, deception, exposure, betrayal. The recent hack of infidelity hub Ashley Madison promises all those pleasures, on an unprecedented scale, with the bonus thrill of vigilante justice. Like so many internet-savvy Batmen, the hackers responsible have …
Constance and Eric are a US based photography duo who take intimate portraits of couples, groups, and individuals.
How would we feel, Nietzsche wondered, if a demon visited us in our darkest hour to deliver the message that this moment, and every other from birth to death, would be lived again and again for eternity? Would the knowledge of a life that echoed throughout time lend it a crushing weight? Or would we be able to affirm each moment’s eternal recurrence? …
I remember the day I found the porn magazine in the park. I was around seven years old and I sat high up in a tree, a warm feeling growing at the bottom of my belly as I flicked through the pictures of naked women. I wondered why there were naked women in a magazine …
Maintaining an active sex life in a long-term relationship is not always an easy task; as time goes by, finding a spare moment to get hot and steamy with your partner (or partners) becomes increasingly difficult, especially when full time work, exercise, household chores and social commitments are entered into the mix. My girlfriend and …
Our little person is co-parented. Four adults in two separate (but now kind of inter-dependent) relationships are actively involved to varying degrees at varying times in providing an abundance of love and care. We get to take turns on nappy duty, sleep deprivation, and having baby-free adult time. The next layer out involves a whole …
“IT REALLY SURPRISES me that I’m attracted to you,” my last girlfriend told me. “I’m usually attracted to much butcher women.” The edges of my bow-tie curled up and my asymmetrical quiff flopped down over my face. I felt like a billboard for a queer subcategory. And apparently the billboard was in need of some …
In my first year at university, I developed a major crush on a man. He didn’t appear to return it. Seven years later, he was married with children, and I was good friends with him and his wife. He and I had dinner one night and ended up kissing. We weren’t prepared for the torrent …
CAREY AND I had been laughing together for four years when we made the big commitment. She was fun, active, smart and compassionate. I loved her, so marrying her was easy. Kids came along and, as I had expected, she was the kind of mum that read stories at bedtime, put ‘I love you’ notes …
SO YOU AND your squeeze have had the talk. You’ve decided to open up your relationship. Time to hit the local bar/kink party/games night, and soon you and your sweetie will be snuggling up with a hot bisexual babe. Right? Not quite. Changing your relationship structure always comes with surprises. If you consider the tips …
Marry Me depicts the everyday experiences of an average Aussie gay man: arguments with family; flawed, drunken sexual encounters; the use of sex-based phone apps and the coveted afternoon beach visit when it all gets a bit much.