Ah Houellebecq,
I knew your agreement with my position of late was equivocal. You're definitely an anarchist, whereas I retain quaint overtones of the humanist, that we're our own "moral guardians", that is that we're repulsed by our unbridled passions--Shakespeare knew this, as I've shown. Wherefore this prudish sensibility that haunts us? Freud would have it it's the superego, implanted by the host culture to make us mad, but I think it's derivation is more mysterious.
Even putting aside my possible naivity, what about the enlightenment--the seminal thought that gave us an economic operating-system to worship and be our guide and inspiration--that posits the perfectibility of our race? And what of our social agenda? Are we to abandon it in favour in favour of hedonism and faith in the pointlessness of anything else? Perhaps it's for the best. But you're an evolved soul, Houellebecq, and most of us cling to our hopes of a purpose.
More to the point, where is the feminist consideration of such matters? They seem to be too busy powdering their noses to indulge a feminist philosophy.

Is it weird to be attracted to the steady disciplined hand of runner?

Oh runner, you don't know what you do to me!

Alas I cant take credit it was Poirot's quote.

Runner does raise a fair issue when he highlighted my earlier quote about gay hookup culture. I perceive this to be an example of the purely male sexual ideal uncluttered by the 'romanticising' influence of women. The raw indulgence in sex without all the social niceties and courting rituals.

Then again men do like all these things, wrote all those poems and such, but maybe if there weren't women to impress and woo, or women were different, that's what we'd have for courting rituals. Who knows, pubs would all have to have shagging rooms that would be more full than the toilets. The hookers would be out of a job surely and hotels would run at an hourly rate.

'Yet the anti porn campaigners stubbornly resist any deeper analysis of the issues. One has to wonder why.'

I dunno, the war against drugs lot believe it's working, and if there was no war we'd ALL be lying around on park benches on smack all day. Similarly, the anti-porn crusaders are all about the dreaded fearful testosterone that is flooding through every teenage boy. Lock up your daughters! Without the war against porn, society will end up like the Tool Shed!

Just say No! Mmmmkay.

Just ask runner.

Poirot the story as I read it was that by having different fathers to her brood, the woman had more chance of some being superior/successful in life.

Some statistics I read recently suggested that in families of 3 or more kids, at least one was not fathered by the husband in 16% of cases where DNA had been tested. You'd have to reckon that for that percentage of pregnancies to occur, a pretty level of promiscuity was going on in many families.

Houellebecq I have experienced that pregnancy hornyness of a woman. My lady was not one to initiate sexual activities all that often, except when pregnant, at which time she was insatiable. She was well aware of this herself, & I think enjoyed it.

I have read that this is very common, & believed to be a way women ensured that the men of a tribe would look after them at a time when they were less able to do so for themselves.

I think it is fair to say that we all have only a very thin veneer of civilisation over our basic instincts.

Aw...now I'm feeling a little left out. The only behaviour that affected me in my last pregnancy was a desire to cook and devour homemade puddings and the like. It was nothing for me to decide it "had" to be pumpkin scones - and twenty minutes later there "were" pumpkin scones. (although not for long)

Houellie,

Your point about gay guys doing it with abandon in the toilets is a good one. The object is sexual relief without all the ritual that goes on between men and women. I have to say that I've always been amazed that men can get a kick out of doing that. Perhaps it's the rawness and directness of such behaviour that I can't process, and maybe that's because I'm female. You're right about those romantic poets. Squeers has mentioned in the past that it was by and large men who were the romantics - same with the visual arts. I always get the impression that they were in some ways projecting an androgynous persona - something that attracts me to their work.

I reckon it's always going to be tough for humans - our biological imperatives will always collide with our constructed moralities.

Isn't there a contradiction between arguing that women's use of pornography is low (according to the Porn Report) and the authors' claims that it is still a major cause of dissatisfaction with their bodies? If they are not viewing the images of that often, how could it be effecting their self-image?
Yes the media creates unrealistic expectations of beauty, but why single out pornography and sexually explicit images when there is relatively greater diversity of women's bodies in these media?

An interesting thread indeed :)

I was wondering what the predominantly male contributors to this thread feel is an 'adequate' libido for a woman to have?

Does a woman have a 'good' libido if she agrees to have sex with you every time you ask for it?

Is she still 'good' if she agrees to sex once a day?
Three times a week?
Once a week?

The age old problem of men and women having 'different' libido's at different times will continue for all time.

I think that if you don't like the libido of the one you are with, then either work it out amicably, or move on and shut up!