Sex!

Yes, I thought I'd get your attention with that title.

There's an entertaining article in the March 7th issue of Time Magazine titled "More Sex Please, We're French." It reports on the results of a new "Study of Sexuality in France" which rather proves the reputation of the French as great lovers: it shows that, statistically, "both the number of partners and diversity of sexual activity has significantly increased in France in the last decade."

Vive la France!

Having lived in Germany and seen the considerably more relaxed attitude toward matters sexual that Europeans in general have, I suppose that isn't surprising. German and French television certainly don't balk at the "nudity and sexual situations" about which we in the States feel compelled warn sensitive viewers, and magazine ads and billboards don't leave much to the imagination. If sex sells, as advertisers here say, business in Europe must be booming.

The French have a reputation, deserved or not, of being passionate lovers. An old joke says that French women are great lovers because they've had so much experience at greeting conquering armies, but we won't go there. We'll just note that the survey indicates that although French men have long enjoyed a larger number of sexual partners and affairs than their ladies, French women "...have closed the gap with men in terms of number of lovers, age of initiation, and variety of acts engaged in."

I wonder what multitude of sins is covered by the expression "variety of acts engaged in"...

But I really don't want to think too much about it. I'm approaching the age where I tend to agree with Lord Chesterfield's observation on sex that the pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable. I'm not quite there just yet, but I can see it on the horizon, and it's probably just as well that I wasn't interviewed for the survey. Balding, pudgy, cantankerous curmudgeons don't make good poster boys for a vigorous and lusty sex life. Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful Agnes is nearsighted.

But of course, if sex were all that was important marriages wouldn't last as long as they do...not that that's all that long any more. My father used to joke that when Mom hit 40 he would trade her in on two twenties; he never did (Mom would have murdered him, anyhow), but a lot of men seem to take that joke seriously. The idea of the "trophy wife" is alive and well and silly, and women like the late Anna Nicole Smith manage to make a good living because of it.

So, men and women of France, go for it! Have fun! Enjoy the momentary pleasure, twist yourselves into the ridiculous positions, and ignore the damnable expense.

You'll keep the statistics skewed for the rest of us.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

P.S. - If you live in (most of) the United States, remember that Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 AM tomorrow. Turn your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed tonight. It's one less hour to enjoy sex, but you'll end up with more daylight to enjoy it in.

B.