“Seinfeld”‘s Jerry and Elaine
I’d forgotten about this apropos exchange from one of my favorite shows. It’s from Season 7’s episode “The Wink,” which first aired on Oct. 12, 1995.
Undateable bit from “Seinfeld” episode “The Wink”
Hmm, I have to question his methodology, which he’s not exactly being transparent about…
I wonder if the fictional Jerry Seinfeld would say that those numbers still hold true today, or have changed? Too bad we’ll never know.
“Saddle I, Paris (at the Hotel Lancaster), 1976,” Helmut Newton
Earlier this week, I was talking with a friend about erotic photography, and remembered Helmut Newton. I used to be very into art and art history when I was younger, and Helmut Newton was, and still is, my favorite photographer.
Newton loved women, especially their power as it related to their sexuality. He often posed his subjects in BDSM-tinged scenes, and tended to highlight women’s’ curves. On charges that his work made him a chauvinist, he countered that he was a feminist. He might been one of the first vocal supporters of sex-positive feminism, years before it was cool.
The above photo is one of his most famous photographs. It was taken in 1976 in Paris, as part of his “Sleepless Nights” series, and created in 1984 as a gelatin silver print. It caused a scandal at the time, but since has taken its place in the 20th century canon.
Elise Ottesen-Jensen, Margaret Sanger and Dhanvanthi Rama Rau in 1953
I stumbled upon Dhanvanthi Rama Rau yesterday, and learned a little about her work. She founded and was president of the Family Planning Association of India, and lobbied for birth control and family planning measures after India gained independence in 1947. She later served as president for the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
Here’s a photo of Rau (right) speaking with American birth control advocate Margaret Sanger (middle) and Norwegian-Swedish sex educator Elise Ottesen-Jensen in 1953.
Ernst Grafenberg
German doctor and scientist Ernst Grafenberg was born on Sept. 26, 1881. (If he was still with us, he’d be 133 years old.) His contributions to sexual research include creating the first intrauterine device (IUD) in 1929, then known as the Grafenberg ring, and research into how women’s urethras play into orgasm.
But his name is more famously associated with the G-spot, G as in Grafenberg. The G-spot was given his name in 1981.
1928 Polar Cub Vibrator
The first vibrator was invented in 1734 in France (shocker). No word on who first used it, but my money’s on someone in Louis XV’s court, and was probably pretty blinged out.
In honor of its birth 280 years ago, here’s one from almost 200 years later: a 1928 Polar Cub vibrator from The Antique Vibrator Museum.
1950s Population, U.S. Census
Taking it all the way back to the 1950s Census…
I used this table to assist with Monday’s married men/anal sex post. You can see the overall, male and female population breakouts (if you squint).
Alfred Kinsey, 1953.
Dr. Alfred Kinsey, the father of sexology research, was featured on the cover of “Time” magazine for the Aug. 24, 1953 issue.
His book “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female” was published that year, and was the second of two Kinsey Reports.
Sex & Stats: Where Numbers Come to Bang 