We celebrate the release of Betony Vernon's new book The Boudoir Bible and her new column for anothermag.com...
Who best to celebrate on #sexyday than Betony Vernon, the provacative, boundary-defying sex educator? Renowned for her striking jewellery designs, Vernon is also a profilic teacher and writer, holding seminars at educational institutions and intimate salons.
Continuing her mission to empower men and women to enjoy and experience greater sexual pleasure and dismantle the pleasure taboo, Vernon has released her first book entitled The Boudoir Bible: The Unhibited Sex Guide for Today, born from a miniature guide that she provided with her jewellery designs and preparatory notes for her Sexual Skills salons. Beautifully written with accompaning illustrations by celebrated French illustrator François Berthaud, the book serves as a comprehensive and instructional guide to the new sexual landscape, covering subjects such as rope bondage, sex toys and erotic tickling.
In two weeks, Vernon will use her new column on anothermag.com to discuss varying sexual subjects suggested by the AnOther audience. To get involved, simply suggest your topic on twitter using the #pleasurezone hashtag. Vernon's features will be accompanied by exclusive illustrations by London-based illustrator Jo Ratcliffe.
To coincide with the UK release of The Boudoir Bible, AnOther presents a selection of highlights from the book...
On her sexual journey...
Unlike most little girls, I did not have dolls. My father was convinced that they served little more than to train girls to be mothers. (He might be right, as only one of his four daughters chose to have children.) While I did not have dolls of my own, I had a playmate who possessed a throng of Barbies, as well as Barbie's friend Skipper, her boyfriend, Ken and an infantry of miniscule plastic babies. We spent hours in her bedroom after school, dressing and undressing Barbie and her friends. We inevitably discovered that the most exciting thing to do with Barbie and Ken was to make them have sex (and of course, make babies!).
"Today it is commonly understood that the majority of women do not actually experience orgasm through penetration alone"
On the female orgasm...
In 1905, after analysing the differences between female orgasms in association with vaginal penetration and those born from purely clitoral contact, the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud stated that women who did not experience orgasms from penetration were sexually immature. Today it is commonly understood that the majority of women do not actually experience orgasm through penetration alone, but through direct or indirect clitorial stimulation and/or contact with the G-spot or the A-spot through the act of penetration.
"Clinical research reveals that orgasms reduce stress"
On orgasms for better health...
Pleasure is the "glue" in long-term relationships, and the greater the pleasure, the happier the couple. The beneficial effects of a mutually satisfying sex life on the harmony and stability of a couple are undeniable. Learning to enhance the impact of the orgasm reflex will reinforce the pleasure bond by heightening your overall sense of satisfaction – and provide some unexpected benefits beyond the boudoir, as well. Clinical research reveals that orgasms reduce stress and therefore, the risk of heart attacks. They alleviate headaches, migraines, and overall aches and pains, including those related to menstruation... Orgasms have the advantage of improving the overall health of the skin, balancing the brain's chemistry, and boosting the immune system.
On the home as erotic temple...
For the established couple, the home is an obvious environment in which to erect the erotic temple. While it has the advantage of providing a permanent stage for more elaborate rituals, allowing for greater control, it also presents a greater challenge – that of keeping everyday reality at bay. Partners will need to make certain that the stress, worries, and obligations of everyday life [phones, watches, doors, bills, laundry etc] are not allowed to creep into the ritual dimension, especially once the ceremony has commenced... Evoke the innate beauty of nature in the temple with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.
The Boudoir Bible: The Uninhibited Sex Guide for Today is published by Rizzoli.
Text by Laura Bradley
