Good Clean Reads

A few months ago I got an email from Jane Fonda through an introduction from one of our investors.  She closed her note: “Can you help? Love Jane. ” Of course, I can help.  So I sent products and catalogs, answered questions and researched yam lubes. For any fans of Grace and Frankie, the story of two older women whose husbands, long-time law partners, leave their wives for each other, you will know why I was trying to learn about Say Grace Yam Lube. Actually, we had gotten calls about organic yam lube, which it turns out is not really made of yams, but yam extract which is a natural estrogen replacement.

“Masturbation: the primary sexual activity of mankind. In the nineteenth century it was a disease; in the twentieth, it’s a cure.” — Thomas Szasz

Of all the sexual acts on the planet, masturbation leads the way as not only the most commonly practiced and safest ways to have sex, but also as the one that most frequently and reliably ends in orgasm. Not terribly surprising when you consider who...

It’s been over 20 years since May was named National Masturbation Month by a group of hip sex stores in response to the firing of then Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders for suggesting that masturbation would be a healthy addition to educational curriculum. It was a reasonable suggestion given the cloak of shame and secrecy that masturbation has long carried, being derided and not considered “real sex”. And yet, solo sex is, without question, the most common of all sexual acts on the planet and arguably one of the safest. Masturbation has long been referred to as the cornerstone of partnered sexual capacity.

A whole month dedicated to celebrating masturbation? That's right! May is masturbation month, and here's how it started:Back in 1995, the sex-positive sexual health company Good Vibrations declared May 7 "International Masturbation Day" in recognition of Jocelyn Elders, the Surgeon General whom Bill Clinton fired for her suggestion that masturbation be part of students' sex-education curriculum. As the story goes, after a speech at the United Nations World AIDS Day in 1994, an audience member asked Elders about masturbation's potential for discouraging early sexual activity.

During May, Good Clean Love is donating 10% of proceeds from web sales to Every Mother Counts. Founded by Christy Turlington, Every Mother Counts is a non-profit organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safer for women everywhereby providing education and resources. More than 300,000 women die every year during pregnancy and childbirth. Every Mother Counts is working to change...

“A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”  -Dorothy C. Fisher

For me, Mother’s Day has always been a mixed experience. As a daughter in a long line of wounded mothers, I have long struggled to reconcile myself with the painful history that I inherited. Learning to accept the mothering that I got and all that I didn’t was the foundation on which I built my own...

Worrying about how many calories you’re burning while having sex seems like one of the worst kinds of punishment. Instead of just noticing how your body is feeling, you’re distracted by thoughts like, “Does taking my clothes off burn 10 calories? 20?”

This article on woman empowerment encourages women to think about their bodies this way. Sex becomes an activity to enjoy not in itself, but as a...

A few weeks ago I started to feel a heaviness in my lungs that I was sure was pneumonia. I felt run down and my throat got irritated. I will be so sick in a few days, I thought, but then I wasn’t. I felt fine again. My mom called to tell me she had pneumonia.

I don’t believe anything spookier than coincidence happened here, except that it reminded me of what an intimate connection I still have...

Two in five women have Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), but 84% of those don’t know they have it.

In fact, it is the most common form of vaginal infection, yet not many people know about it.

BV occurs when the normal balance of good bacteria is overtaken by certain types of harmful bacteria. It is often misdiagnosed as thrush or as a yeast infection. Common symptoms include a fishy odor around the...