HOOK-UPS, PAP SMEARS AND EDWARDIAN BOOKSELLERS

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

Highly confronting: When a long-time soul sister hands you a book and says: mandatory reading, you listen. Or rather, read. That book was: The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry. I devoured it in one Heathrow to Atlanta plane ride. The book argues rather brilliantly that sexual “liberation” – anything goes (if consent is involved), one-night-stands welcomed, “f*ck like a man” culture – is actually not liberating to women at all. And in fact, it highly benefits one particular group: powerful men. If you're a progressive feminist, you're going to assume this book is not for you. But if you answer yes to any of the questions she lays out (below), this book is probably worth reading:

“1. Did you consider your virginity to be an embarrassing burden you wanted rid of?

2. Do you ever feel disgusted when you think about consensual sexual experiences you've had in the past?

3. Have you ever become emotionally attached to a casual sexual partner and concealed this attachment?

4. Have you ever done something sexually that you found painful or unpleasant and concealed this discomfort from your partner, either during sex or afterward?“

All I can say is Perry's analysis of Liberal Feminism's take on sex is whip smart and highly confronting. It helped me reconcile my conflicting feelings around “a woman should have the freedom to do whatever she wants” with “but I wouldn't want my daughter to do that.”

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon:

Why are Pap smears so awful? Why can I feel the metal thumping of a speculum as it expands just thinking about it? Maybe because that f*cking thing hasn't changed in over 100 years. We're essentially using the same technology to examine our cervixes as women who couldn't even vote. I feel a little rage just thinking about that fact.

Well, the pap smear is getting a glow-up, as reported in this article! Soon, self-collection kits will let us all skip the discomfort (and for some: pure hell) of a pap smear by swabbing ourselves at a doctor's office. I'm so over the pain we all tolerate and accept as part of gynecological health. This is a step in the right direction!

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:

I spent last week in London and came back with a bag full of books. Eight, to be exact. Who does that?? Have luggage, will library...apparently. I couldn't contain myself at Daunt Books, one of London's original Edwardian booksellers. They're known for their bespoke, personalized recommendations (I've purchased several books because of their Instagram posts). I got to experience this firsthand when a friend visited Daunt a few years ago, told them my interests, and gifted me a few of their recommended (for me) books which subsequently entered the Maxie canon of faves. And! You can gift their recommendation service to yourself or to someone you love with a Daunt Book Subscription (Ahem, Santa are you reading this???). It's a curated subscription that personalizes a book each month for a year based on your/their preference. Talk about the best present ever!?

Woman on xx