IN 2007, New York Magazine launched its "Sex Diaries" column, turning readers into a mass of eager voyeurs getting their jollies by peering into random New Yorkers' bedrooms (or bathrooms, or kitchens, or public restrooms of choice) each week. Over the years, the column has done more than just entertain; it's become an exhaustive, longitudinal catalogue of the ways people fuck in this city-a compilation of primary-source documents deserving of a place in the National Archives, in my opinion.
On December 16, "Sex Diaries" became an HBO docuseries. In anticipation of its TV debut, I took a spin through the archives to see how sex has changed from the days when "Aqueous Transmission," by Incubus, was considered a suitable fuck track and BlackBerrys-with their filthy little rollerballs-outnumbered iPhones.
I read through nights with thirsty finance bros, afternoons with stay-at-home moms having revenge-fuck fantasies, and hours with persevering singles determined to get to the end of a date. I was sometimes turned on, sometimes existentially freaked out, sometimes proud of the way New Yorkers get it on, sometimes sad for humanity, sometimes so sick of reading endless details of masturbation habits that I wept blood tears. Trends emerged, linguistic patterns evolved, demographics shifted. And, sure, the Diarists are a self-selecting group of really-eager-to-share exhibitionists and wannabe Carrie Bradshaws with a surplus of therapeutic vocabulary and a kink for emotional drama, but as I read about all the different kinds of good sex, bad sex, thwarted attempts at sex, sex catastrophes, and occasional occurrences of sex that made people see God, a story about how New Yorkers have gotten down over the years began to emerge, one that revealed what has made good sex (at least good "Sex Diaries" sex) good.
Dirty Talk "Me No Likey" Early-Aughts (But Surprisingly, It Made Sex Fun?)
Denne historien er fra December 19, 2022 - January 01, 2023-utgaven av New York magazine.
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Denne historien er fra December 19, 2022 - January 01, 2023-utgaven av New York magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten
