Vaginal Health and Kegel Exercises

The Pubococcygeus Muscle

The vagina—just like every other part of your body—needs regular exercise to keep it resilient, healthy and happy. Overtime, the vagina and its surrounding muscles on the pelvic floor can weaken, stretch, become torn and no longer offer support due to pregnancy, childbirth, aging, being overweight, abdominal surgery and inactivity. An important part of vaginal health is exercising a muscle called the PC muscle (pubococcygeus muscle). It is a hammock-shaped muscle that stretches from the pubic bone to the tail bone. It forms the pelvic floor and supports the pelvic organs including the bladder, urethra and vagina.

Advantages of Good PC Health

Exercising your PC muscle has numerous advantages because it strengthens the pelvic floor. Strengthening this area will help prevent prolapse (slipping or sagging of the uterus), incontinence (loss of bladder or bowel control) and constipation. For women who are pregnant, a fit PC muscle will help relax muscles during birth allowing for easier deliveries through the birthing canal. After vaginal births, working the PC muscle will benefit you by restoring vaginal muscle tone and promoting perineal healing (the area between the anus and vagina that can stretch or tear during birth).

Some women suffer from painful disorders like vaginismus (pain from vaginal insertion), dyspareunia (painful intercourse) and female sexual dysfunction (loss of sex drive or diminished sexual satisfaction). Working your PC muscles will help make your vagina and pelvic floor stronger and more elastic which means it will stretch easier during sexual intercourse. It will also help stimulate the sex drive by increasing blood flow to the pelvic region which will enhance sensitivity and arousal as well as allow you to achieve orgasm easier. It is important however to consult your doctor if you suffer from any of the above disorders, before beginning any exercise routine.

Enhancing the Sexual Experience

Training your PC muscles is not only for women who suffer from disorders. PC workouts are very beneficial for all women, regardless of your age, your vagina’s physical condition, or whether or not you have given birth. Why? Since the PC muscle also encircles the outside of the vagina, healthy PC muscles will improve sexual arousal, allow you to feel your partner more fully during intercourse and intensify your partner’s pleasure by tightening the vagina cavity, thus enhancing lovemaking for both of you. And, that’s not all. Strong PCs allow you to reach orgasm more easily, experience more powerful and pleasurable orgasms, and may even help you achieve multiple orgasms as you learn to better control and respond to your sexual arousal. Fit PC muscles also improve G-spot stimulation and can help you learn to experience G-spot orgasms and female ejaculation. Rhythmic squeezing of your PC muscles during intercourse will help increase lubrication, stimulate the clitoris, and massage your partner’s penis to take him to new heights of sexual ecstasy.

Finding your PC Muscle

It is very easy to find your PC muscle. You probably use it on a daily basis without even being aware of it. It is the muscle you use when you stop urinating mid-stream. The muscles of your pelvic floor tighten and your vaginal muscles clench when you activate this muscle. A method of locating the PC muscle is to insert a finger or two inside your vagina and squeeze until you feel the muscles gripping your fingers. So now that you’ve found it, how do you exercise it?

Kegel Exercises

Kegel exercises are how you work the PC muscles, strengthen the pelvic floor and restore muscle tone to this area. Named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, kegels consist of contracting and relaxing the muscles in rhythmic intervals. There are different types of kegels and different methods for exercising them. Regularity when doing kegels is more important than how many you do in sequence. It is therefore recommended to do any of the following exercises three times a day. You can even mix them up. The exercises become easier the more often you do them. Remember to relieve your bladder first before performing kegels.

Basic Kegel

The Basic kegel is a slow, controlled squeeze of the PC muscle, as you draw upward and inward. Imagine that you are sucking water up through your vagina (you can actually do this in the bathtub when your PC muscles are strong). Each time you do this hold for a count of 3-5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.

Pulsing Kegels

Pulsing kegels involves squeezing and releasing the PC muscle rapidly in quick succession, in a pulsing tempo. It is important to maintain control during these, instead of aiming for speed. It is not a race. Work your way up 25 or 30 pulses.

Kegel Push-Outs

This exercise engages the PC muscles more thoroughly giving a great workout. Slowly squeeze in, taking a deep breath, then slowly, gently push out, releasing your breath. Continue in a slow, in-out sequence, breathing in, and then out in time with each contraction. Repeat 10-20 times.

Elevator Kegels

This is my favorite kegel and I find it really works to tighten those muscles. Imagine that your vagina is an elevator shaft with the opening at the vagina entrance. Slowly pull the muscles in starting at the vagina, continuing to tighten as you go up the shaft like an elevator going up to the top floor. Pause at the top, and then slowly lower in reverse sequence. You will feel the difference just after a few times. Repeat 10-20 times.

Kegels and Sex Toys

There are several “sex toy” products now available on the market that enhances kegel exercises. I think of them as barbells for the vagina. Just as adding weight-training to an exercise routine helps improve strength and muscle tone, adding sex toys to your kegels increases resistance and gives you something to squeeze around, adding an extra benefit to the workout. You can do this as part of your regular kegel workout, or during masturbation. Who knew that doing something so pleasurable could benefit you as well! Try using the following toys while enjoying clitoral stimulation simultaneously to enhance your enjoyment as well as the power of your orgasms.

Duo-tone, Orgasm or Ben Wa Balls

You’ve probably heard of Ben Wa Balls . These are small weighted balls (usually plastic or metallic) that are inserted into the vagina for the purpose of kegel exercises and enhanced masturbation. The balls feel like they move around inside you because of the weights as they boost sensation to the entire area. Use them by clenching and doing kegels with them.

SmartBalls by FunFactory

SmartBalls are my favorite kegel sex toy. Like everything made by FunFactory, Smartballs are both innovative and high quality. Smartballs are two small metal balls inside a coating of silicone connected by an elastomer string that make them comfortable and sleek. They are inserted into the vagina where they vibrate and titillate, giving you a targeted work out for your PC muscles. They are a little larger than most other orgasm balls as well, making them easier to clench on to.

Berman Center Isis Beginning Pelvic Exerciser

The Isis is a dildo type pelvic exerciser made of smooth glass that is bowed at the ends. One end is inserted into the vagina and acts as a resistance to squeeze your vagina and PC muscles around. Try the Isis with any of the former mentioned exercises or during masturbation for enhanced play.

Natural Contours Energie

Natural Contours has designed a great product for doing kegels called Energie. It is weighted vaginal barbell that works the same as the Isis, but even better. The Energie is made of sleek hard plastic that is ergonomically shaped for ultimate comfort. Not only will this barbell strengthen your PC muscles while doing kegels, but it is perfectly shaped for G-Spot stimulation and self-pleasure. One end is slightly larger than the other as well, giving you a bit of variety.

So there it is. An exercise that will benefit your sexual pleasure as well as your health that you can do while masturbating or having sex. Who could ask for anything more? And, don’t underestimate the power of you PC. The first time you squeeze your vagina around your partner’s penis you will be delighted by his response. Not to mention the delight you will feel by your own heightened sexual experience. So, don’t delay. Keep your vagina resilient, healthy and happy. And, as Sue Johanson says: “Use it or loose it!”

Confessions of a Suburban Swinger

In my last post, I admitted that I kissed a girl… and I liked it. Well, the truth is, I’ve done much more than that with a woman…and her husband… and my husband, too.

Yet my husband and I eschew the title “swingers.” We don’t attend parties, answer ads on craigslist, or frequent dating sites to hook up with other swingers. On a lark, my husband once typed in an e-mail reply to a hot guy on Craig’s List for me, but by the time my face had blushed from bright pink to red to purple, he deleted it. I can’t imagine hooking up with a complete stranger.

In fact, our “swinging” lifestyle occurred by accident. Six friends, lots of alcohol, some yummy chocolate cordials whose filling tasted even better licked off the breasts of my best friend—and we all stopped short of having sex. Sadly, no sex occurred that night even amongst significant others and we have since dubbed the night, “The orgy where no one got laid.”

But it got four out of the six of us talking. And planning. And we have now strengthened our friendship in wonderful, beautiful, naughty ways.

Many swingers claim the worst thing a couple can do is have sex with friends. It’s like… well… having sex with a friend. It can get complicated. In his book My Boring-Ass Life, Kevin Smith shares this observation about threesomes: “Post-menage relationships are awfully difficult to maintain…. There’s this fall-out involved in crossing that line that makes for awkward conversations in the light of day, once everybody’s clothes are back on… that’s not unlike chatting up your ex, but even more delicate.”

He recommends sticking to threesomes (or foursomes) with total strangers or people you will never see again.

Maybe I’m just lucky, but for us, playing with another couple has turned into a beautiful expression of our friendship. Our friend once observed, “I like playing with you guys—there’s no drama.”

How do you keep a swinging relationship drama free—amongst friends or strangers?

No Drama

Set ground rules. Alcohol can be a great social lubricant (and, in moderation, can help prolong the night’s festivities.) Set ground rules before the first Mojito is mixed, and stick to them. Discuss what’s okay and what’s not. And remember—whatever you, as couples decide, can be okay or can be off-limits. There are no wrong choices.

Ground rules should include discussion of safe sex. Condoms should be mandatory, but if you have all been recently tested for the gamut of STDs and the women are on another form of birth control, you can discuss this, too. Partners in previously monogamous relationships may not be accustomed to condoms, so you’ll want to discuss preferences, hang-ups, and maybe even consider brands designed for greater sensitivity.

If you choose not to drink at all, that’s okay, too. Things may get started a bit more slowly, but everyone will have greater control. Some swingers ban alcohol entirely from their relationships.

If someone crosses the line, stop him or her firmly, but gently. Be understanding. During our first get-together, we decided we weren’t ready for penetration. When hubby got a bit too close, our darling friend simply smiled and said, “Now, now, none of that,” in a friendly, gentle tone. No one was made uncomfortable.

In the heat of the moment, passion can take over. A gentle warning should be all that’s needed. By all means, if the party doesn’t listen, you have a legitimate gripe and may want to put an end to the night and re-consider the entire relationship. Even then, the friendship might be saved with good communication, even though the swinging aspect may disappear.

Don’t compare yourself. I don’t know if guys do this, but it’s inevitable for a woman, faced with another naked woman, to compare—her boobs, her belly, her butt… anything below the neck is fair game. Feel comfortable complimenting your female counterpart, but don’t make yourself uncomfortable because she’s got 34Ds and you’re barely an A. All women are beautiful and one thing I can guarantee is that the men are not comparing.

A little jealousy is normal; enjoy it but don’t harp on it. Your partner may be admiring the physical attributes of your counterpart; this is normal. You may get a pang of jealousy, but this adrenaline rush is part of the thrill of swinging. Don’t let it consume you or ruin the night. Do some ogling of your own. Vive la difference in all body types!

Games can loosen you up. Simple dice or spin-the-wheel games, strip-anything (poker, darts, Wii…) or adult board games that get you talking about your turn-ons are a great way to start the night.

Getting Started

So, is swinging for you? Are you sexually open, not overly jealous or competitive, and looking for a creative way to spice up your love life? Sex with friends—or strangers– might be just the thing.

How do you broach the subject with your attractive neighbors or even lifelong best friends? That’s a tough one. Start with flirting and let it evolve organically.

In most foursomes, two parties are the “communicators.” This may be the men, the women, or a combination. They might be closer friends who share everything on a normal basis, or they could be the two parties who analyze every situation ad infinitum.

Let the natural communicators get the wheels turning and bring the conclusions back to their partners… if you’re close enough friends, and you’ve already been getting vibes about the possibility of a hook-up, no topic should be “too weird” to discuss.

One last point: for a great instructional erotic video on swinging and tips from a woman who knows far more than I do, check out Nina Hartley’s Guide to Swinging DVD.

Animal Lovin’ at The Museum of Sex

The Museum of Sex in New York opened its exhibit on The Sex Lives of Animals yesterday. This “new natural history” presents nature’s uncensored story of animal sexuality extending far beyond ritualistic mating, and examining the real possibility than humans aren’t the only creatures who enjoy geting laid.

Sculptor Rune Olsen brings the exhibit to life with startling and beautiful displays of members of the animal kingdom in full coitus. “Deer Threesome” is a marvel!

A host of scientists, academics and experts are on the board of advisory for this exhibit, so you know it ain’t just hardcore animal porn. And even if it is, they’ve legitimized it by signing on.

If you haven’t been to The Museum of Sex, there’s no better time. The Sex Lives of Animals is open from July 24, 2008 through Spring 2009. More information can be found on The Museum of Sex Website. Sorry, no pets allowed!

I Kissed a Girl, Too!

Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It” is more than just a catchy pop tune. It seems to be a trend in society. Are there more bi-curious women out there now, or are we just getting more comfortable and open about our sexuality? Is this the new age of free love, a much more innocent free love? (After all, it’s just kissing!)

A friend once presented to me the theory that all human beings have a little bit of bisexuality in them. You can choose to squelch it or embrace it. Have bi-curious buddies been exploring each other in dark corners for years, just not talking about it? Or is Perry’s song, and the prevalence of casual girl-on-girl hook-ups in the media actually giving women ideas to try something they’d scarcely considered before?

Admittedly, many women who hook up with other women – I’m not talking about lesbians or true bisexuals, but straight women, often in relationships with men – do it for attention from the opposite sex. There’s not much that will get a guy hotter than watching his girlfriend and her best friend hook up, even if it’s just for a lengthy wet kiss.

But c’mon girls, let’s think of ourselves and our own needs, too. There’s definitely an attraction to women. Girls are cute. We’re cuddly, our lips are soft and, as a general rule, we smell better than men. Add flavored lip gloss – or chapstick — to the mix and we taste better, too!

There’s the whole novelty of a completely new and different partner, and the added excitement of doing something still considered taboo. There’s also something to like about a safe, friendly, no-strings-attached hook-up between two otherwise straight women. It’s less complicated when there are no expectations. Clearly, you won’t date. You’re both straight. It doesn’t matter if she calls you in the morning. Or if you ever see her again, even.

If you decide to hook up with a friend, be careful. The same complications exist as two friends of opposite genders hooking up, to a degree. Of course, again, there’s no expectation of a long-term relationship, but it can get weird if you let it. Best to kiss and forget it. Do not over-analyze the situation on the phone the next day, and don’t go into your next get-together with any expectations. If you both enjoyed it, chances are it will happen again. Kissing, and anything else that may follow a sexy kiss, is fun!

All this, of course, does beg the question: how many straight women are doing more than just kissing? And when will we hear that song on the radio?

I Remember The Day I Met Tammy – Part 3

She’s being so careful, I can tell. Her bites lack that edge of pain I know to associate with bruising. She’s denting my skin, and will perhaps leave a faint shadow or two, but the dents will mostly just last for the time we’re together. Her hand is grabbing my hair with ferocity, but she’s restraining in her pulls, timid about hurting me too much, timid about scaring me by forcing my face into the shower stream for too long. But it’s working regardless, I am being thrown into a heady place by all of the sensations. Warm water washes over me as I curve my back with the pulls at my hair. I shriek and groan as her teeth rest in my muscles, and each time she bites my pussy pulses around her invading fingers.

She continues like that, letting up on the biting as her finger start to thrust faster and faster into my cunt. She stops thrusting for a moment and then resumes, having shifted the position of her fingers in the process. Now her thumb is gliding along externally, running along my slit and bumping over my clit. Inside of me, she’s doing something new with her fingers, because all of a sudden it feel amazing. My breathing gets heavy, my back tenses and I start to yelp. She pulls at my hair as she pounds at my cunt with her hand and then I just go off, falling against the wall as my knees buckle lightly. My thighs squeeze together around her hand, which is now clamped in me and wiggling ever so slightly. She takes her hand from my hair and gathers me up, pulling me back to her, pressing her body up against my back. When my quivering subsides, she releases her hand from between my thighs, and while still embracing me brings them up to my mouth.

“Suck.” She says – whispering a command I can’t help but obey. I take her fingers into my mouth and suck my cunt off of them, sloppily and unrestrained. She laughs and tells me that I must like the taste of pussy. I suck greedily as she uses her fingers to fuck my mouth the way she has just fucked my cunt.

“I want you to suck on me now.” She says, quite plainly. It’s a question, I know, but I like the fact that it sounds like a command. She turns her back to the wall and leans back, spreading her legs. The water from the shower head flows down her body.

“Kneel between my legs – over the drain – and suck me.”

Which I do, obediently. It’s hard to find a comfortable position at first, but I eventually find one and settle in, letting my tongue gently pry apart her smooth wet lips. I bring my lips in and use them to pull at her labia, enjoying the way they snap back every time. I lick down her slit, and bury my tongue into her cunt, enjoying the taste of her juices. As I lick her, she quivers and wiggles. Sometimes her body arches so that the water drains down off her side. Other times, it floods down into my mouth, mingling with her juices and making me struggle to hold my breath.

“Suck.” She exclaims, pulling my face to her clit and arching her body so that the water cascades onto me. I sputtered and looked up at her. “Suck.”

So I suck. I form a seal around her clit with my lips and suck. Gently at first, slurping the stream of water up off of her as I do. She moans deeply in response, and brings her hands to my head, grabbing my hair hard and pulling my face firmly to her sex. Her legs shudder and quiver as her orgasm washes over her and into my mouth with that stream of water.

I keep my mouth on her till she stops shaking, and then she helps me stand, pulling me in for a tender kiss as she does. “Thanks!” She says brightly, turning off the shower and collecting her towel as she winks at me. I follow a moment later, throwing on my clothes hastily. I sum up all of my courage and approach her before I go.

“So…that was fun. I hope we can do it again sometime…”

Red is a sex blogger that’s been at it since early 2004. Her work can be found at http://www.redsneakerdiaries.com, where she writes flash fiction about kink and all things sexy, reviews sex products, answers questions, and attempts to uncover the science behind sex. Her work has been featured on Playboy Radio and numerous sex blog and/or information websites. Red can be reached at redsneakerdiary@hotmail.com.

Self-Abuse and the Origin of Masturbation Myths

Masturbation has been one of the most tabooed subjects throughout history and destructive myths still circulate in today’s society. Yet, it is the most common form of sexual play and a study by the Kinsey Institute maintains that between 62 percent of women and 92 percent of men jill and jerk-off regularly.

So, where did the negativity and guilt stem from?

Historically, masturbation was condemned due to the assumption that the “spilling of seed”—since men allegedly had a limited amount—was a wasteful act that endangered the survival of the species. The ancient Taoists believed that sperm held the life force (chi) and ejaculation would cause as loss in virility. Hippocrates believed that loss of semen would result in spinal problems. These days, we know that men produce 50,000 sperm per minute, so those ancient stigmas no longer make sense.

The “wasting of seed” further gained negative associations with the dawn of Christianity. The Church condemned masturbation as a “selfish act” because it allowed one to experience a kind of ecstasy that conflicted with religious ecstasy. “Onanism” originates in Genesis 38:9 . Onan refused to have sex with his brother’s widow and “spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring”. Although this taboo finds its seeds in Onan, the term is inaccurately associated with masturbation, for it was “coitus interruptus” or premature withdrawal that was the actual sin committed. Many Christian leaders today support the practice of masturbation as an act of self-love.

Thomas Laqueur traces the negative attitudes about masturbation to the following text in his book Solitary Sex: Cultural History of Masturbation.
In 1712, an anonymous physician published a text called “Onania” or, The Heinous Sin of Self Pollution, and all its Frightful Consequences which warned about the dangers of defiling your own body. He linked masturbation to sodomy and homosexuality and claimed it caused numerous ailments including blindness, insanity and stunted growth.

Over the centuries, physicians considered masturbation the worst form of the “wasting.” These corrupted ideas were the basis for an obsession to exorcize society from “self pollution” and was blamed for everything from acne and gout, to backache and epilepsy, madness and nymphomania. Female masturbation was viewed as a “moral leprosy” and many diseases were blamed on it such as cancer, hysteria and mania. Female clitorectomy—or, the surgical removal of the clitoris—was one of the terrible mutilations performed on girls under the guise of a cure.

Negative attitudes were further supported in the early 1900s by Graham (Graham cracker) and cereal developer John Harvey Kellogg who described masturbation as “the vilest, the basest and the most degrading act that a human being can commit.” Both of these men lead a health food crusade against sexual excess, including masturbation. Numerous “anti-masturbation” torture devices were invented with their stamp of approval including genital cages, spiked chastity belts and shock therapy applied to the genitals of young boys. Other inhuman therapies included the use of blistering powders on the genitals or leeches and bloodletting. Cutting the foreskin was also a popular remedy and in some extreme cases, patients had their foreskin pierced by a wire and soldered together. Most brutal was forced castration.

Current myths about masturbation or (OM) still inspire guilt. As recently as 1994, at least 50 percent of adults said they still felt guilty about masturbating. Most of these concerns are due to the persistence of social stigmas associated with masturbation and the “discomfort associated with discussions of sexuality” in general. But, rest assured. They are only myths and will not:

• reduce your arousal over time
• turn you into a homosexual
• cause infertility or impotence
• make your penis shrink
• cause STDs or AIDS
• make you go bald
• cause hair to grow on your palms
• or turn you into a werewolf

Today we know the myths associated with masturbation are no more than sex-negative propaganda. Solo sex is no longer a crime to be punished, nor a disorder to be cured. Sexologists now recognize that masturbation is a normal, natural act that promotes vitality and health. Research shows that masturbation has numerous health benefits and improves prostate health in men, reduces pre-menstrual cramping in women, provides a healthy release for sexual tension, and is the ultimate in safe sex. Psychotherapists agree “that a lack of masturbatory experience may be related to psychopathology, rather than the practice of autoeroticism.” In fact, Masters and Johnson—a team of physicians responsible for pioneering the field of human sexuality—have established that masturbation does not cause any “negative short-term or long-term medical health effects” what-so-ever. Therefore, the only dilemma that masturbation may cause is “laundry problems.”

Safer Head

It’s a telltale sign that I’m a product of Generation X, but when I saw this news report talking about a study on the dangers of oral sex, all I could think of was the line uttered by Dante in the original Clerks: “You sucked 37 dicks?!”

I’ve long believed that the 1994 Kevin Smith movie played a role in blow jobs becoming, for better or worse, the teenage equivalent of making out in recent decades. My husband often laments that the movie hadn’t been made yet when he was a teenager; I tell him to quit complaining and then I start making up for lost time.

A study from Johns Hopkins University, however, shows that unprotected oral sex, especially with multiple partners over time, may not be the “safe sex” alternative many teenagers view it as. Sure, it can’t get you pregnant, but strains of the HPV virus, shown to cause cervical cancer in women, can be transmitted orally and are linked to head, neck and throat cancer.

Anyone who is not monogamous should understand the risks associated with oral sex without a condom or dental dam. Not only can HPV be spread through unprotected oral sex, but so can gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and HIV. Maybe this is old news, but it bears repeating.

What surprised me is the prevalence of HPV-related throat cancer. According to the Johns Hopkins report, the cancer afflicts approximately 11,000 people in the U.S. each year, making it an equal threat as cervical cancer.

To date, no study has been done regarding the effect of Gardasil, Merck’s questionable vaccine to protect against certain strains of HPV, to prevent throat cancer.

Now, I’m the first one to rail against “alarmist” studies. But I feel this is important information that should be shared. Condoms and dental dams can reduce the risk of spreading HPV, but not eliminate it entirely.

Still, with the lines of colorful and tasty condoms available today, there’s really no excuse, if you’re not in a monogamous relationship, to use a condom during oral sex.

And if you take some time and learn to put the condom on using only your mouth and tongue, I seriously doubt you’ll hear your partner complain!

Japanese Porn Trend: DILFs and GILFs?

First American Pie made Stifler’s mom famous, then the rock band Fountains of Wayne popularized “Stacey’s Mom.” Now, MILFs are cool.

No one ever really talks about DILFs, but, let’s face it, older men ARE sexy. And it didn’t take a pop song or a teen movie to remind us of that, or to make it socially acceptable to drool over the likes of Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, George Clooney or Harrison Ford.

I noticed something interesting in the movie posters for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Many of the photos in the promotional material had been airbrushed to make Harrison Ford look younger, with far less wrinkles. However, I found his–let’s call it “weathered”–face in the actual movie equally attractive. He’s still got that crooked smile, the twinkle in his eye.

Even so, I think the Japanese are taking it a bit too far. The country that gave us animated characters with size 32DD breasts now brings us an unexpected, yet rapidly-growing genre: “elder porn.”

A recent article on Time magazine’s website spotlighted 74-year-old Japanese porn star, Shigeo Tokuda. Yes, 74 years old. Tokuda, whose name has become a popular brand in his native country, has appeared in 340 adult films over the past 14 years.

Members of the Japanese adult film industry say the genre appeals to both young and old. The elderly can relate to the story lines of a younger woman and older man, while younger viewers are intrigued by the experience and mystery of older stars.

The Time article reports that while videos featuring hot young starlets tend to sell for three months, then drop in popularity, movies with older adult stars—male and female—garner long-term, steady sales. A few years ago, according to the article, “mature women” titles represented girls in their 20s. Now, the genre spans from what Americans might consider the “typical” MILF age-range of 30 to 50 all the way up to GILFs in their seventies.

My first natural reaction to this article was: Ewww!! Then I remembered: Isn’t Sean Connery in his 70s now?

What about you? Who are your favorite DILFs and GILFs?