On Mystic Medusa's blog, there has recently been quite a funny conversation about whether or not one should hide one's more sexually explicit and or self help and or slightly wacko sounding books in the interests of getting a shag. All inspired by MM's experience of reading a profile on a dating site that said something lie “if you are a woman sitting alone in a house with three cats and a pile of self-development books move right along, I am not for you.”
I find the whole thing amusing for several reasons - firstly, I assumed every heterosexual non-wiccan non-RSPCA volunteering non-alternative therapy trained man probably thought something along those lines. I assumed that saying you were reading books on chakra cleansing was the dating equivalent of saying that you live with your elderly parents and sleep in a single bed with fairy print bed linen with your china doll collection, prefer wear elastic waisted skirts pulled up high and like to cut out kitten pictures from women's magazines (no offense to anyone who does those things). Ie slightly batty and very very unsexy. But what would I know. (Note - I do read books on chakra cleansing so I'm not actually passing judgement).
Secondly I think it's funny that there must be heaps of people out there censoring their book collections and trying to figure out what is 'public viewing' material and what gets snuck away in the bedside table. And who says what is embarrassing enough to be hidden away anyway?
On the topic of steamy books - I once had someone comment on the raunchier tomes on my bookshelves at the end of the night as a clunky kind of 'how 'bout it love?', which I thought was disingenuous.
Books as foreplay?
Books as signals of sexual preference and proclivities?
Books as social repellent?
Books as beacons of incompatibility for the internet dater?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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3 comments:
There was quite a long discussion about this on Canberra local radio today, because the national library is running a 'literary speed dating' event tomorrow night - the idea is that you bring along a book and talk to someone for 5 minutes adn then move along. So the book you choose has to say all the right things: whether you;re desperate for a shag or just there for a bit of fun, it has to appeal to the widest possible spectrum of people, etc etc.
I have to admit I check out other people's bookshelves. And once broke up with a guy because, last straw, I realised he only owned 3 books (The Origin of Species, HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy, and a Stephen King).
That sounds great. It's an interesting way to learn about someone I imagine, and maybe less pressure than the 'sum yourself up and all your attributes in 5 minutes' style of get to know you chat. Can you go??? Just for research purposes mind :)
Did he really only have three books? That's very minimalist. B has a similar story from many moons ago. What was it that that boy was so enthusiastically reading Miss B? Think it the Celestine prophecy...
oh thanks love. Sorry I've been a bit out of the loop on booklub!
Yeesss, well I am all in favour of checking books as a sign of potential future compatability.. (and cd's and dvd's).
Let's just say if he's only got motorbike magazines, and a copy of "Men are from Mars women are from venus" (on loan) in the house. Just. Walk. away. slowly.
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