Dear Emily: Why Does My Partner Want Me To Touch Myself In Front of Him?

Q: Dear Emily, My boyfriend and I have a great sex life, but there is one issue that keeps popping up. He recently asked me to pleasure myself in front of him, and it’s not the first time he has made this request. I masturbate from time to time, but never in front of another person! I feel like masturbation is such a private activity and trying to do it in front of him feels awkward and forced. The last time he asked, I got angry and told him to do it himself and see how it feels, but my plan backfired because he totally loved it. Why is this such a big turn on for him? And how can I masturbate for my BF without feeling so uncomfortable? Read more

When it’s OK to have sex on the first date

I run my business by a few key rules and I don’t bend them. Like, at all. Always have operated like that and always will! One of my major rules is no sex before monogamy. Nothing goes in any hole until you two have had a serious conversation about exclusivity. If you’re looking for love, you have to abide by that rule. Plain and simple. But, there are a few times when it’s OK to have sex on the first date. Here they are. Read more

What to do if you’ve lost interest in sex with your boo

There hasn’t been a single long-term couple in history where at least one partner hasn’t experienced a little dip in their interest in sex. It’s just impossible to keep those new relationship sex vibes going long-term. When there isn’t much surprise or nerves involved in your sex life, it’s harder to get excited. That doesn’t mean that this dip is permanent or you two have fallen out of love. It just means you need to give your sex life a little more attention. Here’s how. Read more

How To Know If You Had An Orgasm

Well, if you're a man, it's pretty simple. I don't need to describe it here because we all know exactly how a man orgasms. But I hear over and over again from women: “I'm really not quite sure I've orgasmed.” “I think I have, but I'm not sure.” My answer to that is Read more

When should you have sex with a new guy?

I get asked about when’s the right time to have sex in a new relationships a lot. Like, A LOT a lot! It’s definitely in the top three concerns women have about dating someone new. So, you’d think that by now I’d have a short and sweet answer to tell all my girls when exactly is the right time to have sex with a new guy. Sorry to break it to you, but I don’t. It’s not a simple matter of time or a neat line up of benchmarks you need to hit. It’s a mix of a lot of different factors that can all add up to the perfect time for sex. Here are the five factors I think Read more

Would a sex cleanse be good for your relationship?

First of all, what is a sex cleanse? To be as basic as possible, it’s when you cleanse your relationship of all the sex you’re having. You press pause on having sex of all kinds so you can focus on improving your relationship. A typical cleanse is about cleaning up your diet so you can feel better and expel specific toxins from your body. Same thing with a sex cleanse. Use it to clean up your relationship and get rid of whatever’s toxic between you two. Not sure if your relationship needs a sex cleanse? Here are three questions to help you figure it out. Read more