TresSugar

Good Idea or Bad Idea: Going to a Strip Club With Your Man

DearSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0700

I was out with friends earlier this week, and one of my buddies couldn't stop talking about all the couples he saw when he went to a strip club for his friend's bachelor party - I guess he was surprised by the number of women there. Though I'm not a fan of strip clubs myself - I just feel so bad for the women that are being objectified - I know many women who enjoy going with their significant others. Perhaps they like to keep tabs on their men, or maybe they genuinely enjoy it - whatever the reason, to each her own! What do you think about visiting a strip bar with your significant other? Do you think it's a good way to understand the male point of view, or do you think some things are meant for guys only?

Source

Caster Semenya Now in Hiding, Tests Reveal She's Intersexed

TresSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0700

It's easy to forget that in the middle of this battle to figure out South African runner Caster Semenya's sex, there's an 18-year-old, raised as a girl, who trained hard to win the gold medal at the World Championships in Berlin last month.

Now that the IAAF's (International Association of Athletics Federations) sex test results have come back and reveal that Semenya is intersexed, she's in hiding.

The test results indicate that Semenya doesn’t have a womb or ovaries, she has internal testes and three times the amount of testosterone that an average woman would have. It is still unclear whether the IAAF will strip Semenya of her medal or bar her from future races - but her case has caused outrage all over the world. The National Assembly sports committee chairman Butana Komphela made an official complaint to the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights saying that the IAAF has been racist and sexist toward Semenya. (Remember also, that she was tricked into allowing these sex tests, thinking they were testing for drugs.)

The general population knows so little about intersexed people, and we are so conditioned to believe that there are two sexes and two sexes only. The fact of the matter is, one's sex is actually determined by a complicated set of factors, including variations in chromosomes and hormones and their interaction. Gender, on the other hand, is a social construct, how we "perform" our sex. (This renders the repeated use of the term "gender testing" in news reports on Semenya's case nonsensical.)

If there's a silver lining in this sad tale, it's that more light will be shed on what some call the myth of two sexes. Stay tuned for more posts on this fascinating topic. How do you feel about how Semenya's been treated?

Cute Alert: The Calico Cat Cafe in Tokyo

GiggleSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:15:00 -0700

Who needs strippers, lap dances, or the company of pretty women (or men) at hostess/host bars when you can crawl around a café on all fours petting cute cats? The Calico Cat Café in Tokyo allows you to do just that. For a mere nine dollars an hour, you can come in and have tea and a little feline company. There are rules, of course. Kids who are younger than fifth graders aren't allowed in. You can't touch a cat if it doesn't want you to (just like a strip joint!). You can't wake sleeping cats, and you can only feed them what the café supplies. Whoever decides to open one of these in the United States is going to make a killing - and I will be the first crazy cat lady in line with crisp bills in my hand.

Source

DearSugar Needs Your Help: What's So Great About Strip Clubs?

DearSugar — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

DearSugar and Grossed Out Gretchen need your help. Her boyfriend enjoys the occasional jaunt to the strip clubs with his buddies, but she doesn't understand the thought process behind it. I'm sure many of you have experienced this before, so do you have any words of wisdom for her?

Dear Sugar,

Why do attached men go to strip clubs? It's a topic of conversation that I try to bring up with my boyfriend, but he brushes me off every time I broach the subject. I just don't understand why they spend money to see a strange naked women who won't dance for them for less than $50, when they could go home to the women they love and do the horizontal tango for free! I totally get that men need their guy time, but why can't they do it at a bar that doesn't involved scantily clad women? - Grossed Out Gretchen

Source

Group Therapy: Owning a Strip Club?

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

My boyfriend's brother is wanting to open up a bar or a strip club and he wants my boyfriend to go in on it with him. He said that they would just be silent investors and they would hire people to run either place so essentially, they would just be making money off of it but truth be told, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've been to strip clubs before and they don't bother me that much, but I'll admit that I'm a little insecure about it. I do trust him but I don't necessarily want him to be around strippers all day long. Also, I don't like the stigma attached to these types of establishments. So, if this plan goes through, how do I deal with it? Should I be worried?

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To be involved in more GROUP THERAPY, click here]

Source

Skin Deep

DearSugar — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 08:30:00 -0800

Dear Sugar
I have extremely sensitive skin and have recently started to break out on my arms and on my back. Do you have any advice as to what products I should use and which products I should avoid to prevent further break outs? Pimpled Paula

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Pimpled Paula
I am so sorry to hear about your sensitive skin. As a rule of thumb, a sensitive skin type should stay away from Sodium Laurel Sulfate, a harsh preservative that creates foam in certain products that can make your skin dry and itchy.

Sometimes the foam will make you feel clean, but you are actually drying out your skin and stripping away the good oils your skin creates. Heavily scented lotions and creams, or ones that contain perfume are big no-no's as well.

Cetaphil is a great over the counter mild cleanser that most dermatologists recommend for the face. Another great natural and gentle skin cleanser is Arcona Kiwi Cream Bar that suds up naturally and is very soothing.

As far as the body goes, the same rules apply, aim for natural products with little to no synthetic preservatives and fillers. Dr Hauschka Body Wash Floral is a great moisturizing body wash that has a creamy lather enriched with essential oils of rose, lilac and jasmine.

Dove Soap is also a great gentle body soap that is hypoallergenic and fragrance-free. Although this is a soap, Dove contains 1/4 moisturizing lotion and will not clog your pours. I hope these suggestions help. Good luck to you.