All posts by Em & Lo

Top 10 Love Lessons from The Bachelorette (Andi, Ep 3 & 4)

photo courtesy of ABC/David Moir

  1. On a date, do not go on and on about what a nerd you were in high school — that’s a story best told after they’ve fallen in love with the totally rad person you are today.
  2. That said, do wear cool, memorable pants.
  3. Never underestimate the power of unexpected flowers and a sweet note.
  4. Never airbrush on a six-pack (we’re pretty sure the producers insisted on “enhancing” Marcus’s).
  5. If you have something on your mind that’s bothering you, you owe it to your date to let them know so they don’t take it personally. No need to go into great detail, just give them a heads up that you’re having an off day.
  6. Men, follow the example of this season’s group of bachelors: they’re affectionate (not just with Andi but with each other), they talk about their emotions easily, they’re not afraid to cry, etc. After all, it’s alright to cry, crying gets the sad out of you…
  7. “Not everything happens for a reason.” Finally someone said it! Thank you, Marcus!
  8. If your natural serious face makes you look like you’re smelling something really bad, you might want to work on some alternative expression with practice in a mirror.
  9. If you don’t feel chemistry with each other, don’t try to force something that’s not there. Just walk away from the relationship with grace and dignity.
  10. If someone you dated very briefly dies, don’t go on and on about how hard it is for you.

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Your Call: I’m Too Anxious to Enter the Dating World

photo via flickr

We get a lot of advice questions coming in at EMandLO.com, but sadly, we just can’t answer them all. Which is why, once a week, we turn to you to decide how best to advise a reader. Make your call on the letter below by leaving your advice in the comments section.

Submit Your Own Question to EMandLO.comTry Our New
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Hi Em & Lo,

I’m a 20-something young lady who never dated throughout high school or university. I am a professional with a steady income and occasionally go on dates. However, I can never let things get beyond a few dates because of my intense anxiety. I can’t ever seem to let the date get beyond going out for supper because I tense up when sitting with a guy on a couch. I’ve had friends tell me to try some relaxing therapies as well as look at CBD Canada products so I can ease my worries, but I wanted to reach out as well.

I have a few guy friends and have no issues hanging out with them, but when it comes to the thought of dating or getting ready for a date, my stomach twists into knots and I freak out. I have never really been kissed because a couple of times it happened I didn’t let things get too far and kicked them out.

Part of my fear comes from the unknown – because I’ve never been in the situation, I don’t fully know what to expect. Also, even though logically I know that a guy is unlikely to go further than I want to, I’m afraid that he’ll push me beyond my boundaries. Which admittedly aren’t very far out there.

Have you got any advice to get over this? I really want to be comfortable enough with a guy that I can sit on a couch and watch a movie with him, and enjoy the intimacy that being in a relationship brings!

— Nervous Nelly

Do you have advice to share with Nervous Nelly on how she can conquer her anxiety and enter the dating world? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Your Weekly Horoscopes: 06-02-2014

grandcentral_ceiling_421photo by Simply Schmoopie

Each week, we at EMandLO.com predict the course of your love life for the week with our own version of irreverent horoscopes — ignore our advice at your own peril! (Hyperbole intended for dramatic effect.)

aries (Mar. 21st-Apr. 20th)
Your needs may not be fulfilled if you have tunnel vision regarding the likes and dislikes of someone you are attracted to. (You want to catch Chinese art exhibit at the Met, they want to stay home and watch all the Harry Potter movies back to back.) Being pushy will backfire and leave you in an uncertain and awkward position. (You standing alone in front of a swatch of Burberry while your date absconds with the museum’s hot coat-check clerk.)

taurus (Apr. 21st-May 20th)
You’ll be eager to try new things, however you must not take chances that could affect your health: not using condoms, falling in love with a serial killer, losing your dignity at Karaoke Night (oh, it happens). Play it safe this week, or you may never get to play again. (Cue the scary, dramatic music.)

gemini (May 21st-June 21st)
You may not recognize the opportunities that are present regarding a potential partner: they’re looking to cash in their V card; they just got dumped and are going to be in serious need of a rebound; they’ve told you flat out they want to have your babies. Hello, wake up and smell the love!

cancer (June 22nd-July 22nd)
If you get tied up with one partner you may miss out meeting Mr. or Ms. Right…because you’ll be handcuffed to the bedposts without a key and won’t be able to go anywhere until the firefighters come with metal sheers to free you. Hmmm, meeting the person of your dreams or having a hilarious kinky sex story to tell at dinner parties for the rest of your life. It’s quite a toss up, really.

leo (July 23rd-Aug. 22nd)
You should get into lengthy conversations with a potential partner before deciding to become intimate. You may have a change of heart, leaving you in an awkward position if you have already made promises…or made embarrassing cow noises in front of each other.

virgo (Aug. 23rd-Sept. 22nd)
If you don’t get to know someone who has been coming on to you first you may only have a physical relationship with him or her as time passes by. We can hear you already: “And this is a problem how…?”

libra (Sept. 23rd-Oct. 23rd)
We have three words for you: “More Than Words.”

scorpio (Oct. 24th-Nov. 22nd)
Someone who has been showing interest in you personally may not be the right partner. Don’t settle for anyone who doesn’t fill your needs or your orifices. Hold out for the very best, even if it just seems like the very best you can get right now is just a Magic Wand.

sagittarius (Nov. 23rd-Dec. 21st)
Excitement and adventure will be your game. And a worthy opponent will try to capture your flag… and your heart. There will be no losers this week. Only bad metaphors.

capricorn (Dec. 22nd-Jan. 20th)
You will find it difficult to understand what a potential partner wants from you. You are best to observe his or her likes and dislikes before you make a move. If he or she likes Spam, Dick Cheney or John Tesh and dislikes “The Office,” kittens or irony, you may want to take a pass and move on.

aquarius (Jan. 21st-Feb. 18th)
The brutal truth: If you try to win someone with witty conversation this week you are likely to end up all alone. So just shut up and look pretty. P.S. We’re hard on you because we care.

pisces (Feb. 19th-Mar. 20th)
You’ll be in a serious mood regarding love. Your interest in someone who is like-minded should be taken one step further. Tell him or her how you feel and what your intentions are. Try to have more of a sense of humor than this horoscope does.

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Blog Snog: In Defense of Keeping Nude Photos of Exes

photo via Nerve

Vote for LELO in the Erotic Trade Only Awards – They Deserve It!

LELO has been nominated for more awards than any other pleasure brand at one of Europe’s most prestigious adult award ceremonies: the Erotic Trade Only Awards. That’s seven — count ’em, seven — categories, the most they’ve ever received at the ETO Awards, a testament to the stellar year of creativity and innovation they’ve had:

  • Best New Female Product – ORA
  • Best New Couples’ Product – IDA and TIANI 3
  • Best Product Marketing – ORA
  • Best Product Packaging
  • Best Pleasure Products Brand
  • Most Innovative Brand
  • Personal Recognition for Services To The Industry – Filip Sedic, co-founder of LELO

So if you love their products like we do and you’d like to show them some support (showing our sponsors support supports us!), we’d love it if you went over to www.erotictradeonly.com and voted for them. Voting closes on Friday 6th June and the winners are announced on Sunday June 22nd.

Watch this space to find out how they make out — get it? make out? heh heh — at the Erotic Trade Only Awards.

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Dream Interpretation: I Impregnated My Best Friend’s Sister


photo via flickr

Other people’s dreams are never interesting…except when they’re about sex. Each week, our dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg tells one lucky reader what their dirty dream means. Got a dream you want Lauri to analyze? Click here to submit it (18 and older only, please). This week, a reader asks Lauri:

I had the strangest dream where I married my best friend’s sister and then got her pregnant. This is already strange, but what doesn’t make sense is my best friend doesn’t have a sister, he’s an only child. It also couldn’t be a cousin of his, because his girl cousins are all older or younger than me by a lot. The girl in the dream was my age and she didn’t look like anybody I recognized. I don’t remember what her name was, but it doesn’t seem like it was the name of somebody I know. What does this all mean?

LauriYou are trying to connect the woman in your dream to an actual, real life woman and are looking at your dream literally rather than symbolically, which is why you can’t make sense of it. The woman in your dream is symbolic of YOU! Your dream is giving us clues as to what part of you she represents.

First of all, she is female, which means she is either your caring, nurturing self, or she is your creative self. These qualities are typically considered female energy or yin energy… the softer side of an individual.

She is also your best friend’s sister, which means she is probably a part of yourself that you like, the part of you that is a helpful friend to yourself rather than the part of you that is too hard on yourself or holds yourself back.

And finally, you married and impregnated her. This tells us she is the part of you that has committed to something recently and a part of you that is productive, the part of you that can “give birth” to new ideas, projects, etc. With all this in mind, what is in the works right now in your life? This dream is telling you to stick with it, as new things are around the corner for you!
Visit Lauri’s brand new site, WhatYourDreamMeans.com, for even more dream interpretations! If you want to be able to figure out your own dreams every morning, then check out her latest book, Dream On It: Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life, which will give you the tools you need to become a dream expert, too. Check out all of Lauri’s books here.

 

 

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The Weirdest “Sex” Photos from Getty Images, Part 2 (NSFW)

When you do a search for “sex” on Getty Images, you get a lot of interesting results — so many, in fact, that we were compelled to create a superlative series of Getty “sex” search images. Today’s installment highlights the weirdest — actually, there were so many we had to present them in two installments (Part 1 is here). And to be clear, we do not intend any judgment by our use of the word “weird,” we simply mean unusual, unexpected, curious, silly and/or wonderful. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comment of the Week: Normal Schmormal!

Reader Dave wrote the following in response to the Your Call “Is It Normal to Not Want Sex?”, but it’s so spot on we think it could apply to almost any sexual preference:

I think you are asking the wrong question.  The question should never be “Am I normal?”  The question should be “Are you happy the way you are?”

I don’t care if you are into girls or into guys.  I don’t care if both sexes turn you on or neither do.  If you are happy with your life then there is no reason for you to change.

Only if you are unhappy should you change and don’t let “normal” affect your happiness because if we were all normal the world would be a really boring place.

Find what makes you happy.

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Highlights from #YesAllWomen

The Twitterstorm known as #YesAllWomen that’s blown up over the past week — in response to both the misogyny-fueled killing spree at UCSB last Friday and the misguided hashtag “NotAllMen” that took off shortly thereafter — has shined a bright light on how much more work needs to be done dismantling idealogical sexism. Here’s a round-up of just a few recent gems from the more than million tweets on this topic in rotation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Weekly Horoscopes: 05-27-14

grandcentral_ceiling_421photo by Simply Schmoopie

Each week, we at EMandLO.com predict the course of your love life for the week with our own version of irreverent horoscopes — ignore our advice at your own peril! (Hyperbole intended for dramatic effect.)

aries (Mar. 21st-Apr. 20th)
According to the stars, “a one-on-one relationship will be too confining for you this week.” If you’ve been waiting for an astrological go-ahead for a three-way, this is it, baby. Three’s your magic number! But if a Jane and Dick and Jane (or Dick and Dick and Dick) scenario isn’t your thing, then we suggest you spend the time in the company of some good friends. You can hit the sheets again next week, when your one-on-one mojo will be back in working order.

taurus (Apr. 21st-May 20th)
Someone you meet this week will lead you into new territory (perhaps the third orifice?) when it comes to letting go of your inhibitions (you’re so anal retentive) and letting the adventurous (a.k.a. ass-kinky) side of you unfold. Relax (your sphincter) and enjoy the ride (cowboy).

gemini (May 21st-June 21st)
If you’re looking for emotional and financial security, you’ll find it this week. But be careful what you wish for. That security may come at the expense of your freedom. Sure, you may have the means to fly off to Aruba at a moment’s notice, but nobody good to share it with.

cancer (June 22nd-July 22nd)
Florence Nightingale’s got nothing on you. Your touch is more soothing than aloe, your voice more comforting than a cool wash cloth, your smell better than Vick’s Vapo-Rub. Even if the object of your care isn’t sick as a dog, their rattled nerves will appreciate the attention. Then it’ll be time for the sponge bath!

leo (July 23rd-Aug. 22nd)
How does that picket fence feel crammed up your tush? Not so great, eh? Well, that’s what you get for being indecisive. You’ll also get someone who may have been a great partner (or at least a great lay) walking out on you. But that’s okay, you’ve got a lot of things going on right now — like having anal sex with fences.

virgo (Aug. 23rd-Sept. 22nd)
You’re gonna be smooth like butter this week. Better yet, you’re gonna be smooth like Fleischmann’s Light margarine spread. Have you ever felt that stuff? It’s so silky, so creamy, we swear you’ll want to get some vinyl sheets from the incontinence aisle at your drug store, open a tub of the marge, get naked with someone, and start buttering each other up like two slices of banana bread. Hey, maybe that could be the “creative approach to getting to know someone better” the stars recommend this week.

libra (Sept. 23rd-Oct. 23rd)
Do you ever slow down, Libra? Even just to pee? How is life in the fast lane, anyway? We’ve always been curious, but we’re too friggin’ out of shape to find out. You’ve got so much good stuff going on that everyone wants to be by your side. We hope at least one of them can keep up.

scorpio (Oct. 24th-Nov. 22nd)
Your kindness, consideration, and generosity of spirit are easy pickin’s for the ruthless, conniving, and deceitful. Like a poor little defenseless piggy, you’re ripe for becoming some sexy wolf’s chew toy. Build a house made of cynicism and paranoia this week; you can always take it down later, once you’ve made sure your lovers are de-clawed.

sagittarius (Nov. 23rd-Dec. 21st)
This week, karma is your friend. Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. And no, we’re not taking about bum love. We’re talking about helping out your single friends, especially those who have been enduring a particularly extended dry spell. We can’t tell you exactly how, when, or where (that would be kind of scary), but in the course of helping out a buddy this week, you might just get laid with a little help from your friends.

capricorn (Dec. 22nd-Jan. 20th)
Don’t be afraid of change. Now is the time to let go of the past and move toward the future. Perhaps the future has kabuki, or activism, or BDSM, or underwater basket weaving in it. Whatever change you make will be good for your sex life, even if it’s only to make you less bored with yourself so you’re interested in self-diddling again.

aquarius (Jan. 21st-Feb. 18th)
Whoa, Nellie. You’ve been wooing with the tenacity of a paparazzi photographer of late. Hang back a little, play it cool — that hottie is not quite ready for their close-up with you yet.

pisces (Feb. 19th-Mar. 20th)
It’s true, you’re a giver. You give to your significant other, your best friend, your work colleague, your every-other-wednesday afternoon, your ex, your eye doctor, and pretty much anyone else who’s a sucker for your “charms.” If it’s true you’ve got to give to receive, then you’re well on your way to receiving plenty — like a slap in the face, an unexpected pregnancy, an STD, a lawsuit, you name it. You may want to rethink your generosity.

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Top 5 Love Lessons from “The Bachelorette” (Andi, Ep 2)

photo courtesy of ABC/Todd Wawrychuk

  1. Don’t let your snowboard instructor (ballroom dance instructor, pottery instructor, etc) touch your date more than you.
  2. Don’t show your date your anus on your second date, whether accidentally or not.
  3. You can ask your date “What’s the worst thing about your parents?” as long as A) you’re not wasted, B) you’re not being filmed, and C) you seriously want to know and it wasn’t just the first question that popped into your drunk head.
  4. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: don’t get blotto on an early date. That said, in the same vein, don’t be such an uptight wet-noodle that you poop all over the party when someone who’s had a stressful day (becoming a professional stripper competing with some of the most ripped torsos in America on national television) overindulges at said soiree (where he’s being plied with drinks and underfed while continuing to compete with these Adonises) — you don’t have to give a bro a rose, but give a bro a break.
  5. Date Fashion-Don’ts: A) Don’t get dressed up fancy when the majority of people where you’re going will be wearing sleeveless tees, camo shorts and sneaks. B) Don’t wear anything you don’t feel comfortable in. Case in point: Andi was walking around with shoulders hunched up like Quasimodo in an attempt to avoid a wardrobe malfunction at her rose-ceremony cocktail party. And finally C) Don’t over-mix-and-match. For example, you can mismatch your shirt and tie, and you can mismatch your shirt and socks, but you can’t mismatch all three (that’s overkill, Marquel).

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Happy Memorial Weekend!

photo via Wikipedia: Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of the USS Oak Hill (LSD-51) shares the traditional “first kiss” with her then-fiancée, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell

We’re taking the long weekend off, and we hope you are, too!  We’ll be back with our regularly scheduled regimen of sex, love, and everything in between on Tuesday, May 27th.

We hope your barbecue plans don’t get rained off, and if they do, we hope your battery-operated sex toys are fully charged. Either way, remember to raise an icy cold beverage to all the people who give their lives for this country — the straight ones, the gay ones, and all the other ones, too. Without them, you wouldn’t have the freedom to stay home and shot-gun Budweiser by the pool, or buy a battery-operated sex toy whenever you damn well felt like it.

By the way, our friend Nathaniel Frank was instrumental in getting “don’t ask, don’t tell” removed.  He is the author of the book Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, and was an expert witness in two Constitutional challenges to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” whose success helped end the policy. You can read more about his book here, and also read an open letter he wrote to the parents of his (gay) best friend.

See you back here on Tuesday!

Dream Interpretation: My Dreams Make Me Want to Contact My Ex

vintage album cover via flickr

Other people’s dreams are never interesting…except when they’re about sex. Each week, our dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg tells one lucky reader what their dirty dream means. Got a dream you want Lauri to analyze? Click here to submit it (18 and older only, please). This week, a reader asks Lauri:

I’ve been having lots of dreams lately of me cheating or wanting to cheat on my boyfriend. In the most recent one I was “hooking up” with someone that I had dated before my current boyfriend, but that he knows of, and we were hiding within the same house and we didn’t get caught. Then I wake up with this really bad anxiety to contact my ex. Does that probably mean I’m not happy anymore with my current partner?

LauriDreaming of hooking up with the ex is reeeeeeeeeeeally common. Typically, the ex isn’t playing himself (or herself) but instead represents something from that relationship that you wish to bring into your current one. Was there more excitement and passion? More friendship? Whatever it is, it seems that you aren’t speaking up about it but are keeping it to yourself, hence the hiding in the dream.

Contacting your ex is not the best idea. Remember, he is an ex for a reason. These dreams aren’t urging you to get back with him, but rather are enlightening you to what you feel is missing in your current relationship. So don’t keep it to yourself, if something isn’t right, if something seems to be missing, communicate that to your boyfriend. A good relationship is always under construction. Communication feeds the relationship. Keeping things to yourself will only starve it.

Visit Lauri’s brand new site, WhatYourDreamMeans.com, for even more dream interpretations! If you want to be able to figure out your own dreams every morning, then check out her latest book, Dream On It: Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life, which will give you the tools you need to become a dream expert, too. Check out all of Lauri’s books here.

 

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Dear Em & Lo: I’m 21 and Tired Of Being Single


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Dear Em & Lo,

I am 21 years old. I am currently single and not dating anyone. I have only been in love once in my life, but unfortunately the relationship did not work out. It’s frustrating being the single one in my group of friends. I am constantly wondering how they find relationships so easily, and I have the hardest time finding a guy I can connect with. I can go months without meeting anyone, then when I do finally meet a guy either he turns out being a jerk or I just don’t feel a connection.

At this point in my life, I really want a committed relationship. I have been told that I have to put myself out there more. I have also been told that it will happen when I least expect it. At this point I am tired of waiting, but I also do not think I should make finding a relationship a mission. So my main question is: Should I take a more active role in my love life? Or should I just let things happen?

Sincerely,

Miss Connection

Dear Miss Connection,

One of our favorite lines in movie history is when Demi Moore, coked out and lonely and broke in St. Elmo’s Fire, says, “I never thought I’d be so tired at 22.” It was funny when we were 22, and it’s even funnier now. (Okay, so we’re not completely heartless: In the context of the movie, it’s pretty bleak, but as quotable lines go, it’s pretty funny.)

Not that we’re laughing at you, of course. But to hear a 21-year-old complain about how tired she is of being single, well… get used to it. Or, rather, find a way to be okay with it. Right now, getting comfortable with being single is a hundred times more important than finding someone to date.

You actually shouldn’t find the person you want to marry right now — what a bummer that would be, in fact! You’re way too young to think about marriage, kids, mortgage, divorce. (Yes, we said divorce: If you head toward marriage at 21, then you better be ready to head toward divorce, too.*) And you’re definitely too young to look into Social Security benefits after divorce, as your marriage is very unlikely to last at least 10 years, and you probably haven’t paid that much towards your social security taxes, so it would almost be worthless. You have a better chance at additional income if you’re older and have been married longer, as after all, who doesn’t want access to more money? You’re just too young to be thinking about this. What you should be doing instead is enjoying being single, and all that entails — casual dating, looking at adult personals, enjoying ladies’ nights, not dating at all, booty calls (if that’s your thing), TV marathons, reading marathons, one-night stands (again, if that’s your thing), “finding yourself,” finding your G-spot, staying out late, sleeping in late, and all that jazz. If you find The One right now — and, for the record, we think the concept of The One is B.S. anyway — you’ll miss out on everything that’s fun about your twenties.

If you’re wondering why your friends find relationships so easily, we’re guessing it’s that they’re less picky. You’re doing it right: You’re steering clear of relationships with guys who are jerks, or with guys where there’s no connection. Congratulations, it takes some people until their forties to figure this out! Your friends aren’t lucky or blessed; rather, they’re still learning — or maybe they just hate to be alone (again: still learning).

You’re right, you shouldn’t make finding a relationship your mission. Right now, at 21, your mission is yourself. Your career, your finances, your body (including the many and varied routes to your own orgasm), your hopes and dreams for the future. Yes, those hopes and dreams can include a partner and children, but just not yet. Let those things happen. Continue to be picky. (Oh, and for the record: Some people only fall in love once or twice their entire lives, so to have experienced that once by 21 is pretty good!)

Stay picky, Ponyboy,

Em & Lo

* And yes, we realize there are exceptions to this rule. Two of our most happily married friends got married and had their first kid in college. But not everybody gets to be an exception to the rule, and it’s probably not you.

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Comment of the Week: Top 10 Naughty Pic Tips

photo via flickr

Reader Gerald Massey wrote the following in response to our oldie-but-goodie post, “Top 10 Tips for Taking Naughty Pics” (we couldn’t resist annotating a handful of them!):

I am a hobbyist photographer of basic themes — landscapes, architecture, events — but I have been studying naughty photography, as I have come to know it, for some time on my own. Here are my pointers:

1. No vagina at all in the picture — cover it with clothing, a ball or other object, a towel, or even other body parts like a leg pulled up.

2. For breast shots, even when clothed, gravity can destroy a shot. Do not lean or lay flat: When standing or sitting, lean forward about 10-20 degrees. [ED: We guess this all depends on the kind of look you’re going for…]

3. High heel shoes are a must — ear jewelery also. [ED: Er, we beg to differ!]

4. No cell phone shots — you don’t have good controls with a cell phone.

5. A digital camera with a self timer and a tripod is a have to requirement.

6. Someone else should always take the pictures.

7. Basic photography rule of thumb: Don’t take just one picture, take many shots — several hundred is okay.

8. Completely nude is not a good shot . Try covering body parts, or shooting from behind.

9. Mr. Google is great for tips and suggestions and ideas of views and angles.

10. I repeat: Use clothing! [ED: Yes, a tease is usually sexier than full frontal.]

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