Smut Buying in Burlington
It's a steamy 91 degrees in downtown Burlington today — a perfect day to buy Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex (yeah, I know it came out last October, but I've been waiting to read it until I could enjoy it at the beach with a cocktail, which I will be doing this weekend). If you don't know who Hartley is, she's an outspoken, sex-positive feminist porn star who's been in over 400 adult films since the mid-eighties. She's been on Oprah and graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State's nursing school. All in all, she's pretty kick ass.
But, back to the point of this blog entry: Buying sex books in Vermont can be nerve-wracking — Burlington is a small city where everyone seems to know everyone. Even for someone as shameless about her sexuality as I am, I found myself feeling slightly uncomfortable standing in front of the "Erotica" section — perhaps it's because it's sandwiched between the psychology and self-help books like "Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation" and "The Celestine Prophecy." Whatever the reason, when a hot, tattooed chap came strolling down the aisle, I almost dropped Hartley's book, catching it loudly and letting out a little yelp — twice. Smooth.
Approaching the check-out, there were only two registers in use, and I had to skillfully maneuver my way to the cashier I didn't know. As the guy chirped about their online coupon program, I was wishing he'd just shut up and put my smut in a bag, and I kept nervously glancing over my shoulder to see if the woman behind me was checking out my titles (I also got She's On Top: Erotic Stories of Female Domination and Male Submission and Nerve.com's The Big Bang).
I suppose I could avoid feeling awkward and just buy my sex books online, but I'm a big fan of instant gratification — not shipping and handling. Besides, it's good to be bold. I can't hide behind this anonymous blog all the time.