Sunny Side Up?

Dear Mistress Maeve,

My wife and I just got back from watching Black Swan. Not only is it an excellent psychological thriller, but it has a steamy female masturbation scene. Not to give too much away, but it's Natalie Portman, it's very realistic, and she's face down.

You and many of your readers may be too old to remember Single White Female, but it's another excellent thriller, also with female masturbation, and this time it's Jennifer Jason Leigh also self-helping face down.

My wife self-helps face up, always. So my question of prurient interest is: What percent of women prefer face-down masturbation versus face up, and what are the pros and cons of each?

Sincerely,
Sunny Side Up or Down?

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Dear Sunny,

Too old to remember Single White Female? I think you mean too young, thank you very much. And, if I recall correctly, Jennifer Jason Leigh starts out masturbating face down on the bed but flips onto her back just before being interrupted by Bridget Fonda's character. This combination move also appears in one of my favorite films, Secretary, when Maggie Gyllenhaal's character begins touching herself while lying on her stomach, then turns over to finish the interlude by fantasizing about her sadist boss and chanting, "I'm your secretary. I'm your secretary!"

Unfortunately, science doesn't put a great deal of importance on female sexuality, so stats on female masturbation techniques are difficult to find. I've always thought women are more apt to masturbate in the same way they discovered self-pleasure. Meaning, if a woman began masturbating on her stomach as a child, she'll often revisit that technique as an adult.

As for pros and cons, it's all about personal preference. Women who lie on their backs have easy access to the clitoris and a comfortable position for vaginal penetration. The face-down "grinding" action used by Portman in Black Swan is often employed by women whose clitorises are too sensitive for direct contact. You'll notice that Portman's character also keeps her panties on during the scene, providing yet another protective barrier from direct stimulation of the clitoris.

Whatever the position, I'm just happy that we're glimpsing female self-pleasure on the silver screen. If your wife is so inclined, she should try masturbating Portman-style — it's never too late to learn new moves.

Self-helping,
MM