We worden er nu misschien wel mee doodgegooid: advies voor tussen de lakens. Maar pak 'm beet 120 jaar geleden moet het behoorlijk nieuw zijn geweest. 

Het boek Sex Tips for Husbands & Wives werd in 1894 geschreven door Ruth Smythers, vrouw van een dominee. En de adviezen die ze geeft blijken nog immer, eh, bruikbaar. Of op z'n minst interessant. Kijk maar:

1. 'Give little, give seldom and above all, give grudgingly. Most men, if not denied, would demand sex almost every day.'

2. 'Feigned illness, sleepiness, and headaches are among [a woman's] best friends in this matter.'

3. 'Arguments, nagging, scolding, and bickering also prove very effective [in putting a man off sex], if used in the late evening.'

4. 'Most men are by nature rather perverted, and if given half a chance, would engage in quite a variety of the most revolting practices. These practices include, among others: performing the normal act in abnormal positions; mouthing the female body; and offering their own vile bodies to be mouthed in turn.'

5. 'Nudity, talking about sex, reading stories about sex, viewing photographs and drawings depicting or suggesting sex are the obnoxious habits the male is likely to acquire if permitted.'

6. 'Sex, when it cannot be prevented, should be practised only in total darkness. She should let him grope in the dark. There is always the hope that he will stumble and incur some slight injury which she can use as an excuse to deny him sexual access.'

7. 'If he attempts to kiss her on the lips she should turn her head slightly so that the kiss falls harmlessly on her cheek instead. If he attempts to kiss her hand she should make a fist.'

8. 'Many men obtain a major portion of their sexual satisfaction from the peaceful exhaustion immediately after the act is over.'

9. 'If he lifts her gown and attempts to kiss her any place else she should quickly pull the gown back in place, spring from the bed, and announce that nature calls her to the toilet.'

(van Cosmopolitan)