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weekly dispatches by maude® on modern intimacy through the arts, culture, science, and relationships.

MODERN INTIMACY™
cab theory: the green light of modern dating.
dating
cab theory: the green light of modern dating.

The light isn’t always on. But when it is, everything shifts.

the astrology of sex and love.
Culture
the astrology of sex and love.

Your sexual personality as explained by the stars. 

the zodiac guide to setting the mood.
Culture
the zodiac guide to setting the mood.

Celestial cues for unforgettable nights.

the rise of the private thirst trap.
Culture
the rise of the private thirst trap.

The hottest posts now come with a guest list.

women's lens.
Film
women's lens.

These films explore romance through the lens of women behind the camera. Across decades and continents, they offer intimate portraits of desire, independence, and emotional connection, revealing ho...

Sex sells: the history of sex in advertising.
History
Sex sells: the history of sex in advertising.

Does an ad for weedkiller really need nudity in it?

A Brief History of Lingerie
History
A Brief History of Lingerie

From corsets to Calvin Klein.

the women who wrote the first erotic guides.
History
the women who wrote the first erotic guides.

Long before sex ed got awkward, these women were writing the rulebook for pleasure.

the courtesan who taught consent.
the courtesan who taught consent.

How one Parisian courtesan schooled the 17th-century elite—and us—on the art of asking first.

the zine queens of sexual freedom.
History
the zine queens of sexual freedom.

how feminist voices turned paper into power and intimacy

The 18th-century club for “fallen women.”
History
The 18th-century club for “fallen women.”

The adulterous aristocrats’ association.

An Unlikely Sex Education Pioneer.
History
An Unlikely Sex Education Pioneer.

How an affair with an angel led to subversive sex education.

the first sex shop for women.
History
the first sex shop for women.

A brief history of an iconic sex shop.

Movies That Changed The Way We Think About Sex.
Arts
Movies That Changed The Way We Think About Sex.

A peek at groundbreaking filmic fornication.

black romance.
Film
black romance.

Dynamic films that celebrate Black love in all its complexity and beauty.

A Short History of Smut.
Culture
A Short History of Smut.

Leaving everything on the page. If you’ve watched Bridgerton, picked up a title from the romance section at the bookstore, or attended a viewing of Fifty Shades, you’ve encountered your fair share ...

by the book.
Arts
by the book.

Stories that will help you escape it all.

sex & cinema: iconic on-screen firsts.
Film
sex & cinema: iconic on-screen firsts.

From the earliest female orgasm to Hollywood’s initial, groundbreaking sex scene. 

Valentine's Day's unholy cousin.
Culture
Valentine's Day's unholy cousin.

February 15th is the best day of the year.

A brief history of victorian valentines.
History
A brief history of victorian valentines.

A more vicious holiday greeting. 

how to write a love letter.
dating
how to write a love letter.

When was the last time you picked up a pen?

history's raunchiest love letters.
History
history's raunchiest love letters.

The greats that mastered the raunchy missive long before technological innovations.

How are sex scenes filmed?
Film
How are sex scenes filmed?

Coordination, illusion, and the occasional prop.

Designing desire.
In Partnership with
Wuthering Heights
Designing desire.

A Q&A with WUTHERING HEIGHTS Production Designer Suzie Davies and Set Decorator Charlotte Dirickx offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the film’s themes inspired the Come Undone Kit.

Love as Obsession, Love as Freedom.
In Partnership with
Wuthering Heights
Love as Obsession, Love as Freedom.

On love’s extremes: obsession and release, passion and pain.

The Modern Gothic.
In Partnership with
Wuthering Heights
The Modern Gothic.

The gothic is not only darkness. It is the tension in a shadowed corner, the way light bends over skin, the pull between restraint and release.

of the moors.
In Partnership with
Wuthering Heights
of the moors.

On landscapes and longing. How wild places stir desire and drive us mad.

Can a piece of media spur a sexual awakening?
Culture
Can a piece of media spur a sexual awakening?

   a sampling of some much-referenced pop culture sexual awakenings.

Touch, Tension, and Coming Undone.
In Partnership with
Wuthering Heights
Touch, Tension, and Coming Undone.

When we imagined a “Wuthering Heights” kit, we began with the moors. The wild, windswept landscape is not a backdrop but the force that shapes everything.

The intimate joys of bed-rotting.
Brooklinen
The intimate joys of bed-rotting.

Why staying in bed might be the sexiest thing you do all winter. Winter mornings were practically made for bed-rotting. It is the art of staying under the covers, letting the world wait, and giving...