It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again: Valentine’s Day, cupid’s Hallmark holiday that has made singles feel lonely and couples feel pressured since back in the day. Rooted in a Roman, religious and pagan past, Valentine’s Day has grown into a retail cash cow, drawing some 14 billion dollars annually in chocolates, roses and edible panties. In this spirit of romance and raunch, I decided to check out New York’s Museum of Sex (a.k.a MoSex) While Manhattan is home to dozens of cultural museums dedicated to high-brow art, there’s only one where you can fondle a love doll, watch panda porn and witness the sexual habits of anime characters.
Open since 2002, the Museum of Sex claims to be the most “stimulating museum in New York.” While there are a handful of erotically-themed museums across Europe and Asia, NYC’s Museum of Sex aims to “preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality.” Sex Lives of Animals is an interesting look at the crazy things that our fuzzy friends do – omg, they’re just like us, while “Action: Sex and the Moving Image,” examines the history of sex on film, from metaphorical movies in the 30’s, to bawdy burlesque and modern day pornography. Most shocking was Paris Hilton’s explicit celebrity sex tapes. With videos like these, it’s no wonder that visitors have to be at least 18 years old to enter the museum. A visit to the Museum of Sex provides an uncensored look at the history of sexual expression, from the biology and behavior of animals to advancements in ‘pleasure’ technology. visit http://www.museumofsex.com/
