July 01, 2005

A little education at the Museum of Sex

Just because Times Square is all corporate and Disneyfied these days, it doesn't mean New York has given up on sex.

The Museum of Sex, still just a couple years old, runs vintage stag films, antique sex toys and enough history to make everyone happy, regardless whether they're visiting sailors or students majoring in womens studies.

In the exhibit "Vamps and Virgins – The Evolution of the American Pinup Photo from 1860 to 1960," the images of the pinups are mixed with a bit of feminist theory. It makes the argument that early pinups gave women power and freedom -- "the single-most important issue in women’s rights and sexual politics for the last 150 years." But by the time Esquire magazine started publication in 1933, the pinups girls were "hapless ... capricious and dumb."

A bit of New York history: In 1840, full-length Burlesque musicals began appearing on Broadway and in 1950, Bettie Page was "discovered" on the Coney Island Boardwalk.

The pinup exhibit closed in June -- replaced by "Men Without Suits: Objectifying the American Male Body" -- but upstairs you can still see "Stags, Smokers & Blue Movies: The Origins of American Pornographic Film." The blue movies play throughout the room, the oldest one dating to 1915. The museum's permanent collection features sex toys and films old and new while the gift shop is packed with loads of reading material, some more scholarly than others.

The museum frequently runs a $5 coupon on its website, which helps defray the usual $14.50 admission. The Museum is located at 233 Fifth Avenue at 27th Street.

July 1, 2005 12:35 PM in Midtown, Museums, Romance

®Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved