What makes the world go round?

From Lily Allen's baby news to slightly pornographic art being shown at an auction house, I have been bombarded with an array of issues of a sexual nature in the past 24 hours.

Following the delightful news that 25 year old popstrel-turned-fashion designer, Lily Allen is expecting with her builder beau Sam Cooper, I of course took to Twitter to not only wish Ms Allen congratulations but also to note the multiple tweets of well wishing from magazine editors, celebrity baby websites and random tweetaholics.

Aside from the fact that I am in total brood-mode and am lapping up every baby-related TV programme, news blast, magazine article and book; it really seems as though it is on everyone else's mind too. In one form or another.

The September issue of Marie Claire invites readers to take part in a quiz aimed at analysing one's fertility fitness. From BMI and lifestyle to family genetics and menstral cycles - every area is covered. But it's not only female fertility that we are being made aware of, but male fertility also. The front page of yesterday's Metro called out the potential dangers of certain plastics used in food and drink containers in stunting a man's reproductive abilities and an article earlier in the week reminded us that regular jacuzzis and hot baths, not to mention the wearing of tight underpants, can affect a man's sperm count. Yes it seems everyone is thinking about or talking about ...or reading about, their sexual IQ (a.k.a ability to reproduce).



Sitting on the train yesterday afternoon heading home pre-rush hour, I noticed the man next to me had retrieved several pieces of paper and parephernalia from his suit jacket pocket. I didn't think anything of it until he unfolded one leaflet to reveal the header: How to make your erection stay hard. Double take... Ahem, surely one shouldn't be so freely reading what I'm sure is such a personal piece of literature on one of the most public places in London??

Albeit seemingly unrelated to babies, rather this experience (which slightly scarred me) divulges the (ideally private) thoughts of a mature man contemplating his options regarding sustaining his sex life. But what drives this in the first place? The need to reproduce, to procreate, to continue the existence of humankind.

Last night, as I sat and watched first, Look Who's Talking and then Knocked Up (both for probably the 55th time), it occurred to me how in both cases sex was the primary motive for the resulting offspring. A non-thought for both female protagonists prior to their sexual encounters. You're probably thinking, well duh, everyone knows you need to 'do it' to have a baby... Okay, but do we ever really think about the reason why we want to 'do it' in the first place. Yes it feels good, some individuals use it for domination purposes (no judgement), some abuse it for their own sense of power (major judgement) but for the majority it is the most intimate way of saying 'I love you'.



Sex provokes strong reactions in people - case in point, a piece of fine art to be sold at auction has elicited numerous responses from the people who have seen it this morning. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful and not offensive (in my humble opinion) but it reveals a little more than bosoms. Some could not stop staring, some were bemused at the visual impact and some were anxious about the effect it would have on the wider public.

Sex in it's many forms impacts differently on people; from changing your life with the conception of a baby, to forcing you to consider your own sexual aptitude and to assessing how it will be received in different forums. So does sex, alone, make the world go round? I think it's safe to say it's a pretty strong driver...

The B Word: Part Deux

I apologise for continuing this particular subject within the space of one week, but there really is no escaping it.



Marie O'Riordan, former editor of Marie Claire, waxed lyrical in the Saturday Times about the debate over motherhood versus lying in on the weekend and other such luxuries denied to most parented people.

She said: "There are millions of us — married or single, gay or straight, infertile or desperately trying, positively child free or regretfully childless — and yet we are increasingly sidelined by a society obsessed with progeneration."

Those who choose not to wander down the baby road, or those who find obstacles placed in their way should not be ostracised by society or made to feel like alien life forms. As Carrie Bradshaw pointed out on discovering her aversion to marriage and all things societally expected: "I should be put in a test tube and studied." However, surely the flood of 'procreation propaganda' only serves to inform us that perhaps it is those women who DO choose motherhood, particularly before the age of 35, that are considered to be the weird ones?

With a new government determined to make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe is it any wonder the media and entertainment industry are clamouring to have their two penny's worth? Fertility is the hot topic of the day as babies become the new popular accessory, and 20-something women with a bump no longer need worry that opinions may instantly be drawn to the negative connotations of pregnancy on someone still young enough to wear a crop top and mini skirt.

Opinions change, trends fluctuate, and Jennifer Aniston's fateful saga continues, but what is clear is this: everybody is entitled to do what they want to do, and to be able to do it without fear of judgement or discrimination.

Life is for living, and more importantly, living it for nobody but yourself.