Simone Paget
LATEST STORIES BY SIMONE PAGET
SEX FILES: New pleasure devices focus on people with disabilities and planet
At the bottom of my closet sits a clear plastic bag filled with discarded sex toys. Over the past decade, I’ve embarked on a self-pleasure safari, trying every kind of sexual wellness device under the sun. Inside the bag are toys that were uncomfortable, ineffective and made me cry out in frustration, “did someone with a human body even design this?!”

SEX FILES: Rekindling the lost art of flirting
Last week, I spent seven fun-filled days in Berlin, Germany, drinking wine, chowing down on currywurst, and soaking up everything the city has to offer. On my final afternoon, I was wandering around the graffitied streets of Kreuzberg, when I came across an adorable cocktail bar. I went inside, ordered a drink and grabbed a seat at the bar across from a ruggedly handsome bartender. For the next hour, we laughed and shared stories, only breaking eye contact when he had to attend to urgent work-related tasks. Had it not been for our conversation which veered from sex writing to hallucinogens, I could have sworn I was in an International Coffees commercial from the 1980’s. When I finished my cocktail, I left the bar buzzed with a smile on my face and a little extra pep in my step.

SEX FILES: Opening up about open relationships
The trailer opens on a young woman in a red dress. She giggles nervously as she makes her way around a crowded room and introduces herself to potential partners. She flirts and laughs, her boyfriend close by. Thus begins Open House: The Great Sex Experiment , a new reality show from the U.K., where committed couples come to a luxury retreat to explore whether having open relationships and sex with other people can strengthen their bond (what could possibly go wrong?)

SEX FILES: The bitter taste of a sugar daddy scam
The messages usually arrive late at night.

SEX FILES: Dating in the season of love
Summer is upon us and apparently, love is in the air.

SEX FILES: The one question to ask that can change everything in a relationship
From the outside looking in, Shari Leid’s life was perfect on paper. Accomplished and driven to succeed, the lawyer-turned-life coach had done everything by the book. She’d graduated from law school, married her college sweetheart, had kids, welcomed a dog into the family and purchased a beautiful home. But with her 20-year wedding anniversary on the horizon, Leid realized that she wasn’t happy.

SEX FILES: Finding that perfect balance to make a relationship work
When I first moved in with my ex-partner, I was struck by how the power dynamics in our relationship shifted. As a young single woman, my super power had always been my independence. While my boyfriend was kind, generous and living together was mutually advantageous (we had a more spacious apartment, lower living costs and the intimacy of waking up next to each other), I still felt like I’d willingly given up part of my identity.
