{"id":845,"date":"2012-08-23T09:22:08","date_gmt":"2012-08-23T16:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/?p=845"},"modified":"2012-08-23T09:31:14","modified_gmt":"2012-08-23T16:31:14","slug":"helen-gurley-brown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/archives\/845","title":{"rendered":"Helen Gurley Brown"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo of 1978 Cosmopolitan<\/em> by Todd<\/p>\n

(This article appeared in the Anderson Valley Advertiser<\/em> August 2012)<\/p>\n

\u201cHow could any woman not be a feminist? The girl I\u2019m editing for wants to be known for herself. If that\u2019s not a feminist message, I don\u2019t know what is.\u201d Helen Gurley Brown<\/em><\/p>\n

Why am I writing about Helen Gurley Brown, famed editor of Cosmopolitan<\/em> magazine and a champion of sexual freedom or a promoter of sexual enslavement, depending on your particular socio-political orientation? Well, because Helen Gurley Brown just died at the age of ninety, and though many people consider her a traitor to feminism, and many others see her as a pioneering feminist and social revolutionary, Helen was one of the very few magazine editors in America in the 1970\u2019s and 80\u2019s who would publish my short stories about the challenges facing men and women in the chaos of sexual and social change that arrived with the birth control pill and the dawn of the feminist epoch; thus I have no doubt about where I stand regarding Ms. Brown\u2019s place in the history of psycho-sexual discourse.<\/p>\n

Ironically, or appropriately, I intended all eight of my stories that were eventually published in Cosmopolitan<\/em> to be published in other magazines, notably Esquire<\/em> and The New Yorker<\/em>, for I did not read Cosmopolitan<\/em> or have any great desire to be published therein. But I was not famous, nor was I a member of the literary society with access to the editors of those seemingly more sophisticated magazines, and so despite the valiant efforts of my incomparable literary agent Dorothy Pittman, I was never able to publish a story in either Esquire<\/em> or The New Yorker<\/em>, though we received many flattering rejection letters from editors at both magazines.<\/p>\n

The very first short story I ever sold for actual money (as opposed to the mere glory of seeing my name in print) was to Cosmopolitan<\/em> in 1975 for the staggering sum of one thousand dollars, with ten per cent of that fortune going to Dorothy. In one fell swoop I was lifted out of poverty, for in those days my monthly nut was seventy-five dollars: thirty dollars rent (I was living in a garage in Eugene, Oregon), thirty dollars for food, fifteen dollars for everything else. One day I was surviving on rice and beans and barely making ends meet with minimum wage work, the next day I was writing full-time and buying the occasional chicken to round out my menu.<\/p>\n

Naively, I thought the publication of Willow,<\/em> a provocative tale of a woman boxer who gets a shot at the male welterweight crown, <\/em>would quickly be followed by more sales to Cosmopolitan<\/em> and other magazines, but the gods did not so smile on me again until those nine hundred dollars were long gone and I had moved to Medford, Oregon to work as a landscaper. But oh how I relished that year of unfettered scribbling, a twelvemonth that saw the completion of my novel The Gimp<\/em> that would be published three years later as Inside Moves<\/em><\/a>, which publication procured for me a few more years to concentrate entirely on my writing and music.<\/p>\n

And so I owe my fleeting success as a writer to Helen Gurley Brown, who, lest we forget, published her wildly successful and influential book Sex and the Single Girl<\/em> in 1962, a year before<\/em> Betty Friedan\u2019s The Feminine Mystique.<\/em> Ms. Brown is also widely acknowledged as the first editor of a mainstream women\u2019s magazine to publish frank discussions about sex and sexuality as ongoing centerpieces of her editorial content. Speaking of which, in honor of Helen Gurley Brown, I unearthed my cache of ancient Cosmos<\/em> so I might revive herein my story Annihilation<\/em>, published in the American Cosmopolitan<\/em> in 1982 and subsequently reprinted in the Australian and Italian editions of that fabled rag.<\/p>\n

ANNIHILATION<\/p>\n

\u201cAnnihilate me,\u201d Alana whispered.<\/p>\n

He tried to annihilate her. He tried to be brutish. He had to think of things that made him angry. Income tax. His alcoholic father. Alana\u2019s former lover. He began to lose his erection. He opened his eyes, looked at her belly, her taut little breasts, her dark honey hair, her pleasure-wracked face. He was renewed, yet filled with feelings of tenderness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were marvelous,\u201d she said afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d he said, unable to look her in the eye. \u201cI love you. I\u2019d do anything for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be silly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow am I being silly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLove,\u201d she said, shrugging. \u201cWe\u2019re animals. The real pleasure comes when we don\u2019t try to tame the animal with ideas. Just take<\/em> me. That\u2019s all I want sexually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich animals are we?\u201d he asked. \u201cLion, tiger, hippopotamus, bullfrog?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t spoil it,\u201d she said, getting out of bed. \u201cJust be the animal you are. And be wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot be wild on command,\u201d he said to his psychiatrist.<\/p>\n

The doctor smiled over her glasses at him. \u201cI like that. Would you mind very much if I used that? For my book?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d he said. \u201cGlad to be of assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the big problems, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she said, nodding. \u201cI call it feminist backlash. They finally get the gentle, caring person they were so adamant a man should be, and they find him inadequate. They want what they were lobbying against. To a certain extent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the solution?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd lose Alana?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr lose yourself. And here you are just discovering what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you wish for annihilation in sex?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t think it appropriate\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d he said, biting his thumbnail. \u201cI\u2019ll take that as a yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

Over breakfast one morning.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alana: You were\u2026you took so long. (A quick smile)<\/em> I loved every minute of it, but I was wondering if\u2026<\/p>\n

Him: If what?<\/p>\n

Alana: If you enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

Him: Every minute of it. Though I must admit that lately I worry about\u2026<\/p>\n

Alana: You worry too much. Everything is fine. Isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Him: Is it?<\/p>\n

Alana: Of course it is. What\u2019s wrong?<\/p>\n

Him: (Blurting it out) <\/em>Am I wild enough? Do I annihilate you adequately?<\/p>\n

Alana: Yes. I was a fool to have ever started talking<\/em> about it. Forgive me?<\/p>\n

Him: Yes, if you\u2019ll forgive me.<\/p>\n

(She rises, goes to him, undoes her bathrobe, and cradles his head against her breasts.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

His friend Arthur, a notorious rogue, sat across the table from him at Chez Annihilation and gave him a rundown on the week\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonday night I destroyed the little brunette who sells skin cream. Massacred her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTuesday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuickie at lunch with Meg. Tennis for two hours. Early to bed. Saving myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy day off Wednesday. Bombarded Sarah from nine till noon. Then, finally made it with You Know Who in the late afternoon. Decimated her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDare I ask about yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuickie at lunch with Meg. Stayed in bed last night. Watched television. Great National Geographic show\u2014Life and Death in Africa<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything on for tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Alana doing?\u201d He laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave her annihilation to me, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s depressing,\u201d he said, turning to the woman beside him at the bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an interesting opening line,\u201d she said, winking. \u201cBut tell me, how did you know I was a neurotic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFour gin and tonics at three in the afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might just be an alcoholic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s depressing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole notion of sexual annihilation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNihilism?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnnihilation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOoh,\u201d she cooed, her eyelids fluttering. \u201cSounds divine.\u201d She moved closer. \u201cYou\u2019re quite attractive, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, among other things, you have very nice eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, why does annihilation sound divine?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause to be annihilated is to be totally lost, and we only totally lose ourselves when we let go of everything, and we can only really let go when we are overwhelmed, when we simply lack the strength to defend ourselves, and have no choice<\/em>. The decision is made for<\/em> us by the overwhelmer. We escape our fears by becoming our fears. Ecstasy through annihilation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou say that with such sureness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know when I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

That evening.<\/em><\/p>\n

Him: (As he takes the glass of wine from her)<\/em> Alana, have you ever\u2026that is, since we began sleeping together, have you ever wanted another man?<\/p>\n

Alana: (Eyeing him suspiciously)<\/em> Have you?<\/p>\n

Him: I prefer females.<\/p>\n

Alana: Other<\/em> females?<\/p>\n

Him: I asked you first. Have you\u2026<\/p>\n

Alana: Of course. But as Mae West used to say, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where you get your appetite, just so long as you eat at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Him: And where exactly do you get your appetite?<\/p>\n

Alana: At the movies, in the car, when I close my eyes, when I see you, when I don\u2019t<\/em> see you, when I look at pictures of naked women, when I\u2026<\/p>\n

Him: Really? Naked women?<\/p>\n

Alana: Naked women. There is nothing so erotic as a beautiful naked woman.<\/p>\n

Him: Naked men?<\/p>\n

Alana: In my mind, yes. And you. Otherwise no.<\/p>\n

Him: Why naked women?<\/p>\n

Alana: Perhaps by seeing an idealized picture of myself, posed ideally, I can more easily see the ways in which a man might\u2026<\/p>\n

Him: Annihilate you.<\/p>\n

(Alana closes her eyes, sighs deeply.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

Annihilate<\/em>: To reduce to nothing; to cause to cease to exist; to destroy completely; to exterminate.<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

Professor Cardin was speaking on the sexual basis of war.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong ago,\u201d began the professor, addressing a full house, \u201cthe connection between fighting and mating was obvious. One had to win a mate. Not only did one have to defeat other males, but the female had to be subdued, too. This is genetic reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several women in the audience booed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not saying that this need be manifested in a purely physical way. Courtship, after all, can be largely non-violent, but consummation must be satisfactory, and this usually calls for a modicum of physical strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several women in the audience applauded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the advent of a social order wherein weak, as well as strong, individuals could survive, the population began to expand at the phenomenal rate that continues to this day. Yet, the genetic need to conquer, especially that need in the more aggressive males and in females wanting those males, began to manifest in warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several men in the audience booed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, gentlemen. It is threatening to realize that the major wars throughout history have been fought because of the inadequate sexual identities of a handful of men.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several more men in the audience booed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, we stand on the brink of complete annihilation because a handful of sexually frustrated old men with severe personality disorders hold the reins of power in this country and abroad. What should be a fierceness and physicality in bed is transmuted into bullying and genocide on a global scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several people in the audience applauded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe solution may be in a true<\/em> sexual revolution. One in which the frequency of intercourse becomes as important as the orgasm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The audience reaction was greatly mixed.<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d said his mother, serving him a bowl of ice cream. \u201cWhen are you planning to have some kids? Soon, I hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKids are not so much the issue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. What is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m not so sure I\u2019m giving her what she wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re speaking of sex?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sex so much as the kind<\/em> of sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed, then sat down and shook her head. \u201cI never told you this, but your father\u2026\u201d She hesitated. \u201cHe was extremely tender when we made love.\u201d Her eyes filled with tears. \u201cHe couldn\u2019t help it. I learned to accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were taught to be accepting,\u201d he said, pushing his ice cream away, his jaw tightening. \u201cTimes have changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

\u201cNow,\u201d said the instructor, a Burt Reynolds look alike, \u201chitting is not a good idea. However, shoving, grabbing, spanking, shaking, and pulling are all techniques we\u2019ll be investigating and practicing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about verbal abuse?\u201d someone asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire third and fourth sessions are devoted to that,\u201d said the instructor, nodding. \u201cBut the main thing we\u2019ll be working on is attitude.\u201d He pounded the blackboard with his fist. \u201cThe first thing I want to hammer into your heads is that through disdain and contempt, by learning to be an emotional brick wall, you\u2019ll have women crawling all over you. It\u2019s attitude, attitude, attitude.\u201d He scowled. \u201cNow, sure, some women want a little warmth, a little sibling give and take, but they\u2019re the exceptions. You can handle the exceptions once you know the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

He practically kicked the door down. He flung the flowers at her feet. As she knelt to pick them up, he placed a foot on her shoulder and pushed her onto her back. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with terror. He was undressing. She started to get up. He growled. She lay back down.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake off your clothes,\u201d he whispered fiercely. She did. He dropped to his knees, took her roughly in his arms, and annihilated her.<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

\u201cDarling,\u201d she said in the darkness, \u201cyou exhaust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d She touched his shoulder. \u201cI love you. I\u2019d do anything for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be silly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything,\u201d she said, pleading with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cProve it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnnihilate me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo of 1978 Cosmopolitan by Todd (This article appeared in the Anderson Valley Advertiser August 2012) \u201cHow could any woman not be a feminist? The girl I\u2019m editing for wants to be known for herself. If that\u2019s not a feminist message, I don\u2019t know what is.\u201d Helen Gurley Brown Why am I writing about Helen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[268,1734,1733,840,1451,843,1729,1728,8,1731,844,1732,842,9,33,1730],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":850,"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845\/revisions\/850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underthetablebooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}