Welcome to Rude magazine, an online resource for better sex, relationships and wellbeing. Inside you’ll find news, features, interviews and reviews relating to sensual pleasure and exploration, and the latest scientific thinking about women and pleasure.

Sex is free, fun and good for us but it can also be a source of anxiety. Professor Alan Riley from the Lancashire School of Medicine and Health says loss of libido is the number one sex complaint amongst women. A recent report by Relate shows an increase of 240% from 1996 – 2002 in the number of couples seeking help for loss of desire. The Kinsey Institute also published a survey suggesting that 21st century women are having less sex than their grandmothers.

While men have access to Viagra, the race to create a little pink pill to market to women hasn’t been successful. Problems with desire, arousal, orgasm and painful sex are labelled ‘female sexual dysfunction’ and ‘hypoactive sexual desire disorder’ with drug companies claiming that 43% of women suffer from this (a figure that most experts take with a pinch of salt…) Viagra doesn’t work for women because female sexuality is complex, involving the ‘heart, head and hormones,’ says London-based gynaecologist John Studd. We need to approach sex holistically taking diet, lifestyle, stress levels, work, relationships and communication into account before we label someone ‘dysfunctional’.

Vaginal rejuvenation surgery is also a growing area of medicine. There are 200+ clinics worldwide offering this service yet women come in all shapes and sizes and the labia play a key role in sexual arousal and pleasure. We don’t believe in nip/tuck for aesthetic purposes and support the work of charities like Forward that campaign to put a stop to the practice of female genital mutilation. Check out sculptor Jamie McCartney’s work The Great Wall of Vagina – a cast of 400 labias – to see how diverse we are down there.

Rude magazine is an ongoing exploration of pleasure, mindfulness, body confidence and sensual education through conscious kink, tantra, Taoism and more. Our aim is to help you channel your inner courtesan to make life more juicy, adventurous and fun. You’ll find links to London-based lingerie boutiques, adult toy shops, kinky markets and events, eateries and culture plus sensual education to pique your libido.

About Nicci

Nicci Talbot is a journalist and author specialising in health, sex and wellbeing. She studied sex therapy at Birkbeck, University of London and is training to be a certified sex coach with SCU and Loveology University.