Penthouse International

Naughty by nature

Introduction

By Rachel Stokoe Senior Editor, Penthouse on-line

“So, are they real?”

It is the question I am asked most consistently as senior editor of Penthouse on-line.

What is it about the Forum Letters that have such a pull on our collective imagination? They were an instant phenomenon after first appearing on the pages of Penthouse over thirty years ago. It was the first time a well-respected, mainstream publication gave readers the opportunity to write freely and candidly about their sex lives.

Now, these letters are part of our public lexicon. Indeed, their popularity shows no sign of abating. Every month Penthouse magazine and its web site are flooded with letters, all brimming with exciting encounters. No other magazine has had so many people willing to share their most intimate moments with an international audience.

For me, the most rewarding aspect of reading through the letters we receive is seeing how many come from other women. More so than men, women feel the weight of societal taboos surrounding sexuality, and are often too shy to share our private moments with even the closest of friends. Each letter teaches me something about the woman who wrote it, and about myself. They are unfettered explorations of passion, free and honest discussions that are so sorely missing in our everyday interactions.

The letters here represent the wide range of women who write. These women are from all walks of life and are all ages. Each account is colored by the writer’s individuality: Each captivates us with a face, and an identity. The one thing they all have in common is an erotic openness.

Their recounts run the gamut, and reveal just what women get up to behind closed doors (or even out in public!). From one’s first time to one’s sexual reawakening years later, from threesomes to lesbian encounters, from illicit meetings to wedding nights, these confessions reveal just how all-encompassing female sexuality is. Each describes a life-transforming moment, when passion and reality collide, when a sexual tingle becomes earth-shattering.

Freud famously posed the question: “What does a woman want?” The stories collected here are clearly marked by the feminine voice, and offer readers a window into the female psyche, completely uncensored by external pressures. The women, in the security of the anonymity, lay bare more about their lusts and appetites than they would to a therapist. And, if their rendezvous are any indication, a woman’s wants are not so dissimilar to a man’s.

Penthouse Forum is truly a celebration of sexuality. The letters it contains represent that magical moment when fantasy becomes reality. These letters focus on the feminine perspective. For women, they provide a context within which to place their own experiences. For men, they give a rare glimpse of women’s most private moments. For both, they offer the thrill and delight that is Penthouse Forum.