You've not come such a long way baby

Ms R has written previously on the perils of modern feminism: a place where the right to drink, fuck and occasionally mouth off about date rape and safe sex appear to be the sole concerns of this current wave. And now, at the end of a perfectly wonderful day where Ms R has been treated as both the intelligent woman she hopes she is and the feminine woman she likes to be, she reads that another 'erotic' magazine for women has been launched. This one is really, really different. "72 quarterly pages of intelligent thought and beautiful men."

Not just that but it's all about images especially for the 'female gaze.' Oh god, kill me now. Pictures rationalized with psycho claptrap.

Those incredibly cutting edge women who imagine that their bedroom and drinking antics are paving a path for girls everywhere will of course be delighted.

"This" they will say, "is equality."

They will tell us how they have made a breakthrough and this will encourage more erotic images of men so that in time there will be almost as many of these as there are pictures of women. And then the balance will be redressed. Equality will at last be within reach of women everywhere. Hurrah.

Whoa there girlies. Let's just revisit basic economics for a moment. Do we not think if there was actual demand for pictures of naked men, it would have happened before now, before 2009? It surely would. Now let's think why it hasn't been top of every publisher's list. Hasn't been thought of? No. No men to take their clothes off? No. Not enough glossy paper to print on? No. You see the fact is that women generally need to have their brain turned on. Many a time a woman is indifferent about a man until she discovers that he is an amusing, intelligent and charming person. She sees the twinkle in his eyes and the way he looks at her. And then she realises she is getting turned on. Of course there are situations where the physical is absolutely the only thing but that alone won't hold most women.

Men, delightfully simple creatures that they are, like a visual representation and will physiologically respond to it. Women may think that a man is attractive but in most instances it won't make them warm and runny. They will look at a picture of a naked man and think "Mmm great body" but that thought won't immediately lead them to pick up their vibrator. Just as men don't need the candelight, the music, the furry rugs and the long, slow lead up (not saying they don't like it but they don't need it), they don't need to know much about a woman to be physically turned on. And so that is why a picture in FHM or GQ can be the highlight of their day. Show me a woman who feels exactly the same about an oiled up bloke in underpants and I'll show you a woman who isn't in touch with her sexuality; who is still scratching around on the surface. In fact, not a woman but a girl.