GRAND Magazine - July/August 2017 - 25

grand sex

ging is challenging, especially for women. Our
society worships youth
and views old and aging as negative words. When we don't see
ourselves reflected in the wider
culture it's hard to gauge what's
possible as we go through the
aging process, particularly when
it comes to sex and intimacy.
Women in their menopausal
years often talk about losing
sexual desire. At any age, or
stage of life, there will be
times when sexual feelings
shift. For older women that
loss of feeling intensifies
when we hear negative stories about menopause. Couple that with the idea
that sex is for the young, and if you don't have
desire you must have an illness, and it's no wonder
some women start to anticipate a less than sexy
future.

Paying attention to my
sexuality requires me to love
the body I have.

To connect with one's own sexual desire is a personal
process. It starts with you-your thought processes,
your senses, and your willingness to connect with your
body.
In my own journey I've discovered that paying attention to my sexuality requires me to love the body I have.

25 GRAND

JULY AUGUST 2017

Then I can create the kind of
experiences I want; accept everything aging brings with it, and
figure out how I want to show
up in the world. I've developed
comfort in my own skin, allowing
me to enjoy life more fully. One
of the ways to do this is to ask for
what you need when it comes to
sex and to pay attention to what
your body desires.
I wrote the book Inviting Desire
to help women learn to embrace
their sexuality and take ownership
of their sexual desire. All women
can benefit from exploring the connection of aging, sexual health, and
communication, whether they're
single or in a relationship. Women
should understand how their bodies work, figure out
what they want sexually, and know how to ask for it.
Woven through my work with older women is the
understanding that being "of a certain age" isn't limiting-discovering the joys of sex and intimacy as we age
is very freeing.

Walker Thornton is an educator, public
speaker and the author of Inviting
Desire, A Guide for Women Who
Want to Enhance Their Sex Life. She
advocates for women's sexuality,
encouraging women to 'step into their
desire'. Walker is the Sexual Health
columnist for Midlife Boulevard and
writes about sex and the older adult for Kinkly.com and
other sites. You can connect with her on her website www.
walkerthornton.com, Facebook Twitter and Google+.

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GRAND Magazine - July/August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - July/August 2017