Moscow (AFP)-
Surrounded by porn toys, six women of different ages sit in the basement of the center of Moscow, facing the whiteboard, and a sex coach trains them to talk openly about their sexual desires.
A 45-year-old divorce student told AFP: "I finally want to know what it is like to be a satisfied woman and what sexual pleasure is . ".
In the case of the Soviet era and the Kremlin's recent push for conservative values, sex as a topic remains largely untouchable in Russia.
To help people overcome shyness when talking about sexual happiness, sexologists train classes, psychologists, and others
The so-called sex coaches are now appearing in Moscow, adding TV shows and articles to women's magazines.
Viktoria Ekaterina Frank, a psychologist and sexologist, says she has a course in sex.
The goal of the Rf school is not to teach sexual skills, but to "help women understand the deep-rooted psychological barriers in their minds ".
Many women, she says, are "embarrassed to talk about sex and barely breathe ". -
"Not sexy" in the Soviet Union"
According to social scientists, nearly 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian society still deeply felt the taboo atmosphere of the Soviet Union on sexual issues.
Sociologist yirina cokina told AFP that the Soviet authorities mainly promoted the idea that "sex should only be for reproductive services.
"It means there is no talk about sex in the family or in the school," she said . ".
Television interviews from the time of reform have made the Soviet Union's formal and practical attitude towards sex immortal, even if it is far from true in practice.
In the 1986 talk show broadcast by the United States and the Soviet Union, an American woman asked a Soviet woman if she had sex in a Soviet advertisement.
The Russians replied, "there is no sex at home. We firmly oppose it . " This exchange has become part of popular culture. -
Feast or Famine
Dmitry Rogozin, professor of sociology at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that while public discourse was forbidden in the Soviet era, everyone was having sex, "maybe even too much ".
Since there were no birth control pills and condoms, abortion at that time was often used as a contraceptive, so at the beginning of 1990, the number of terminals was one of the highest in the world.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the sex industry broke out, with a wave of pornographic films on video tapes or cinemas, magazines with vivid photos and advertisements in popular media.
Sex coach Elena raikina said that after the initial "crazy interest boom", it suddenly became too much, causing fear and rejection, and people refused.
Inspired by her sexual tutoring course in San Francisco, USA, Rydkina began teaching "people can talk about sex normally" courses in Moscow.
"Politics over the past 10 years is moving away from open sex and spreading traditional family values," she said . ".
Nevertheless, there is now a "real need" for more sexual reporting "--
Rydkina added that related issues led to the rise of Russian sex blogs.
One such blogger is Tatyana dmiteva eva, who created a popular website Sexprosvet aimed at "developing a Russian culture.
She set up the site three years ago because she said there was no place to seriously discuss the issue.
"I want to change this and I want to start the conversation," she told AFP . ".
Dmitriyeva also organized antics and regular pop performances
In the porn accessories market in Moscow, she said, all of this is part of an effort to promote "no boring sex. -
Safer than politics.
For the sociologist Rogozin, Russia's lack of open political debate makes talking more attractive.
As authorities strengthen their control over the media and the Internet, often blocking content related to the opposition, Rogozin said Russians found freedom of speech when talking about sex.
"Close relationships are seen as a form of escape from dangerous political activity," he told AFP . ".
"People are more eager to talk about sex than politics.
"However, interest in public discussion has stalled on the issue of homosexuality ---
He said it was not until 1999 that the government considered it a mental illness.
The authorities banned gay parades on the grounds of "traditional" values and severely cracked down on gay parades.
Gay propaganda among minors
"Homosexuality is OK for celebrities, but not for people who live next door," Rogozin said . ".