The below is a guest post from author Lana Ferguson, author of The Nanny which was released on April 11, 2023. Get your copy here.
It’s the year 2023, and many women still have a compulsion to shy away from discussing their preferences or desires in regards to erotic media, ranging from spicy romance novels to outright po**ography. My question is, why?
With phrases being tossed around our entire lives such as: “boys will be boys” or “locker-room talk”—women are taught from an early age that there are certain proclivities that are more acceptable for the opposite sex. It is commonplace to laugh away the Playboy hidden under a man’s bed, but women are often unfairly stigmatized for exhibiting interest in anything erotic. A good example of this would be the blanket label of “trashy books” that is still being tossed around even today—a label that is reserved only for the genre of romance and almost always referring to the explicit nature of the content rather than the quality of the work itself. The label itself feels drenched in misogyny, considering that the romance genre is one of the few primarily written by women for women and more often than not told from the point of view of women. A label such as this promotes the idea that a woman’s desire is something to be mocked, shamed, or subjugated to more “worthwhile” interests. Sexual desire is not limited to gender, and yet exercising that desire is treated normally in one gender and aberrant in the other. This disparity affects not only women; it also projects needless shame and confusion on non-binary and queer-identifying people’s understanding of their individual sexualities. Again, why?
I believe this tendency has a lot to do with sexist and patriarchal-driven ideologies promoting women’s “purity.” In truth, such antiquated gender norms can impede the sexual discovery that is paramount to healthy emotional growth—regardless of gender. Without a safe environment to explore one’s sexuality, it is entirely possible that one can develop harmful ideas and misconceptions in regards to sex. These stigmas speak of a patriarchal desire to ensure that women are put in a position to depend on a man to teach them about their own desire, possibly even leaving them with no other option but to adopt a man’s sexual inclinations rather than being able to cultivate their own. Limiting the materials that are deemed “acceptable” for consumption by women diminishes their agency, robbing them of the opportunity to explore their sexuality in a way that is safe, independent and healthy and, I might add, considered perfectly natural for the opposite sex.
My hope is that as more women create art and content specifically for other women, such stifling attitudes will change. I hope that women will continue claiming more ownership in all spaces, including their own desire and the media that inspired it.
The When grad student Cassie Evans finds herself unemployed and about to get evicted, she is faced with two choices: find a new job ASAP or log into her once popular, but now deactivated OnlyFans account. Except the job market is terrible and she absolutely cannot go back to OnlyFans after what happened last time…
When Cassie stumbles upon a live-in nanny position for a nine-year-old, it seems like the solution to all her problems. And then she meets her would-be employer.
Aiden Reid, executive chef and DILF extraordinaire, is far from the stuffy single dad Cassie imagined and all but begs her to take the job. With hands that draw too much of her attention and eyes that scream sex, the idea of living under the same roof as Aiden feels dangerous. But Cassie is out of options and decides to stay with him and his daughter, Sophie.
Then Cassie discovers that she and Aiden already know each other—intimately. The mask Cassie wore during her solo OnlyFans sessions did its job at shielding her face because Aiden has no idea that the woman he just hired was once his favorite performer. Cassie knows she should tell Aiden the truth, but she really needs this job, and she may have developed some feelings for her top subscriber.
As their relationship heats to temperatures hotter than any kitchen Aiden has ever worked in, Cassie struggles with telling him the truth and losing the best chance at a happiness she’s ever had.
