(GQ.com) Casual sex takes many forms. You know the obvious ones: the one-night stand, the booty call, sex by appointment. More recent variations include “rec” (recreational) sex, which exists because, as one friend told me, “every great athlete needs practice.” And then there’s “cereal” sex, which is a one-night stand amid a dry spell that, like cereal, is satisfying in the moment but leaves you needing further sustenance shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n
Yet, every flavor of casual sex\u2014uncommitted, unemotional, purely carnal\u2014is governed by the same rules. We list them below to help you fornicate better.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n When I hosted my ninth birthday party at a Japanese steakhouse, we were instructed to remove our shoes prior to sitting in our little elevated wooden booth. Then we enjoyed a fiery display that dazzled the senses and whet the appetite before a positively succulent meal.<\/p>\n In casual sex, you should similarly check your emotions at the door. What happens next may not involve an Asian man lighting a table on fire before your eyes or flipping a shrimp tail into his breast pocket but will, if all goes well, prove equally entertaining, satisfying, and, well, hot.<\/p>\n If you or your partner can’t ignore your feelings, reconsider the arrangement. Casual sex should be unemotional, not sociopathic. Don’t hurt anyone or set yourself up to be hurt\u2014unless, you know, masochism is your thing.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Remember how the Wedding Crashers guys made up all those bogus back-stories? They were foreign legionnaires. Then New York Yankees. Then WASPs. Take a lesson from those masters of casual sex: be yourself\u2014but different.<\/p>\n Don’t lie to your partner: “I’d like to be pimps from Oakland or cowboys from Arizona, but it’s not Halloween,” Owen Wilson said in character. But you can appear more uninhibited, mysterious, and spontaneous than usual. You have permission to adopt somewhat of a character, a romanticized or heightened or self-actualized version of yourself. It’s like role-playing, which, it turns out, many people really like.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Casual sex requires a delicate balance: respect and generosity and safety, coupled with unadulterated, unabashed corporeality. You’re a gentleman and an animal, like a werewolf in a top hat.<\/p>\n Find your perfect combination: You’re a (more upbeat version of) Edward Norton’s polite narrator and, at the same time, Brad Pitt’s six-pack-jacked Tyler Durden. You’re Steve Urkel and Stefan Urquelle. You’re Clark Kent in the streets and Superman in the sheets.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Imagine a food pyramid, only for casual relationships. The base (reserved for grains) should be occupied by sex. When you’re having casual sex, have lots and lots of sex. Have the most sex.<\/p>\n At the tippy top of the pyramid (where sugars and sweets live) are what’s to be done sparingly: Host a full-on sleepover followed by brunch the next day, a day in the park and then\u2014why not?\u2014a romantic dinner. That’s the opposite of casual.<\/p>\n In between those extremes, you’ll find activities like foreplay, showering, watching TV, talking, and preparing post-sex pastrami sandwiches. Handle non-sex, especially arrivals and departures, with self-awareness and courtesy. If you’re hosting, don’t kick someone out with the brazenness of a World Cup red card; also don’t force or expect someone to stay over. If you’re a guest, don’t sneak out (wake me up before you go-go!), but don’t overstay your welcome unless they’re offering\u2014and you’re up for deli meat and spooning.<\/p>\n1) Check your emotions at the door.<\/h3>\n
2) Be yourself, only different.<\/h3>\n
3) Be a gentleman\u2014and an animal.<\/h3>\n
4) Control your portions.<\/h3>\n