Illustrated by Isabelle Rancier
When it comes to advice on dating and relationships, we'll pretty much take whatever we can get. It's not that we're unlucky in love, per se, but it never helps to hear from those who have been there and done that. Now, in a new Esquire article, we're getting some of the frankest (and most hilarious) sex tips of all time — from a 98-year-old woman, no less. For his new book, You Can Be Right (Or You Can Be Married), writer Dana Adam Shapiro interviewed Pauline, a divorced (and thrice-married) mother of two about everything from sexual compatibility to affairs.
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As it turns out, even though Pauline is 98, she's still sharp as a tack — and she's a total spitfire when it comes to doling out the romance advice. As she puts it, "I never had boyfriend trouble. I always had plenty of guys. Always." And, from those many guys, she's learned that for a relationship or marriage to work you've got to hit it off...in the sack, that is. "If you haven’t got that feeling, and he hasn’t got that feeling, get a divorce," she says. "It’s the only way. You’re better off alone. Because when you live with someone that doesn’t make you happy, it’s miserable. It’s worse than being alone."
She also believes that the key to making it work (read: not getting sick of each other) is to compromise and keep things spontaneous. It's her opinion that if a couple starts doing things separately all the time, it drives a wedge between husband and wife that can lead to, well, bad things. "If he wants to go dancing and you don’t want to go, well, that’s okay occasionally," she says. "But don’t do it every night because you can be sure that he’ll find someone else to dance with."
Pauline goes on to describe her experiences with multiple relationships and divorces, and even describes her dalliances with a married man. While you may not agree with all of her stances, you will be all kinds of entertained by her wisdom. If we're half as spunky as she is at that age, we'll consider ourselves lucky. (Esquire)