OK…I lied. It doesn’t. But the title of today’s MSN article made me laugh. The story titled “HRT may improve sleep and sexuality” is a bit silly really, when the real quote is that “combined HRT improves sleep, aches and pains, and sexual functioning. These gains can now be factored in to a woman’s choice to use combined HRT.” So that’s not really the same as improving sexuality, is it? The title reads more like “HRT Makes Women Gay” or “HRT Makes Women Sexually Ravenous”.

I dunno…let’s look at the definitions:

Mirriam Webster says: “the quality or state of being sexual: a: the condition of having sex b: sexual activity c: expression of sexual receptivity or interest especially when excessive”. Ooh…like the excessive part.

Cultural theory says:
“sexuality: Term generally used to refer to sexual orientation. In Freudian psychoanalysis, sexuality is formed in the gradual organization of the libidinal drives to focus upon a particular object. The character of that object depends upon the subjects particular path through the various stages of psychic development”. Hmmm…not quite for MSN then?

But here’s the big one, the Oxford English Dictionary: “sexuality: noun (pl. sexualities) 1) capacity for sexual feelings. 2) a person’s sexual orientation or preference.”

So MSN, don’t use words ambiguously…it makes you look daft. The author might be right with one definition….but not all, unlike the source quote which is pretty much spot on.