On October 21 1992, Madonna’s Sex book was released by Warner Books, Maverick and Callaway Books.
The 128-page coffee table book of erotica and sexual fantasies was written by Madonna, with photographs taken by Steven Meisel and film frames shot by Fabien Baron. The book was edited by Glenn O’Brien.
The spiral-bound, metal-covered book was wrapped in a silver mylar bag and included a copy of the Erotic CD single (an exclusive version of the Erotica song). The package also included an 8-page comic book and it was priced at $49.95 US.
How old were you when you first bought or read through Madonna’s Sex book?
The Sex Book is nothing more than a vanity project-I hated The Sex Book!
Ugh, I can see that. I remember how differently it hit everybody.
But for me, as a very young, closeted gay guy growing up in suburbia, it was something entirely different. It was the first time I’d ever seen a fully nude, uncircumcised man. We didn’t have endless streaming porn back then, as you well know! LOL.
But beyond that, seeing how completely free Madonna was, at a time when I didn’t feel free at all, was incredibly inspiring. I’m still not that free, to be honest. LOL.
For a while, it felt like something deeply personal, almost like a secret shared between Madonna and me. I never really talked about what it meant to me. Not with anyone. Even when I discussed it with friends, it was always through the lens of a joke. Madonna was a slut. Madonna was disgusting. OMG, can you believe what she did? That was the common reaction.
But I never agreed with any of it. I wanted to defend her. I wanted to understand her. And maybe, without fully realizing it at the time, I wanted to protect what she represented: the freedom to express yourself, to own your sexuality, and to be unapologetically who you are.
Because I think, deep down, that’s what I wanted for myself.