Ask Dr. Ruth

At four-foot-seven, German-born sex therapist, author, and talk show host Dr. Ruth, as she has been called since radio audiences first had trouble pronouncing her three-syllable last name, likes to remind us that "size doesn't matter." In ASK DR. RUTH, her unrelenting buoyancy, good cheer, optimism, and sheer physical stamina are clearly not diminished by her age (91) or stature, and she likes to assure everyone that the dimensions of the male phallus have nothing to do with a man's ability to sexually please a woman. The pleasure of sex is her focus, assuring callers to her show and readers of her books that everyone can achieve sexual satisfaction. She encourages the use of "marital aids" (sex toys, vibrators) if one is so inclined and especially recommends both partners articulate their needs and preferences rather than suffering dissatisfaction in silence. "Show how you need to be touched," she suggests to the reluctant. She offers sex positions designed to make both partners happy, and for decades she has assured listeners and readers that "there is no such thing as normal." Gay or straight, she's for it, as long as both partners are consenting. And she has long seen denial of sexual realities as a public health hazard, teaching young students about AIDS and condom use and arguing in favor of abortion rights. Her courage in the face of disapproval and her enthusiasm for helping everyone achieve pleasure may come out of the loss of her parents to Nazi violence and her own survival of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. She continues to follow a breakneck travel schedule and associates decades her junior complain it's hard to keep up.