A weekly series on the stigma surrounding sex and sexual health
[a snippet from an article i wrote on Medium!]
{Note: Introducing a new weekly series I’ve started over on my Medium (link in bio) about sex education. I don’t know about you, but when I was in school, we covered the bare minimum when it came to sex and sexual health, as well as our bodies.
We learn the basics of puberty, are taught about the reproductive systems, but the information we are given does nothing to prepare us (especially people with vaginas) for the cramps, the late periods, the sore boobs, the cravings, the mood swings and crying over not cutting lemon slices equally (this is a very real thing). We aren’t taught about PCOS or endometriosis, about discharge and what it is, about the importance of NOT using soaps and other “feminine hygiene” products down there because the vagina is self-cleaning.
Most importantly, we aren’t taught about consent.
So I wanted to create a little series where, each week, I talk about a topic I think needs to have some light shone on it. I’ll be discussing issues from PCOS to masturbation and solo orgasms, to how you know when you’re really ready to have sex and open relationships, to respecting boundaries and more.
There are so many conversations to be had when it comes to Sex Education, going far beyond the typical “and this is what happens when you hit puberty, boys and girls. Use a condom when you have sex or don’t have sex at all. Class dismissed.”
I’m excited to have started this new thing tbh, because I’ll be learning as I go as well. Educating yourself is a fundamental part of life—we should never stop trying to learn new things.
And if there’s anything in particular you want me to discuss in the Sex Education Series, feel free to let me know. xo}
We begin this series on Sex Education by talking about discharge, something our teachers and other adult figures in our lives, never really bothered to tell us about. We know about periods and how to create babies, but that’s about it. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking there was something wrong with me the first time I saw this cervical fluid in my new pair of undies from Primark . . .
Continue reading on Medium . . .
Things I’ve written recently:
When Should Sex Really End?
Sex Education Series: Different Types of Discharge
Why I cried when my boyfriend bought me Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
Unpacking Bridgerton on Sexism and Consent: How Far Have We Come?
My first Christmas was different from the romanticised version in my head
The Book that Changed How I See Relationships
If you enjoy my writing, feel free to support my work via Paypal or buy me a digital Ko-Fi. If you’d like to commission me for any work, please check out my portfolio.
