At Harvard, nearly two-thirds of students arrive as virgins. Many students experiment sexually for the first time here. As with many universities, women and femme individuals often navigate gendered sexual expectations. I interviewed sex-positive women and femme students to explore their experiences. I had several questions. Are Rice Purity Scores an accurate measurement of sexual […]
“This performance is not suitable for children under the age of 16…and includes references to genitalia, sexual abuse, homelessness, and abortion.” Covering the bottom third of the promotional website for Spring Awakening, the content warning for the show reads like the text at the end of a pharmaceutical advertisement. I walked into the main stage […]
The first time I looked at my vagina, I was repulsed. Legs spread in a frog-like fashion, right hand equipped with a handheld mirror patterned with Disney Princess stickers and fingers poking at my labia in the most unsexual manner possible, I had never felt more concentrated in my 12 years of life. And, simultaneously, […]
Imagine walking into your therapist’s office and leaving with instructions to go have sex. While it may seem odd, the science behind this prescription exists. Within the medical community, it is becoming increasingly clearer that having sex regularly (more than once a week) has long-term health benefits. Along with the physical pleasure of sexual encounters, […]
When I entered the “talking stage” with my now boyfriend, I must have doubled the water bill. Absolutely terrified of what he might think when he inevitably felt or saw my figure, I spent hours contorting my body in the shower to reach every nook, cranny, flap, and crack I could find. Feeling around to […]
Harvard can be a lonely place, and it is easy to get in the habit of judging others in place of seeking true connection. Connecting with other human beings —and with yourself—can take many forms, but the most taboo of these forms is sex. This work is therefore a celebration of true connection between and […]
The majority (57%) of students in the United States have sex before graduating from high school, according to the Guttmacher Institute. At a time when teenagers are having sex earlier and with more partners than ever before, providing access to medically accurate and nondiscriminatory sex education is crucial to ensuring that adolescents can engage in […]
Dear Reader, The staff of the Harvard Independent is proud to present the 2024 Sex Issue. This issue is a tradition which has been cherished and highly-anticipated annually for over 25 years. Each year’s Sex Issue explores the joys and the complexities of sex and sexuality, and aims to promote sex-positivity in many forms on […]
Do you call him daddy? Do I call her daddy? Call. Her. Daddy. I can still remember the illicit feelings of shame that consumed the thirteen-year-old version of myself who secretly listened to “Call Her Daddy.” Holding my phone up to my ear so that no one could hear, I listened as Alex Cooper bellowed […]