Today, the scarlet “A” is easily recognized as the iconic literary symbol linked to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel “The Scarlet Letter.” For a younger generation, it might be the 2010 film “Easy A,” starring Emma Stone. In colonial Massachusetts, though, it carried a far more sinister meaning. In 1694, under the Massachusetts law titled “An […]
Situationship? The situation is that they don’t want you. Every college student loves a good situationship: flirty, fun, and noncommittal. Unfortunately, they’re also a fast track to mixed signals, 2 a.m. overthinking, and heartbreak over someone you were never technically with. Situationships, or romantic and sexual relationships without clear labels or definitions, are increasingly popular […]
I find that when we talk about sex, especially at college, we focus solely on the physical. What you did, how long it lasted, how many times you did it, and whether your partner, or partners, if you are feeling especially freaky, was up to the task. It feels like a sport. There are all […]
Playoff season is finally here! This week, Harvard’s fall teams begin their postseason games. Meanwhile, other sports are facing historic rivals, wrapping up their regular season, or just making their debuts. Football (6–1) This Saturday is football’s final home game of the season at Harvard Stadium. At 1 p.m., they’ll kick off against Columbia. After […]
It is a Saturday night. You and your girlfriend just broke up. Your best friend’s birthday party is in half an hour, and you have decided some special supplements are in order. The pregame hit you hard, so you don’t have the capacity to be creative about who you ask. You fumble for your phone […]
“What’s your body count?” It is a question that seems to circulate casually (and crassly) among modern generations. Its meaning: “How many different people have you had sex with?” The question implies a transactional, impersonal maneuvering through sex, reducing a partner to the noun of a “body.” More importantly, it raises the question: why does […]
*This chronology is organized by the first time I kissed each person. One. My first kiss was rushed, wet, and sloppy. I’d met my paramour in the brightly lit bathroom on the ground floor of our middle school English complex; as class continued overhead, we indulged in a covert embrace. I hated the kiss, but […]
Every two years, the world’s greatest athletes gather to test the limits of the human body. These people have spent years preparing for the most competitive stage. Some events are so popular that even non-sports connoisseurs can recognize them. Others are so obscure that it seems like only a handful of athletes actually know the […]
I have never once downloaded a dating app. Shocking, right? Nowadays, it seems like almost everyone has some sort of online dating platform installed on their phones; the ability to “make a match” just clicks away. Online dating platforms have exploded in popularity in recent years. Three in 10 U.S. adults report having used a […]
The “Harvard Independent’s” annual Sex Survey offers a look at the relationships, preferences, and private lives of Harvard undergraduates. The 2026 survey received 407 submissions, with respondents sharing everything from their relationship statuses to their preferred hookup soundtracks. Respondent Demographics First-years made up the largest share of respondents: 39.6% were in the Class of 2030, […]