The 2021 Sex Issue
Blow(up)job
Sex makes people uncomfortable; isn’t it obvious? “Blow(up)job” captures this sentiment on Harvard’s campus. Our process reveals as much about sex as the photographs themselves. When we were brainstorming about this issue, shooting with sex dolls immediately popped into our heads. The idea to create tender and intimate moments with blow-up dolls for an issue […]
Only Good Vibes
Some college students might blush at the idea of knowingly entering a store that exclusively sells sex toys, but the sex store Good Vibrations in Harvard Square boasts nothing but quality products and welcoming vibes. Quality is important when considering sexual wellness, and Joani Black, founder of Good Vibrations, made it her life’s mission to […]
Couples in Covid: Kinky or Complacent?
With almost a year of online school under our belts, more and more couples, both at Harvard and long distance, have experienced the trials of life at home or being stuck in a dorm room. The all-too familiar side effects of Zoom fatigue and restricted social gatherings are preventing students from meeting new friends and […]
Sex and Christianity
I do not claim to speak for the entire Christian church, nor even for all Protestants, but I think I am on pretty solid ground in saying that, all in all, Christianity is an anti-murder faith. It’s right there in Exodus 20: “You shall not murder.” While the debate about whether euthanasia and similar acts […]
Making Love to Strangers
Growing up, I was taught that sex is something you experience with someone you love. The infamous “talk” my mother gave me, complete with a birds and the bees book, ingrained in my mind that the act of sex was equivocal to the idea of “making love.” I became attached to the concept of sex […]
Is Harvard Hot?
The Independent’s annual Sex Issue aims to do two things—uncover students’ sexual experiences and then report those experiences back to the student body. Accordingly, this year we wanted to gauge the perceptions of Harvard students as it pertains to “sex appeal.” In other words, we asked students if their peers are hot. The survey began […]