Stories from Sex-Positive Women and Femmes
Harvard students discuss sex, relationships, and consent.
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 […]
Awake
Youth, libido, and violence collide in Spring Awakening, the musical of the season.
“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 […]
Wanna Compare Vaginas?
Looking at my friends’ vulvas was the solution to my genital shame.
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, […]
Benefits Beneath the Sheets
The medical advantages of a healthy sex life.
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, […]
More Hair Down There
Shaving your vagina is NOT a big deal. At least, it shouldn’t be.
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 […]
Sacred Connection?
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 […]
Sex (Mis)Education
The state of sex ed in the United States.
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 […]
Letter from the Editors
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 […]
Dear Daddy…
The next great American media mogul is a woman who sometimes just gives sex advice.
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 […]
The Long Game
Waiting for marriage can be sex-positive.
“Tell us about your first time.” It always happens when we’re playing Hot Seat or Truth or Dare. Everyone buckles up for a good story—bonus points if it happened somewhere crazy. I smile softly to myself, knowing they’re going to be surprised, or maybe even disappointed, by my response that I’m a virgin and waiting […]
I U Don’t Even Know
A reflection on getting an IUD at 16.
Note: The author recognizes that there are many women who do not have vaginas or uteruses. This is a personal exploration of a transformation into adulthood, and the author wants to express her love for women of all shapes, sizes, races, gender expressions, and sexual identities as they battle what can be a very scary […]
How to Have Sex in a Harvard Dorm
“How big is it?” she whispered. “80 inches long and 38 inches wide.”
“How big is it?” she whispered. “80 inches long and 38 inches wide.” “It,” of course, is a twin XL bed, of which one or more resides in every Harvard dorm room. Uncomfortable, narrow, and really, really low to the ground, the beds here at Harvard are tough enough for one person to get settled […]
For the Bodies the Pill Left Bleeding
Despite what experts from the Washington Post say, the birth control pill made me incredibly sick.
On March 22, I opened my email over breakfast to The Post Most and clicked on the headliner: “Women are getting off birth control amid misinformation explosion.” Written by two female health reporters, Lauren Weber and Sabrina Malhi, the article criticized women who share negative experiences with hormonal contraceptives online. Weber and Malhi called the […]
Bisexual “Virgin”
What sex means to a girl who bats for both teams—and is saving herself for marriage.
Whenever I’ve let it slip to a friend that I’m saving myself for marriage, they ask me what that looks like. They aren’t questioning my religious beliefs or suggesting a possible far-right indoctrination in my childhood that led to deep sexual repression. Instead, they wonder how I could possibly reconcile my “commitment to purity” and […]
Transcendentalism is a Techno Rave
Transcendentalism is a techno rave. The pounding tempo and shrieking dubstep, bass reverberating through bejeweled chests. Communion in candy bracelets, exchanged from my wrist to yours. This is divine consciousness. Funhouse mirror bodies collide like billiard balls, the grinding hips of youth. Back cutouts, side cutouts, and midriffs everywhere. There is something spiritual in exotic […]
10 Things Better Than Sex
Fornication or Felipe’s?
Great sex is great sex—if you can find it. But let’s be honest, there are ten things in this world that beat it (almost) every time. So next time you’re wondering about going back to him or feel like hating on a happy couple, remember the ten things that can be even better than consummation. […]
John Harvard, I Want You
A fan-fiction about Harvard’s most famous statue.
It was first-year move-in day. When I stepped foot on campus, I instantly felt a rush of excitement but also was overwhelmed. In high school, I focused on getting perfect grades and being president of my class. I had no time to relax and have fun. On those rare occasions where I did have free […]
Broken Crimson Hearts
Exploring the unspoken rules of dating and the pursuit of romance on campus.
While many self-help books and advice columns claim to have “expert knowledge” on dating, none seem to include vignettes from the lives of Harvard’s hopeless and hopeful romantics. Since personal stories resonate more than advice alone, we’ve collected stories from our friends with invaluable lessons (and given each of them pseudonyms). Sometimes it feels like […]
Hot and Heavy at Harvard
A selection of Harvard-themed sexual endeavors.
The John Harvard If you are the type for a good old-fashioned foot fetish, this one’s for you. Any worship of those lovely little piggies fits the bill. Please do not interpret this as support for the oh-so-infamous golden shower…unless you are really into that. The Stacks Great for a quickie in public, we recommend […]