Fake it Til You Make it
The fake orgasm phenomenon
“We are on the hunt to find the clit.” This popular phrase from straight men reveals that their communal quest to pleasure their female counterparts is, well, still ongoing. It can be challenging for these men to succeed, and, at times, awkward for the women to watch them try, often fumbling in vain. How much […]
From Intimacy to Anonymity
How do students reconcile spring break sexcapedes with their desire for intimate sex?
Growing up, we’re first introduced to sex as the pinnacle of love and trust in romantic relationships. As we get older, however, popular media and personal experience reveal how sex exists on a spectrum: one night stands, friends with benefits, casual sex, situationships, and yes, even in relationships. Here on Harvard’s campus, we’re exploring how […]
How To Get Down and Dirty at Harvard
Over half of respondents to the Independent’s sex survey said they masturbate one to four times a week. 20% masturbate every few weeks, and 14% masturbate five to nine times a week. But how can you sexually treat yourself while living with a roommate? Part 1: How to Masturbate in Your Double Now, how can […]
Under the Surface
Harvard Students in the Nude
On my quest to find self-love, I found that painting myself nude rid me of my body dysmorphia. I could not deny that there was beauty in the art, just far enough removed from my physical body that I could not distort it. Painting nude portraits of my friends who also struggled with these issues […]
Private Matters
The scarcity of privacy and plentitude of solitude on campus
Privacy is hard to come by on campus. The Dean of Students Office warns first-years that “Very few singles are available” in the Yard. In some houses, even seniors might have to share a bedroom. Outside of residential life, students share classes in lecture halls, meals in dining halls, and parties in the rarefied halls […]
Beyond the Stacks
How to spice up sex on campus
Upon entering Harvard, every first-year student learns three rituals they must complete before graduation. Peeing on John Harvard is easy enough: all it takes for most people is a bit too much alcohol and not enough Securitas on a Saturday night. Primal Scream certainly requires some initial courage, but one can take solace in being […]
Nailing It: Is Sex a Performance?
Students face performance anxiety from the theater to the bedroom
The Harvard student is forged under the pressure to perform. The admission process requires that students thrive off their ability to succeed—academically, socially, and athletically. Yet while students can excel in performance contexts, they might falter in more freeform environments. The act of sex falls somewhere in between premeditated performance and spontaneous expression. Amid a […]
Harvard Harassment on Trial
Harvard’s harassment investigative process is under scrutiny in a recent lawsuit
For most students at Harvard, Title IX is just a brief part of a semesterly online training module. However, the truth is that Title IX has been a core component in the background of university life since its 1972 inception. The law prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding, encompassing sports, harassment, legal […]
With Great Sex Comes Great Responsibility…
…only if you have a uterus
None of us want to get pregnant, but a lot of us want to have sex. This is the age-old catch-22 for a college student with a uterus. The solution? Birth control—the miracle pill. Take it once a day, and all of your fears will be resolved, they say. But at what cost? Sophie O’Melia […]
Musical Sex
Tunes to turn you on
“It’s like bread and butter, like ham and eggs,” says David Ritz, ghost-writer of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” He isn’t talking about breakfast foods. He’s talking about music and sex. Making music is an act of bringing people together, just like having sex, Ritz claims. “Yearning for union is what I think underlies the sexiest […]
Op-Ed: Why We Believe in “Soulmates”
Our deliberate self-deception
Why do we believe in soulmates? In his book, What If?, American author Randall Munroe asks us to imagine a world where each person was randomly assigned an exclusive partner who would complete them. Imagine a version of ChatRoulette, where people cycle through strangers, locking eyes for a few seconds before moving on—enough time to […]
Prudish or Progressive?
How abstinence empowered me
In the 2010s, the discourse around slut shaming shifted in American culture. Through girl boss propaganda and Buzzfeed articles, feminists went from advocating for women’s sexual expression without societal punishment to pushing the idea that having sex with many men is a form of empowerment that should be celebrated. Women who questioned such advocacy were […]
Yes, I’m Actually Bisexual.
Waiting for the day that we don’t have to convince people of our sexualities.
I will never forget the day I figured out what lesbians were. At eight-years-old, I raced to my mother’s room after school, cuddling up next to her to join her in watching Modern Family. Two of the characters were discussing their friends who were lesbians, a word I had heard before but whose meaning I […]