More to sex than reproduction

When you scroll through her Instagram profile, you will find informative videos ranging from sex toys and oral sex to busting sex myths and different methods of contraception, presented in a fun, contemporary, and relatable way. I’ve been creating this content for over 5 years now and if I were to deconstruct the questions I receive into one overarching concern, what I get asked over and over and over again is essentially this: “Am I normal?” From questions about size, fantasies, sexual orientation, sexual health, pleasure to concerns about “performance”—most of all, people simply want to be reassured that there’s nothing wrong with them, their bodies, curiosities, and desires. So, this is something people must think about even at a development/public health and policy level when implementing Sex Education or Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights initiatives. And, while some people mistakenly think that access to sex education will result in everyone having more sex at a younger age, in fact, studies globally have shown that people who can talk to a parent, teacher, or caregiver about sex are more likely to delay having sex, and less likely to make choices that put their or another’s health and safety at risk. I also think that the centrality of the clitoris to the pleasure of people with vulvas has been neglected in communications around sex for so long that many men and even many women don’t realize that penetration alone is insufficient for most vulva owners to reach orgasm.