Blog 8

Let’s talk about casual sex

Sex is just one of those topics that most people prefer to talk about, for a systematic way to guarantee the survival of our species, sex as a subject doesn’t always get the necessary attention. Because of this a lot of developing people end up experimenting with sex on their own, unaware of the harmful effects sexual activity can have on a person. From a young age we are all exposed to sexual themes without even noticing. Sex is everywhere from the content we consume, what we see in our everyday lives and in the end it’s how we got here in the first place.

In a 2018 study done by Pantea Farvid and Virginia Braun, data was compiled from interviews to collect data about heterosexual casual sexual histories. Between 15 male and 15 female aged between 18 to 46 was a pool of diverse experience.

Legally one must be the age of 18 or older to engage in sexual activity, however from a young age developing youths have this mature content subtly forced upon them. For example, popular shows like Drake and Josh and Zoey 101 depict the lives of high school students where they are far along into the path of discovering their sexual identity. While the show is focusing on retelling a story about youth, for the youth, at the same time it forces an agenda onto the viewer that they might not have previously subscribed to.

In Drake and Josh, one of the brothers Drake is famously good with girls, almost as if he can get any girl he wanted. This is just a TV show after all and proves to be fictitious but most kids don’t make that connection. As a result, this show and shows like it subconsciously prime youths to already be thinking about their sexuality and who they will have their first kiss with .

This is a precarious situation because of the risks associated with early and casual sexual encounters. In the same study by Pantea Farvid , psychological risks were some of the greatest when it came to the repercussions of casual sex. In relation to causal sex, most women reported feelings of guilt, same, and regret.

Because of shows like Drake and Josh, it puts the false image in our head that both genders are ready. From a male perspective, the want surpasses the need and in contrast to the psychological risks women experiences, most men reported more positive emotional outcomes or at worst mixed emotions.

Sex itself needs to be less taboo and expressed and talked about more openly. Allowing us to be comfortable with sex and sexual concepts will give us the opportunity to shift the landscape of the sex scene into a healthier, less volatile concept.