• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Your Guide to Understanding Sex Positivity

Your Guide to Understanding Sex Positivity

May 10, 2019 //  by Codi Elliott

Shares48FacebookTweet

The term ‘sex positive’ began appearing in popular culture only a few years ago and already has multiple connotations and buckets of misconceptions surrounding it. Sex positivity means embracing your own sexuality, or lack thereof, and valuing your own needs. Sex education and the practice of safe, consensual sex also stand as essential components of sex positivity.

The sex positivity movement aims to break down rape culture and slut-shaming while promoting an inclusive attitude toward all sexual and gender identities.

What does sex positivity look like?

Sex positivity means we get to decide who we feel attracted to, who we sleep with and who we don’t and that we feel respected while making all of those decisions. It also means that we need to accept other people’s decisions about sex and their sexuality.  Everyone expresses their sexuality differently and as long as they express it in a completely consensual way, we should all be cool with it.

Sex positivity leads to a more nuanced understanding of how gender socialization, patriarchy and sexism have an impact on sexual violence. Gender socialization refers to the idea that we grow up in an environment with preconceived notions about gender norms and we learn these ideas through own experiences and conversations, our schooling and the media. The patriarchy refers to the idea that we fact that we live in a society where more men hold powerful positions in government than women. It also allows us to pause and examine the power dynamics in our own relationships and experiences and how gender, race, class or able-bodied privilege influence this. These characteristics influence how we live our lives and even crept into the most intimate of spaces. Acknowledging them, can help all of us begin to unravel these complicated issues. It also allows us to explore how the intersections of race, gender and class to better understand how these police our sexuality.

Being sex positive does not mean that you have sex or even like sex, it focuses on accepting that other people do and that they have every right to do so. It also means accepting that some people do not like sex or have no interest in it.

Sex positivity does not mean you have a happy uncomplicated relationship with sex. Space in the sex positive movement exist for trauma survivors, asexual people and people who have had painful or regrettable sexual experiences. Our bodies come with baggage and painful experiences and unique histories.

Sex positivity fights rape culture

Rape culture refers to a set of societal beliefs that create an environment which normalizes sexual violence and sexual assault. The objectification of women and misogynistic language perpetuate these beliefs and disregard the safety of women. Sex positivity emphasizes consensual sex, bodily autonomy and empowering of all people regardless of sex or gender identity to deconstruct rape culture and slut shaming.

This movement works to encourage us to view other human beings with full bodily autonomy, which in today’s world exists as a liberal—even radical—idea.  In viewing people as people and not sexual objects, we can begin to end victim shaming and blaming. Sex positivity works to end the social cycle of making people feel guilty about sexual activity. It fosters self-love and explores how toxic hyper-masculinity can harm men, women, trans and gender fluid individuals.

Is sex positivity only for cis-women?

Absolutely not. While this movement developed to combat slut-shaming, sexual violence and the concept that women cannot want sex, the goal of this movement tries to create a space for everyone. Sex positivity encourages people of all gender identities to explore their own sexuality and engage in relationships and sexual encounters that affirm these ideals.

A place exists for men in the sex positivity movement as we overhaul the idea that men always want sex and women cannot want to sex. Men must acknowledge their partner’s desires and respect them; they must learn how to use their gender privilege to address the rape culture ASAP. The movement also offers men an opportunity to realize they do not need to confirm to gender stereotypes about when they should want sex and how they should have sex.

We also must acknowledge interlocking forms oppression and the fact that some people do not have the ability to participate in this movement.

How can you participate in sex positivity?

Sex positivity without critical analysis can do more harm than good. Never stop asking the uncomfortable, hard-to-talk-about questions. Be aware of how our bodies have been categorized and labeled since birth and how our socialization influences how we view ourselves and sex. “Being open to the idea of non–traditional relationships and being open to the idea that sex does not have to be just penetration. Do what is best for you and your partner(s),” William and Mary junior Maddie Talnagi said. Do your research, respect other people’s consensual sex lives and work to deconstruct the rape culture by educating each other. Be safe and have consensual fun, kids.

Shares48FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Dating Health Life

About Codi Elliott

Sophomore at William and Mary studying Neuroscience. Fan of astrology, breakfast food, and trekking back home to Florida whenever it gets cold.

You May Also Like

songs to belt out

21 Songs to Belt Out in the Shower

Top 10 Weird Scholarships You Can’t Miss

cultural identity and language

Language Abilities Don’t Define Your Cultural Identity, Unless?

How I Turned My Personal Journals into a Published Book

15 Alcohol-Free Activities for a Friday Night In

Reflecting on Fall 2020: How to Recover from One of the Hardest Semesters

How to Make Money From Home Without Taking Off Your PJs

15 COVID-19 Safe Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in 2020

Top 10 COVID-19 Safe Activities to Do Near Fresno, California

Breaking the Binary: My Journey into Identifying as Non-Binary

The Döner Project: My Berlin Budget as a College Student

CM’s Guide to the Print and Digital Journalism Major

Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year

A Tale of Two Twin Flames

movies to binge over winter break

Battling Boredom: 10 Movies to Binge Over Winter Break

Being an Asian-American: Learning to Accept Both Halves of Myself

How to Become a Published Poet

ADHD or the Enemy? At Least My College Helped Me

berkeley outdoors

10 COVID-19 Friendly Things to Do in Berkeley, California

Top 10 DIY Gifts for Your BFF

Christmas

10 Gifts For Parents That They Want But Haven’t Asked For

friend group dressed up as Big Hero Six characters

Animation Nerds Unite: 10 Gifts for Animation Lovers

gifts for your girl squad

10 Gifts Your Girl Squad Can’t Live Without

10 Virtual Gifts for Your BFF that Will Make Them Love You Forever

Previous Post: «gifts for mom The Best 10 Gifts for Mom to Make Her Smile on Mother’s Day
Next Post: Confessions of a Homesick Heart studying abroad»

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

79

Top 10 Colleges With the Most Fashionable Students

Broadway
26

10 Musical Soundtracks to Make Study Sessions That Much Easier

how to use linkedin
14

7 Ways You Can Use LinkedIn to Score Your Dream Job

8

A Dummies Guide to FAFSA and Financial Aid in College

4

Top 10 Things To Keep in Mind When Asking for a Reference Letter

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.