If that title didn't catch your attention, the GIF probably did. Don't lie.
Despite how far we've come in being able to talk about sexuality, intercourse, and everything in-between, there's still a stigma behind certain concepts involving our most primal instinct. For example, what do you think about threesomes? How about swingers? Or open relationships? Many of us feel uncomfortable even thinking about more complex sexual experiences, which shows how much more work we need to do in educating people on all kinds of different sex related matters.
I'm going to focus on something that affects college students more than anyone else, and definitely more than we would like to admit. Let's take a stroll down causal sex lane. (That sounded better in my head.)
Casual sex is having sexual relations with another person (or more than one, no judgment here) without the expectation or plan to pursue a committed relationship. Maybe you met the person that same day, and will never see them again. Or maybe it's been established that you and X amount of individuals will be sexual partners (friends/acquaintances with benefits, anyone?). There is a variety of different paths to take in casual sex, but the expectations are relatively the same. Sex with no romantic strings attached.
Heading off to college is an exciting, terrifying time in a young adult's life. Many of us enter college knowing few to no people. As scary as it is, it gives us a chance to meet brand new people. And the bigger the campus, the more potential to make lots of new friends. Not only that, but college, for many, is a chance to be reckless. We're finally on our own, away from our families. This is the time to try new things! And new people?
Being tied down can be stressful to a young person. I am in no way at all trying to put down those of you in strong and committed relationships. Kudos to all of you. But for a portion of us, we want the chance to branch out and discover what we like and what we don't. This includes the kind of people we surround ourselves with, the kind of work we like to do, and, of course, the kinds of sex we like to have with different kinds of people. It's freeing, really. This is our time. So why are we constantly being scrutinized for it?
You're not trashy if you're into casual sex. You're not prudish if you're not into casual sex. Sex and everything related to it is personal. You have every right to choose what you want to do and what you don't. Sex is a sensitive topic, making it easy to let yourself believe anything negative others tell you. The only person you need to worry about is yourself. Decide what you like and what you don't in ways that make you comfortable. Don't force yourself into something you may not like, and definitely don't try and push your own beliefs on others.
As long as you're being safe about whatever you choose to do (CONTRACEPTION) or choose not to do, you're not hurting anyone. Be safe, be smart, and be someone you'll be happy with when you wake up the next morning.
OK, scratch that last one. We all make mistakes. It's called experience for a reason, right? Do with it as you please.
