Hi! I'm a bi woman about to enter my junior year in college. I didn't have my first kiss until I was nineteen and a freshman, but since then I've gone on to lose my virginity and have had a few sexual partners as well. When I was younger and unkissed, I was fairly anxious about not living up to cultural standards about "normal sexual timelines" or whatever, but since then, I've come to realize that everyone moves at their own pace, and that's perfectly fine. (In fact, waiting until college was probably better for me in the long run since I wasn't super assertive for most of high school, but that's a whole 'nother story.)
Trouble is, I have quite a few friends who are in the same/a similar boat that I was in a couple years ago—they haven't been kissed/gone on a date/had sex/whatever—point is, they feel inadequate, like they "haven't done enough" for the stage of life they're in, and nothing I or anyone else says seems to change their minds. And I totally get it—I mean, I was fairly "late" culturally speaking and I felt kind of bad about it at the time too, but it really is just societal pressure and there IS no timeline for when you "have" to do certain things, 'cause everyone's different. I know ultimately it's their choice to feel how they're going to feel, but does anyone have suggestions for things I could say/do around my friends that might help to show them there's nothing wrong with being a "late bloomer" sexually? Thanks!
(also unrelated, but I've been lurking on this site for about a year now before finally making an account, so I'll say what I've wanted to say for awhile: @ everyone here, especially Heather and all the volunteers/staff members—THANK YOU for your posts; they've helped me with literally so many things related to sex/etc. over the past few months. I truly don't know what I'd have done without you guys.)