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Casual sex is one of those things that, so far as we know from the study of people and sex in history, people have always done. Given that for most of human history, basic survival was seriously tough, people’s lives and interactions often were more brief than either are now, and many people or…

The charts below are excerpts from the far larger, ongoing Multigenerational Experiences With and Attitudes About Casual Sex Survey I have been collecting responses to since 2010. The data below reflects responses given as of 6/8/2014. It is a broad, international survey, with the age of respondents…

What is it? Why would – or wouldn’t – you want it? What makes it more likely to be a blast or a bummer?

Unchained’s question continued: Around the beginning of this year, I was walking to the bus stop after college and when I was waiting for the traffic lights to give me pass for some odd reason I remembered the article about asexuality I had read on the newspaper’s magazine… and then I remembered…

Healthy intimacy is about intentionally sharing private or vulnerable parts of our hearts, minds, bodies or lives with each other. Why would we do that, how can we do that, and what is and isn’t healthy with intimacy?

To start off with, I can assure you that you’re not the first person to be in this situation. So you don’t have to feel as though you’re the only straight person traveling in queer circles who’s ever felt uncomfortable with the way straightness is discussed. And believe me when I say the advice I’m…

In the throes of first love? Did your first love just break up with you, or are you terrified they will? This is your article. Whatever your circumstances with your first love, let’s process some of this stuff together.

When it comes to sex, women are often portrayed as nothing but warm vessels there to validate male partners’ egos. The widespread cultural acceptance of a woman pursuing pleasure for her own sake is a relatively new one (at least in West’s modern history), and we’ve still got a long way to go. It’s no small wonder that many women have a difficult time asking for what they want in general, let alone when it comes to sex.

Sexual shame hinders women in far too many ways. It’s a difficult beast to tackle, as it assumes so many nuanced, subtle forms in our daily lives. To be sure, some forms of sexual shame are blatant, but many of them are so deeply engrained that we scarcely even notice them. By making ourselves aware of the different ways we’re made to feel ashamed, however, we can begin to overcome them.

Contrary to a common public opinion, there’s no right or wrong way to have sex. Bad sex – and what that even is varies from person to person – definitely happens, but usually only when there’s little to no communication, and one party isn’t attuned to the other’s needs. (I am speaking of consensual sex that’s just a stinker here, not about sexual assault.) Every person’s preferences are unique. An act or gesture that drives one person absolutely wild might fall flat for another. You might think, “Wow, my ex really loved it when I did this one certain thing, but my new partner barely responds to it at all.” This is just the nature of sex.

Women get a whole lot of messages about body hair. So how do we figure out what you want in terms of shaving and other personal grooming?

Being that we are, y’know, human women’s bodies are not pristine. When we have sex, all of our bodies’ small idiosyncrasies, quirks, and so-called “flaws” are on display. This is to be expected – our bodies’ natural functions are an inevitable part of life. Real-life sex often involves a lot of these functions in many different ways. These functions involve all manner of smells, sights, sounds, goops, juices, and fluids. Living in fear of these realities won’t do you any good; it helps to not only to coexist with them, but to embrace them as part of your awesome self.

I’m just going to lay it down for you: sex will not be great unless you’re mentally and emotionally prepared. But “prepared” means something different for everyone. For one person, it might mean a solid, committed relationship. For another, it might mean having overcome some body image problems. And for yet another, you might just genuinely feel ready right out of the gate. We all require different things in order to be truly prepared to have sex for the first time. Some of us might require a lot, and some might require almost nothing. Sex might have a lot of emotional or moral meaning for one person, but for another, it might have no such weight behind it at all.

I saw a young woman the other day who was in her late teens. I had a moment of admiring how strong her legs looked, how able her shoulders; where she had curves and where she didn’t, how kind of mixed-up and funky some of her coloring and parts were, a study in contrasts. It was a moment of…

Well, hello there! :) If you are reading this page, it is probably because you asked a question about a pregnancy scare in one of our direct services, where we easily determined from the information you gave us that you did NOT have a realistic risk, and we answered it with this link. This link is…

An article about choosing methods and trusting methods

Many women and girls feel insecure about sex, especially when it’s new. How can we build some sexual confidence?

It is absolutely okay to watch Crazy, Stupid Love (which is actually mostly about men in the first place!) or any other “chick flick” or romantic comedy that catches your eye or interest. Some types of movies are marketed more towards men or women, but that doesn’t mean people of other genders can’t…

Have you been forgoing time with friends to hang out with your significant other, or vice versa? Either way, read on for help in dealing with this sticky predicament.

At Scarleteen, we’re all about making choices. But sometimes, we see users making choices that are, ultimately, the opposite of the self-care the need in that moment.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been pitching in with our current fundraising drive. We’re getting awfully close to our goal – to the minimum we need to raise to avoid any shutdowns – and we could not be more appreciative and excited. Thank you! During the last couple months, we’ve had quite a…

If you live in abuse, or the person in your life who is abusive checks your phone or computer, be sure after you read pages like these to clear your history. It’s safest for you that anyone abusing you does not know you are reading up on abuse or planning to leave. To click out of this page to…

If you live in abuse, or the person in your life who is abusive checks your phone or computer, be sure after you read pages like these to clear your history. It’s safest for you that anyone abusing you does not know you are reading up on abuse or planning to leave. To click out of this page to…

If you’re in an abusive relationship, to make abuse stop you’ve got to get away and stay away. Here’s help to do that safely, and to be as safe as you can before leaving.