I have a confession to make: I’m not attracted to short men. I know, I know, for someone who preaches equality and encourages people to embrace differences because we are all beautiful in our own way, I have some explaining to do. So, let me explain.
I can’t remember being particularly sad about my birthday since I was a young girl. In a classic tale of childhood woe, hardly anyone showed up to one of my birthday parties and it was like the world had ended. It was at an indoor fun park with a ball pit, but even that couldn’t entice the cool kids to come. In the spirit of naivety and untarnished optimism, I was very sad very briefly, then brushed it off and had fun with the few who did show up – though it marked the beginning of my indifference.
As someone in their mid-twenties who values style, but is also determined to reduce their impact as much as possible, incorporating ethics into my wardrobe has been challenging to say the least. Since breaking free from my awkward emo phase almost a decade ago, I have slowly but surely developed my personal style. Honestly, it’s still a work in progress.
In the first part of this series, we looked at the history and some of the major failings of sexuality education. Now I want to highlight what works, and in which direction society should be heading to better global sexual health.
A standardised, national sex education curriculum is a rare beast indeed, and therein lies the root of the problem. Adolescents the world over would greatly benefit from accurate and reliable information, no matter where or who they are, and we simply aren’t stepping up to provide what should frankly be the bare minimum. Read on to learn why comprehensive sex education is the way to go.
Continue reading “Why Comprehensive Sex Education Is the Way to Go” →
Sexuality education is one of my biggest passions. Friends at school would often come to me for advice, as the “wise” and “experienced” one of the group. I remember being surprised at how much misinformation was out there among my peers, and soon realised it was due to a few key things – their parents and other adults weren’t forthcoming with information; they learned almost everything from other kids (who had no idea) and from the internet (read: porn), and the sex education classes at school were abysmal. All I can remember of sex ed was being shuffled into the library with all the girls in my year, a diagram of the female reproductive system shown briefly by a highly embarrassed woman we’d never seen before who rushed through the basics, slapped a condom on a banana, then rushed out the door before we had the chance to take it all in. Enter the unfortunate reality of sex education.
Continue reading “The Unfortunate Reality of Sex Education” →
Love is a dance. Hearts come together briefly, then are whisked away by another – another person, another place, another intention. Perhaps you’re lucky enough to dance with someone for a long time, moving through the routine in a steady partnership. Maybe you find your dance card being handed around to one suitor after the next, and there is surely a thrill in that, but also a particular kind of loneliness.
Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose – The Vegan Society
Five years ago, I went vegan overnight. Often people transition in stages, first cutting out meat and fish, then dairy and eggs, eventually honey and everything else. But that’s not how I work. Once I have decided on something, I do it all the way and then some. My self-control surprises even me, sometimes.
Sexuality has never been a big deal for me. Growing up, my mum dated women and men at different times, and I understood from a young age that sexuality is fluid. I have always identified with pansexual (attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity) because I’m attracted to a person for who they are and how they make me feel – full stop. But I only went on my first date with a woman at the ripe old age of 25.
Online dating isn’t for everyone. You have to be able to handle undue criticism and random inappropriate outbursts from people you’ve never met. You must be willing to rattle off your life story and answer the same questions over and over again with a smile on your face. You should learn to spot the red flags early on, leaving those rose-coloured glasses buried at the bottom of your bag lest they all just look like regular quirks instead of signs that you should run very far, very fast. If you do dabble in dating apps, you will know firsthand how important opening messages are. So, what are online dating first message do’s and don’ts? Let’s dive into my inbox and find out.
Continue reading “Online Dating Opening Message Do’s and Don’ts” →
“A reasonable relaxation of moralistic social codes making sexual satisfaction more easily available would also make it less problematic.”
Sex at Dawn (2010) by Cacilda Jethá and Christopher Ryan.
I have always been a questioner. Growing up in a very non-traditional family set my curiosity antenna on high alert from the get go. While my friends’ nuclear family settings held some small appeal to a very young me, every year more and more parents were divorcing, tearing families apart. Meanwhile, my mother was a constant. Her partners came and went, and I formed strong bonds with each of them. I would even go so far as to tack their surnames onto mine while mum was with them, and think of them as secondary parents. I am happy to say that I count several of them among my close friends and role models in adulthood.
is♡bella w♡lfe