One of life’s most significant relationships is often overlooked: your relationship with yourself. “Somebody’s relationship with themselves is incredibly nuanced,” says Lucy (she/her), 14, of Portland, OR. “I’ve always found it hard to…
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Most sex scenes in movies and TV shows begin with two people quickly removing each other’s clothing. But do you know about the human sexual response cycle? And that it starts way before any clothes come off? The sexual response […]
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After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, anti-choice politicians rushed to implement laws restricting abortion access for millions of people. Many states have set tight limits or banned access to safe and legal abortions altogether.…
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When I first got my period, I was worried about having an irregular cycle and not being able to predict when it came. Immediately, I downloaded the most popular period tracking apps, hoping I could rely on them to alert […]
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Growing up, abortion access was never something I worried about. But on May 2nd, 2022, a Supreme Court draft detailing the overturning of Roe v. Wade was leaked. I was a high school junior sitting in English class when I […]
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“Dude, you really need to go to the gym. You look like a twig!” “That bulk’s lasted for the last 15 years, man, when are you gonna cut?” “With the way you’re looking right now, nobody’s gonna wanna date you…” […]
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For nearly 50 years, the Roe v. Wade decision upheld the U.S. constitutional right to choose an abortion, allowing pregnant people to have agency over a life-changing decision. The Supreme Court reversal in June 2022, however, spells out a dangerous…
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Reproductive issues are all around us. For instance, there are frequent headlines about the future of access to a safe and legal abortion in the U.S. and ongoing battles about what we can learn (or not learn) in a sex […]
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In my fourth grade science class, two boys pointed at the hair on my upper lip, making fun of my “mustache.” They called over all their friends to stare and laugh at my face. I felt so embarrassed. The second […]
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Roughly half of the world’s population menstruates during their lives. Unlike in years past, it’s exciting to have more options when it comes to period products because everyone has different needs and preferences. We all deserve a variety of choices,…
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I’ll admit I didn’t really know what sensuality was until this year. Not once did I learn about it in my sex education classes. Sensuality relates to pleasure and deriving enjoyment from one’s own body or the bodies of others. […]
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My first period came at a very inconvenient time. It was the week of my final jazz band concert, so we were rehearsing 24/7. I remember how uncomfortable I felt asking my band teacher every three hours to go to […]
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(Photo credit: “Body Positive (front)” by Kit Stubbs is licensed under CC BY 2.0) Body image is a person’s view or perception of their bodies and the thoughts and feelings that perception provokes. These feelings can be positive or…
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We were talking about periods in class. A girl mentioned she once had gotten her period and didn’t have any supplies on her. She had to wait until she could get to the Student Union, where they have free menstrual […]
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Charlotte Silverman is a 19-year-old student at Brown University and co-founder of a nonprofit organization called The Pad Project. The group, whose motto is “a period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education,” works to increase global access…
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We were midway through water polo practice, coming off of a grueling swim set and transitioning to ball work. The coach signaled us over and began explaining our next drill. I pushed myself out of the pool. Standing among my […]
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Nadya Okamoto is a 20-year-old junior at Harvard University. She is the Founder and Executive Director of PERIOD (period.org), one of the fastest growing, youth-run women’s health nonprofit organizations in the United States. Since she co-founded…
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Sex, Etc. has provided teens honest and inclusive sexual health information since it started in 1994. Our readers represent all sorts of backgrounds and identities, and for some, it might be the only place they can see themselves reflected and […]
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Hallie, 19, of Washington, D.C., felt like a late bloomer when she got her first period later than most of her friends. “It was weird to have friends that were experiencing all these things that I had yet to experience […]
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What’s happening to me?! Many teens find themselves asking this throughout puberty. Changes in our bodies can be confusing and sometimes even a little scary. It’s important to understand which changes are normal, but it’s hard to know what’s…
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Let’s talk about yeast infections. I’d never educated myself about them and, to be honest, never planned to. I figured that you got them from sex because you didn’t pee after. I read that on some online forum. However, I […]
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Contrary to what some may believe, girls masturbate. Masturbation—touching your own body, especially your genitals, for pleasure—is a completely normal form of self-care. It relieves stress and is highly pleasurable. Sometimes, people don’t…
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I’ll never forget the day when I almost peed my pants in a hospital lobby. After a technician tried and failed to perform a successful ultrasound, she ordered me to fill my bladder with 12 Dixie Cups of water and […]
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I remember watching my mom primp before she would go out. As a little kid, I thought all girls grew up to wear the same type of makeup as my mom. I just thought that’s what I was supposed to […]
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I spent my senior year of high school creating a class that connected the history of feminism to modern women’s rights issues. I learned about the real-life consequences of stigma around women’s health. It was enraging and heartbreaking to learn…
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Have you ever wondered where the clitoris is? Or if the G-spot really exists? What is the deal with female anatomy and pleasure? Answers to these questions are not always straightforward. Hopefully some of the facts I am about to […]
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Bryony Farmer, who lives in the United Kingdom, is the Founder and Director of Precious Stars, an online business that carries reusable and eco-friendly menstrual products. At only 19 years old, Bryony leads her own company, advocates for sustainable…
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Puberty can be rough—really rough. Hormones roller-coast through your body, hair grows in places it wasn’t growing before, and then there are periods, acne, body odor, growth spurts or waiting for growth spurts that never happen. As we ride the…
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When I first got my period, I had no clue what a “normal” period was. Now I know that a typical menstrual cycle is 21-35 days, with a period lasting between two and seven days. However, irregular periods are incredibly […]
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I’ve been going to private school for 11 years. That’s 11 years of mandatory religion classes, 11 years of tuition and 11 years of a regulated and strict dress code. Not following the dress rules has led to serious repercussions […]
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Twelve months a year, three to five days a month, with four tampons a day—the thought of all the plastic, paper and cotton I used and quickly…
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Of my many DIY fails, my botched attempt at dying my armpit hair for prom was one of the funniest. Standing in my friend’s bathroom, blue hair dye smeared all over, I discovered the coarse tufts under my arms were […]
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