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Are you tired of ‘sex’ being a hush-hush topic? Are you sick of stigma surrounding ‘sex’ and ‘sexual health’? Do you want to debunk the misconceptions that follow the topic? Let’s have some serious myth-busting!
When I say this, most of us can agree that basic understanding of sex and reproduction, during our teenage years came from random mixture of vague conversations with friends at school, and movie scenes. As an outcome of society’s lack of vocal advocacy around sex education, many people have paid steep price in terms of unexpected pregnancies, relational stress, STI’s and sexual hygiene. Much of what is known about sex has actually become a collection of half-truths and myths which have clouded the minds of people especially affecting adolescents as they are more prone to have sex in a misguided and misinformed way. It’s a high time, we tackle misconceptions and debunk myths around sexual health and open lines of communication.
Growing up in India, as a woman, we are often taught to view our bodies and desires with a sense of shame, and have believed that our virtue is tied to our chastity, and lies between our legs. Masturbating among women is considered shameful and looked down upon, which is completely baseless as self-pleasure is a healthy practice that can be performed by both males and females as it is a means to explore our body, sexual likes and dislikes and experience orgasm. It is completely natural for women to masturbate and in any manner, it does not affect their performance while having sex.
While your partner may convince you to ditch condoms in the name of experiencing more pleasure, it shouldn’t be avoided. Condoms are not only the most effective form of birth control out there, rather provides the best protection against sexually transmitted diseases. STI can be transmitted through any form of sex, be it vaginal, anal or oral, therefore one must undertake required precautions while engaging in any kind of sexual activity.
Another misconception that needs to be cleared out is, that there are equal chances of women getting pregnant, even if a man pulls out before ejaculation. Pre-cum is a lubricant produced by male glands, so a man doesn’t necessarily need to ejaculate for the sperms to travel in vagina, rather they can travel via pre-cum as well.
Many people are still unaware of maintaining hygiene before, during and after sexual activity, which is the direct consequence of misconceptions around sexual health and impacts the overall health of the person.
It is usually recommended to urinate after having sexual intercourse as it flushes out the bacteria that gets into your urethra and reduces the risk of infections like UTI’s.
There is absolutely no need to freak out or feel ashamed about your pubic hair as they are there to serve a purpose and provide cushion against friction. They are fine just the way they are and women don’t necessarily need to undergo violent hair-removal methods like waxing as it might lead to skin-irritation and rashes.
There’s a ton of unnecessary policing around women's genitals especially our vajayjay, which are not only factually wrong, rather downright sexist. Most common of them being if indulge in too much sex, it will make our vagina ‘loose’. Our vaginal walls are made of highly elasticated muscle, and no penis, toy, hand or even a baby can stretch it permanently. It is true that our vagina loses a little tightness post-delivery, but after a few weeks it returns to its original form.
With the changing scenario in society, many women are becoming vocal about sex, sexual health and female body. Social media platforms are being used as an invaluable tool to de-stigmatise and encourage women to come forward and talk openly about it.
(The author is Simran Balar Jain, Content Creator)
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of India TV)
