Let's talk about sex, babies

Author: Veracity Butcher

Getting off is something we all enjoy differently. Depending on our preferences, we engage in oral, vaginal, anal, monogamous, self-satisfying, random, gleeful, gender-bending, memorable, fleeting and surprising sex. Human beings are unique from most animals in their lust for sex. Sex, to us, is not just for babies. Birth control has been around for centuries; Ancient Egyptians experimented with it, and rewashable sheep skins and linen clothes were used before latex condoms hit the market. And then there's the pill, the patch or the ring. Now we just have too many choices to even fully realize what we actually crave.

The clitoris is the only organ on the human body that has evolved solely for pleasure. Over the course of history, man has developed quite a large member/body ratio in proportion to his animal counterparts. Our bodies aren't just built for reproduction, we're built for good sex. Orgasming is an ethereal, muscle-snatching experience that we desire. Perhaps we should pursue it more often.

What gets you really excited? Chances are, if you're a male, you're more stimulated by images than most women. Pornography can be appealing to women too, but since most pornos are made for a male audience, women just aren't as into it. Personally, I don't mind watching sex on screen if the porn star has natural breasts, and if the story is good, as in the film Short Bus. Women, however, tend to get more turned on by emotion or imagination. In fact, the chances of women being able to orgasm solely through fantasizing is higher than in men. Guys may think about sex all the time, but they don't get off just by thinking. Unless they are really concentrating.

Women are often perceived as more sentimental, and men as more action-oriented. It's a gross generalization, but its interesting to keep in mind throughout your sexual education. Different levels of emotional attachment are more sexy to different people and that may have something to do with our evolutionary programming. New research indicates that when a hetero man sees a hot woman in a bikini, he uses parts of his brain associated with handling tools and the intention to perform actions. Women, interestingly, aren't particularly turned on by a naked man unless he's hard: his readiness for sex is what we find sexy. Straight girls can totally be excited by a naked woman if she is in a sexual pose. It's possible that females and males are equally as interested in sex as an "act," but what that act really entails, emotionally and physically, varies according to our personal desires.

It's all fine and well to ponder what we are as sexual beings. It's necessary to understand sex as a complex act that manifests itself in countless ways. And while considering the possibilities can make for some racy discussions, what I'm concerned with is not just what Middlebury College students are saying, but what they're doing. In bed. "My walls are really thin, or I'd think no one ever hooked up," says a sexually frustrated junior. "Middlebury needs a forum to date and reach out to each other besides the Bunker or Midd Confessional. We don't overlap much or communicate across social groups." I'm sure that over the weekend, a few of us stumbled home with a stranger (or a friend) and made the "walk of shame" in the icy bright morning. Let's not kid ourselves anymore. Acknowledge yourself as human - armed with both instinct and logic. We all want to cum, so let's pursue pleasure with perspective on what actually pleases us.