Everybody’s talking about it. Some people are doing it. Some people aren’t doing it. Some people wish they were doing more of it. Some people have never done it. Some people save it for marriage. Some people save it for the third date. Some people are good at it. Some people are bad at it.
But everybody’s talking about sex. Men are talking about it on the Drill Field between high fives. Women are whispering about it in corners of the library, in conversation punctuated by alternating gasps and giggles. Professors discuss it in the classroom, in terms of everything from psychology to Jane Austen.
Sex and relationships, while they may not consistently coincide, provide for a substantial portion of the college experience. It’s time to explore what Mississippi State students are saying, thinking and doing.
The “sexification” of our culture isn’t news by any means. Every generation has its sex symbols. My mom had Farrah Fawcett and Bo Derek. I spent countless hours of my childhood rolling up my Catholic school uniform skirt in emulation of Britney Spears and wondering what Christina Aguilera meant when she crooned, “I’m a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub me the right way.”
Young people today are inundated with sexuality from the time they’re old enough to boot up a computer or turn on a television. Whether they’re watching a mostly-naked Lady Gaga sing about “disco sticks” or reading about the sparkling seduction of vampires in the Twilight series, kids know what sex is.
By the time I was old enough to drive, I knew more about sex than I knew about algebra. I can list more sexual euphemisms than U.S. presidents, and I’m not afraid to talk about it.
So what’s the big deal? Many people are still uncomfortable talking about sex. Just last week, I was reprimanded by a friend for discussing sex too much. I became quiet, feeling belittled and awkward. However, then I got to thinking, “Screw you, friend. I love to talk about sex.”
People are having sex in Starkville. While I have yet to conduct any actual research on the matter, I would suggest MSU students discuss their interpersonal interactions more often then they discuss football, their grades or upcoming visiting lecturers.
A student newspaper should reflect the interests of the student body. Sex columns in student newspapers are on the rise in the past decade. They can provide accurate depictions of sex and relationships among the student body, as they are told from within the trenches of collegiate life.
Our culture creates a strange hypocrisy by saturating our media with sex while simultaneously attempting to guilt us for giving into it. In the conservative state of Mississippi, sex is still considered somewhat “taboo.” Much to my chagrin, Mississippi is still seemingly inclined to pretend young people aren’t having sex.
In fact, the state of Mississippi just recently passed its first mandate requiring schools to offer some sort of sex education. The bill requires schools to submit a sexual education curriculum to the Board of Education. However, the state also requires that the programs emphasize abstinence-only education.
With an entire state of educators ignoring the facts about birth control and safe sex, it’s no surprise Mississippi consistently remains among the top tiers of teen pregnancy rates nationwide.
Some argue discussing sex, especially in a public forum such as a classroom or a student newspaper, will only promote promiscuity. However, statistics exist to verify ignoring the subject all together might prove more dangerous for young people.
It isn’t just about sex. It’s about love, relationships and everything those entail. Everybody’s talking about it, and I want to broadcast that tête-à-tête. This isn’t just a column — it’s a conversation.
There are a lot of questions to be answered and discussed. I want to know what my fellow MSU students are saying and thinking when it comes to sex and relationships. Do the two still rely on each other, or have we moved beyond monogamy as a generation? Do people still “date?” How have social networks affected our love lives? Who’s doing it, and who isn’t?
I don’t want to offend, but I can’t sacrifice valuable subject material for the sake of political correctness. I’ll put my social and journalistic reputation on the line for this. I’m willing and ready.
Here begins the discussion on all things relevant — love, relationships, quickies, hook-ups, abstinence, heartbreak, protection, infatuation and sex. Let the research begin.
Rachel Perkins is a senior majoring in English. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.