Sexual myths have prevailed throughout human civilization, often propagated by misinformation, societal taboos, or lack of comprehensive sexual education. These misconceptions can lead to confusion, anxiety, and potentially harmful behaviors or attitudes. Lets look at Our List of Sexual Misconceptions.
List of Sexual Misconceptions
1. Myth: Real-life sex is like pornography
Reality: Pornography is a form of entertainment and does not accurately portray real-life sexual experiences. In porn, actors are paid to perform exaggerated sexual acts to entertain viewers. Real-life sex involves communication, emotional connection, and mutual consent. It’s not always perfect and doesn’t always follow the script you see in porn.
2. Myth: Everyone is having sex
Reality: Despite societal pressures and media portrayal, not everyone is sexually active. Choosing to have sex is a personal decision and not about trying to fit into societal norms. It’s entirely okay to wait until you feel ready and comfortable with a trusted partner.
3. Myth: Contraception is the girl’s responsibility
Reality: Contraception is a shared responsibility. Both partners should be invested in preventing unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Using a condom, for example, is an effective method to protect against both pregnancy and STIs.
4. Myth: STI tests are only for promiscuous individuals
Reality: Anyone who is sexually active, regardless of how many partners they’ve had, can contract an STI. Regular testing is recommended, particularly when changing partners.
5. Myth: Certain positions or locations prevent pregnancy
Reality: Pregnancy is possible anytime sperm comes into contact with the vaginal area, regardless of sexual position or location. Myths such as not getting pregnant if you have sex standing up or in a bath are simply not true.
6. Myth: You can always tell if your partner has an STI
Reality: STIs can be asymptomatic, meaning they don’t show symptoms. The only way to know for sure if you or your partner has an STI is through testing.
7. Myth: You can’t use condoms if you’re allergic to latex
Reality: There are latex-free condoms available for those with allergies. Proper use of condoms is essential for safe sex.
8. Myth: Withdrawal method is an effective contraception
Reality: The withdrawal method, or ‘pulling out’ before ejaculation, is not a reliable form of contraception. Pre-ejaculatory fluid can contain sperm and result in pregnancy.
9. Myth: Alcohol or drugs have no impact on sex
Reality: Substance use can impact judgement and decision-making, leading to risky sexual behaviors. It can also impair the ability to give or perceive consent.
10. Myth: Emergency contraception is only effective the morning after sex
Reality: Emergency contraception can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, and some types can be taken up to five days after. It is most effective the sooner it is taken.
11. Myth: Sex burns major calories
Reality: While sex does burn calories, it’s not as significant as many believe. Regular exercise and a balanced diet are the keys to maintaining a healthy weight.
12. Myth: Men’s and women’s sexual peaks are at different ages
Reality: The concept of a “sexual peak” based on age is a myth. Sexual desire fluctuates throughout life, influenced by various factors including health, stress, and relationship status.
13. Myth: Sex can cause a heart attack
Reality: Regular sexual activity can actually promote cardiovascular health. The likelihood of having a heart attack during sex is extremely low.
14. Myth: Certain foods are aphrodisiacs
Reality: There is no scientific evidence that certain foods, like oysters or chocolate, can enhance sexual desire or performance.
15. Myth: Men think about sex every seven seconds
Reality: This myth is an exaggeration. While men may think about sex more often than women, it’s not nearly as frequent as every seven seconds.
16. Myth: Women always climax from penetrative sex
Reality: Many women require clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm. Penetrative sex alone does not always lead to orgasm for women.
17. Myth: Sex can affect sports performance
Reality: There’s no scientific evidence to support the belief that sex before a sporting event negatively impacts performance. In fact, it could potentially have a positive effect.
18. Myth: Having sex can induce labor in pregnant women
Reality: While sex near the end of pregnancy is safe for most women, it typically does not induce labor.
19. Myth: Women take longer to get aroused than men
Reality: The time it takes for men and women to reach peak arousal can be similar, depending on various factors.
20. Myth: Catastrophic events lead to a baby boom nine months later
Reality: Despite popular belief, data does not support the idea of a “blackout baby boom.” In times of societal uncertainty, birth rates may actually drop.
I Am A Sexual MythBuster
We all know that sexual education in schools is lacking, but occasionally you hear something so insane so lets cut to the chase an be Sexual MythBusters. Now that have a moment, I’ve heard so many of these that it makes my head spin every time there’s a new one. Now there is going to be a lot of people who roll their eyes and think “how could anyone believe this” but this blog isn’t for those people, this is for the people out there who were never taught the actual facts, or the curious youngsters who just want some clarification.
Either one is okay, this is a judgement free zone and we are, of course, educators to a degree at the end of the day, so here we go.
You Can’t Get Pregnant Standing Up:
There’s variations of this, such as in the water, on your first time, by pulling out, if you’re drinking, if you haven’t had a period yet… I’m here to tell you THESE ARE ALL MYTHS! There is a risk of pregnancy every time you have penis in vagina sex, there is a chance regardless, the pill isn’t 100% effective, neither are condoms, or the pull out method, or standing up, or boning in a spa. The only 100% effective method is abstinence, but there’s no fun in that for most, so please use a condom, and if you can a second method if you’re not ready for kids. This isn’t a fear tactic, just the honest truth, you need to take proper preventative measures.
Women Should Come From Penetration Alone:
Ah, the fantasy, we’d all love to just be able to have it chucked in and orgasm on the spot, wouldn’t we? However, this is so unrealistic it hurts. Say it with me everyone: FOREPLAY IS A KEY PART OF SEX. You need to prepare the body mentally and physically, foreplay isn’t something that should be skipped, a lot of people with vaginas don’t or can’t orgasm from penetration alone, this is where oral and sex toys come into play.
Go down on your partner, play with their clit while you have your penetrative sex, introduce some sex toys into the mix. There’s this idea among young men that vibrations and everything in that category is competition and you’re not an effective sexual partner if you need them… Think of sex toys as your pre-workout before the gym, you don’t necessarily need it, but god does it make your workout so much better.
Vaginas Loosen with A Lot of Sex:
Let’s think about this for a second, so a woman goes out to have sex with 1000 random men, suddenly she has the loosest vagina in the world, however, a separate woman is in a committed relationship and has sex with that one man 1000 times, but no one assumes her vagina is loose… It’s weird how that works, almost as if it’s just a misogynistic view created to keep women from embracing their sexuality. Plus, A VAGINA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DEATHLY TIGHT WHILE AROUSED, if it is, you’re not doing foreplay right, the vagina is a muscle that relaxes when aroused.
It’s funny though, because men are expected to have a lot of sex to gain respect, but women aren’t supposed to be having a lot of sex otherwise they’re whores… So, who are these men supposed to be having sex with? It’s just a fun little thing I like to think about from time to time.
You Can Have Sex and Just Roll Over and Go To Sleep:
While this isn’t completely a “myth” perse, you really shouldn’t if you are the owner of a vagina… There’s so much mess included in sexual activity, and so much moisture, you should be getting up to pee at the very least after sex, and in best case scenarios you should be cleaning up. The top two reasons?
The bacteria that’s going all about when you’re having your little encounter can get moved to the urethra and cause a UTI, getting up to pee after sex flushes out this bacteria for the most part and greatly decreases your chances of having one. While the natural moisture, lubrication, and semen (if you’re going unprotected) can really throw off your pH balance which allows the bad bacteria that is always present in the vagina to overthrow the good and lead you to having thrush, which is so irritating it’s insane. You can roll over to go straight to sleep, but your body will more than likely punish you for it.
Sexual MythBusters
Now it’s understandable to see why these would be believed by a large amount of the population, until there is some decent change to the sexual health education in schools all that young people have to go off is the internet, their peers, and their parents… Which isn’t always the best thing, there are adult who are still blissfully stuck in the old ways and will pass those down, there are kids who heard this and that from their older siblings, and there’s misinformation all over the internet unless you look hard. All we can do is try to educate one blog at a time.
Article Contributed by Joshua from Sex Toys Australia.