Smart Is Sexy

When I was in fifth grade, I had my first sex ed class. It was part of our science curriculum, so the woman who had, for the passed few months, been talking about gravity and the animal kingdom was suddenly using words like 'penis' and 'intercourse.' Needless to say, there was a lot of giggling. Even so, my middle school was fairly good about sex ed. We touched on the subject every year or so, with basic scientific and emotional information. Since it was a Quaker school, things were fairly liberal, so our book actually covered issues like HIV, checking yourself for breast cancer, and masturbation. At one point in seventh grade, all the girls in my class got to hang out in the science room with our female teacher and talk about body image concerns and menstruation. It was actually kind of nice and mature.

But not everyone gets that, especially now that we're older and getting tons of sexualized images from society. What's normal? What's going on? What's risky? What are other people doing.

Enter Sex Appeal.

It's a new website for discussion/education/fun articles about sexual health:

"Sex Appeal is a site for people in their 20s to learn, discuss, and share sexual health information. Our mission is to promote sexual communication and understanding through education and open dialogue.

Sex doesn’t have to be serious but sexual health does."

In our 20s, it's good to have an outlet to learn and discuss these issues--from gynecologist appointments to the redefinition of sex to sex in the political sphere. Of course, alongside less serious issues like condom ringtones and how to maneuver relationships in a more sexualized era. Check out Sex Appeal for both the serious and the humorous. It'll be updated regularly.

Plus, founder/managing editor Julia is pretty up-to-date about sexual health issues. She's taught HIV/AIDS education in Malawi and India, conducted sexual health communication research in South Africa, and works for the Boston University School of Public Health. She's got the answers to your questions!

I'll be blogging there regularly as well. Make sure to check it out!