Ten silly sex myths we have heard

Ten silly sex myths we have heard

Our educators and decision-makers seem to believe that teaching children and young adults the realities of sex will result in a widespread moral degradation so sex education in schools is pretty much non-existent. This coupled with other dubious sources of information like peers, porn and films has created a bunch of myths about sex. Here we try to bust some of the most common myths about sex: 

Myth: Anal sex and oral sex are 'safe'

That depends on your definition of safe. While oral and anal sex cannot cause pregnancies (a doubt some readers still have) it can still lead to the transmission of STDs. The risk is particularly high in anal sex and you should always use a condom for it. (Read: )

Myth: Pressing, sucking or fondling a woman's breast will make them bigger

If it was that easy then there would be no need for expensive breast enlargement surgeries. When breasts are fondled, blood flows to them and they are momentarily perkier and bigger. This is a temporary state of affairs and the size of the breast decreases normally when the woman isn't aroused. (Read: )

Myth: Masturbation can lead to blindness, hair on the back of the arm, infertility and a host of other conditions

This has been there since time immemorial. Masturbation can NOT make you weak, it can't make you glow blind, it won't cause hair growth in unwanted places, it won't make you lose hair, it won't make you thin, it won't make your erections weaker and you certainly won't run out of semen or sperm if you masturbate. All the myths about masturbation have come to be because of society's views that everything to do with sexuality including masturbation was a 'bad' thing.  (Read: )

Myth: You can get pregnant by kissing

A myth which does the rounds in the schools thanks to the fact that our politicians have decided sex education is immoral and against our Indian values. It's impossible to get pregnant via kissing. 

Myth: Intercourse should last for hours

Thanks to porn, most young men get disheartened when they don't last beyond 3-4 minutes. That's the worldwide average. We often forget that porn is fabricated, men aren't supposed to last for hours!  (Read: )

Myth: You can have unprotected sex on safe days and not get pregnant

It's incredibly hard to figure out the safe days for sex. Technically speaking, the safe days are Day 1-7 of the period and Day 19 to the start of the next cycle. Like we mentioned, it's incredibly hard to figure out and also we need to remember that many women have irregular periods. Just use a damn condom! (Read: )

Myth: It's easy to tell if a woman's a virgin

Another of our social myths, we believe that unless a woman bleeds during sex i.e. hymen breaks she isn't a virgin! The hymen can break anytime during her childhood through vigorous activities like cycling or even due to female masturbation. An intact hymen is not a sign of virginity! Sadly, society still doesn't seem to believe it and they actually have hymen reconstructive surgery! (Read:)

Myth: Homosexuality is a disease

In 1973, homosexuality was removed from the list of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association. Why people are gay is still not clear but they just are. It's not a disease or a condition; it's just like being Bengali or Tamil. You're just born gay. It's not a mental illness and there's no choice in the matter.

Myth: Women must orgasm through vaginal sex

Most women do not have orgasms from vaginal intercourse alone and require clitoral stimulation. In fact, there are a variety of different erogenous zones that can cause orgasms – breasts, legs, back, calves, etc. Some even have orgasms through digital penetration of the vagina but don't have it during regular sex.

Only vagina penetration counts as sex

When Bill Clinton was embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, he had claimed that he was 'not having sex'. Investigations revealed that while their encounters involved a variety of sexually-charged encounters including fellatio, there was no vaginal intercourse. This is an example of how modern society only equates vaginal intercourse with sex. This has hampered society in general and plays a major role in meting out justice for sexual assault. Punishment is often based on penile penetration and other acts are considered less severe. We have to realise that everything falls under the ambit of sex, from kissing to penetration. In fact, the proper scientific term for all non-intercourse sexual activities is outercourse. (Read: )

We hope we've cleared some of the sex doubts you've been harbouring since childhood. Do write to us if you have any more queries.