The Bowdoin Orient

Sexual pleasure for men is considered to be less of a mystery than pleasure for women. Part of this might be because the part of male anatomy considered to be "most central" to sex, the penis, is pretty obvious. It might also be because men are assumed to start masturbating at a young age and are therefore considered orgasm experts by the time they might want to start teaching other people how they work. In reality, however, there is more to male sexual pleasure than the penis. Putting aside fantasies, preferences and emotions and focusing solely on anatomy, there are men who experience pleasure in their ears, nipples, fingers, inner thighs, balls and anus, to name a few locales. This doesn't mean that the penis isn't important, because it often is, but it does mean that the concept of foreplay can be just as enjoyable and important for him as it is considered to be for your average woman.

When it comes to talking about sex, people often feel comfortable staying quiet. We accept sex as a taboo subject and keep our own sexual realities and experiences to ourselves. We have questions that we never ask. Though this might have been the norm in American society for some time, our culture is heading in a direction that requires us to reassess our perceptions on how we discuss sex.

As many of you I hope know, March is Women's History Month. It is the month when we remember women from all walks of life who have contributed to most every aspect of human existence. It is a month designed to spark solidarity between women in recognizing that, though there has been much progress in terms of women's rights, we still have some way to go. In honor of Women's History Month, I am dedicating this week's sex article to the fascinating anatomy associated with the "fairer sex." This is because, in reading about all those kick-ass women who excelled in their fields and challenged society and the status quo, I am inspired by the fact that I too have a vagina. Even if I never accomplish anything noteworthy with my life, I'll be able to hang onto the fact that I have one thing in common with Marie Curie and Michelle Obama.

As I hope most of you know, Bowdoin is putting on the "Vagina Monologues" this week. This is my first year being in the "Vagina Monologues" and it's been a great experience. I've been hanging out with some amazing women, perfecting my old woman accent and, probably most importantly, thinking a lot about vaginas.

This time of year, we should all be aware of SAD. I am not only referring to seasonal affective disorder, but also to the rapidly approaching Singles Awareness Day, which "coincidentally" falls on February 14. We are now a week into February, the month when single people become acutely aware, and in some cases defensive, of the fact that we've been cuddling up to our body pillows for the past couple of days, weeks, months, or years. Usually we love our body pillows, but sending your body pillow chocolate for Valentine's Day is generally counterproductive because you wind up eating them all yourself and then feeling lonely and sick.

This week, along with most Americans, I have politics on the brain. It's a big week for America, and the ushering in of a new president got me thinking about our previous ones. Barack Obama is joining an interesting collection of men by taking office. I didn't actually realize how interesting our presidents were, however, until I started doing a little research into presidential sex scandals. We all remember Bill Clinton's infamous fiasco, but he's just one in a long series of presidents who dealt with public concern and speculation regarding their sex lives. Sex scandals endure the test of time, reach across party lines and affect popular and unpopular presidents alike. I am simultaneously a bit disappointed and quite proud to say that sex scandals seem to be one of the most dependable and unchanging aspects of American politics.

Out there in the world, the economic crisis looms bleaker every day. Both Wall Street and Maine Street are feeling the effects of our Titanic-esque economy. Even Bowdoin is beginning to bend under the pressure: our foundation of a fitness center is suddenly short on funds and athletic teams can't have overnight stays anymore. There's one thing that hasn't changed, however: condoms are still free.

When we think about sexual activity, there are a few body parts that are generally understood to be key players. These are typically the body parts that will bump a movie's rating from PG-13 up to R. These are also body parts that are typically (somewhat) covered by clothing. The fact that these areas are considered inappropriate for children under 17 gives them a special status not enjoyed by the other 97 percent of our bodies. I mean, can you imagine television stations censoring out hands? Elbows? Ears? But just because Hollywood has decided that these body parts aren't "special" doesn't mean we have to forsake them, too.

It's a sentiment that I've heard expressed throughout my three years at Bowdoin College. The academics are wonderful, the campus is beautiful, the people are friendly ?but the dating scene sucks. Why is this? In movies and sitcoms, dates don't seem too scary. I know for a fact that my parents used to do it and I think that I am at least as brave as they are. Yet here we are, surrounded by interesting, intelligent, and passionate people, and we leave Bowdoin without ever getting to know them outside of class, Moulton, or the basement of a college house.

To open this week's column, which is written in honor of Coming Out Week last week, I'd like to start with a quote from one of my favorite movies, "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Dessert." A bit of context: the movie follows three drag queens as they drive to the center of Australia for a show. Along the way, they discuss everything from outfits to dance numbers to homophobia. Here's a choice conversation about sexual orientation:

It's three weeks into school and things are finally getting underway. We all have our favorite seats in our classes, we know where we're eating dinner and when, and we're getting into the swing of the social aspect of Bowdoin. Before we get too far into our routines, however, I'd like to take a minute to address an idea that seems to permeate college culture. This is the idea that sex and sexual encounters don't mean anything more than the comical stories into which they are distilled the next day during brunch. Along with this, the idea that the mature people in our age group are all relating to sex in the same way. Sure, drunk and/or casual sex is something that happens at Bowdoin, but not everyone's doing it, and regardless of how casual it is, that certainly doesn't have to make it meaningless.

Going to school at a small, liberal arts college like Bowdoin means that friends are always close by. It's almost impossible not to run into them on your way to class, at the gym, or in the dining hall.