Sex column is not sex positive

The Daily Collegian at Penn State has a history of winning awards but also being kind of... off. I've been quoted in the paper at least once a year since freshman year, and they've always misquoted me.

They've tried to write a sex column a few times. After a few controversial and off-putting pieces, the column was shut down around the same time the Sandusky Scandal broke. They've started it again, and it's called "Let's Talk About Sex." The goal is to feature a female and male writer, aptly named Dick and Jane, to show both sides of the story. Or so their editor says.

I started reading the columns. Besides the fact that both Dick and Jane seem to be heavily gendered, they are extremely heteronormative. ("The importance lies in the company you share your first time with, not the end result, because the end result will more than likely be a satisfied male and a less-than-satisfied female laying together watching “Friends” until someone passes out or parents are on their way home.") Gay students also lose their virginity (though virginity is a very complicated topic, however), so shouldn't their experiences be represented too? Will gay columnists debut a column in the future?

Furthermore, Dick seems to be totally okay with mediocre experiences... shouldn't we be helping students figure out how to have positive, healthy relationships rather than telling them to settle?

I was infuriated after reading Dick's column. He explains the high probability that alcohol will be present in the sexual encounters of college students at Penn State, and that you'll be "often too drunk to really feel anything." He ends with this gem: "...if you decide to drink heavily in college, don’t be surprised if your first time doesn’t go as you always dreamed."

Wait a sec. That's it? The whole article mentioned alcohol but not one sentence mentioned sexual assault or rape? On college campuses, 1 in 4 women will be assaulted. 50% of those will involve alcohol.

Dick failed to mention one really big, glaring fact: IF YOU ARE DRUNK, YOU CANNOT GIVE CONSENT.

This is problematic! It's an issue that "Let's Talk About Sex", which as far as I can tell is trying to be sex positive, is missing this huge part of information. The goal is to inform readers about "topics we never talk about," right? So why aren't we educating them about rape and sexual assault when it's so prevalent on college campuses?

Our school newspaper is normalizing situations that end in rape and sexual assault.

I shaved my legs with a dude razor.

It was exactly like it sounds, folks.

I was in the shower, stranded, and called for my mom to please bring me a razor. I desperately needed it. When I have no one to impress around, I tend to neglect my leg hair. Actually, that's a lie. I really only shave my legs when it hurts  to rub them together.

Anyone who knows me think that this was some feminist stunt to manufacture some feminist rant. It's not. I speaketh the truth. 

So I was in the shower, and really, really  needed to shave my legs. My mom brought me a razor, all right. She brought me the best a man can get. Yes. She brought me this.

At first I was skeptical. The razor handle is made of metal. I can't even tell you how many times I thought that my little purple Venus would be much better if it was metal.

I think it's actually spring loaded, too. I accidentally shot myself with the blade. That button where the handle meets the head is just that. A button. Watch your eyes.

It also has more blades. When dude razor commercials bragged of the benefits of 5 blades instead of 4, I didn't think it would actually make that much more difference. It. Does. For me, it's not a good shave if I haven't cut my skin 893 times so that the drain has a slight pink ring of blood around it. Nothing! No nicks! I wasn't even worried, and I'm the girl who doesn't even have interesting stories for my scars! "Oh yes, that badass looking scar on my knee was from The Shave of '09... What a bloodbath."

So compared to lady razors, it's definitely more dudely. Heavier. Bigger. Harder. Enthusiastic.

But honestly, I think I'm converted. I don't think anyone really likes to shave their legs. I don't. I'm too afraid of giving myself yet another scar, so I just don't. If lady shavers knew that dude razors don't hurt and they'll cut your shaving time down, why not use them? I think I may from now on.

Whatevs. I don't even care if they're meant for men. I like the Gillette Fusion. I really don't have any complaints... other than the metal. The metal is overkill.

I feel like I need to touch on this. I'm a feminist, but when it comes to leg shaving. I  don't stand here,

but I don't stand here either. (Not to mention how incredibly gendered, homophobic, beauty-prejudiced and narrow-minded this picture is is...)

And I absolutely do not stand here. (...Is this a thing?)

Anyway, it's time for me to conclude. If it works for you, do it. If it doesn't, try sometime else. If you like it, great, and if you don't, that's fine too. Give it a try, it may surprise you.

Sure,  using a dude razor may not be some huge, symbolic statement for how people should live their life... but why not?

Our daily experiences should remind us of how we want to live, and I want to be open-minded.