SELFHOOD on: Sex Positivity

by Adele Lefebvre du Prey

Sex and Positivity - two words that have often existed together in secret. 

Well, this has all changed. The next gen are fed up with feeling shame and embarrassment about a perfectly normal and natural human instinct.

They want to talk about it with no filter.

They want to talk about it with no filter. Gone are the secret code words and double entendre to coyly ask a friend about a sexual mishap or mind-blowing experience. 

SELFHOOD Collective member, Jamie, has his own podcast and told us how much fun it is to talk about people’s most intimate experiences. “Even if you don’t have sex and it disgusts you, you still have something to say on the topic and people wanna hear it”. 

In fact podcast culture may be a huge factor in helping to shatter the secrecy that has shrouded this topic for so long. From those who want to laugh about the absurdities of sex (see My Dad Wrote A Porno) or communities of ethnic minorities where sex is never on the table as a topic of conversation (see Brown Girls Do It Too), young people are using the medium to engage with the subject head on. 

Sheba, a London-based SELFHOOD Collective member, told us that “people be ashamed about sex and everything, but they be going home and they be doing the same thing that you be doing but they be hiding it.” 

That goes for you too, Mr or Mrs Brand Manager. 

We also heard how the younger generation are fully embracing their bodies in all shapes and sizes, referencing the huge movements around body positivity and self-love developing across TikTok and Instagram that are gathering thousands more followers every day. 

“we need to love our whole existence, not just be positive about it”. 

Cypriot SELFHOOD member, Petros, says “we need to love our whole existence, not just be positive about it”. 

There’s an evident appreciation from this generation that life is too short to feel shit or sweat the small stuff, and a desire to celebrate what we have whilst on the rollercoaster that is life - our bodies and sexuality included. 

So what does this mean for brands? 

this is a generation that doesn't want to see tokenism or inauthenticity.

For starters, this is a generation that doesn't want to see tokenism or inauthenticity. They want real and they want grit. The conversations around sex happening on TikTok are exactly this. 

Sex is now a subject for brands to approach with positivity and an open mind. No more bullshit, no more shame, and no more dancing around the subject. 

With young people being exposed to sex from an increasingly young age thanks to social media, it’s never been more important for brands to play their part in breaking through misconceptions. 

The more this happens, the better sex will be for everyone.