SEX MYTHS AND FACTS(From PBS' "In the Mix")

MYTH: Everyone you know is doing it.
FACT: Consider the statistics. More than half of teenagers are virgins until they뭨e at least 17 years old. Don뭪 believe everything you hear. People lie, and exaggerate, and can talk a good game when it comes to sexual antics. In the end, it doesn뭪 matter who뭩 telling the truth or not. The only truth that matters is what뭩 best for you. Yeah, that sounds corny-- but it뭩 a fact.

MYTH: Others can tell if you뭨e a virgin or not.
FACT: Look in the mirror. Is there a sign on your forehead that says, "Virgin!", or a big "V" sewn onto your shirt? With sex, it뭩 really tough to tell how experienced anyone is. Often, the people who talk the most about sex have the least real knowledge of it. Whether you뭭e had sex or not, you should never be ashamed of your "status". It뭩 who you are. Regardless of how many people give you a hard time about it, you have to make the choices that are right for you. It뭩 much more important to be healthy and happy.

MYTH: You뭨e a prude if you want to wait until you뭨e older.
FACT: Actually, you뭨e smart. Most people who have their first sexual experience after the age of 18 report it being positive and meaningful. The likelihood of being more mature, and the likelihood of your romantic relationships being more committed and open, reduce the chance of sex regrets. Your early sexual experiences will shape your sexual attitudes for years to come, so better to start things off on the right-- er-- foot.

MYTH: Movies and TV portray sex as it really is.
FACT: Uhhh...That would be "NO!". Movies and TV are entertainment, not instructional Sex Ed films, and are designed to give us all an escapist fantasy. Maybe we뭗 all like sex to involve hot music, great lighting, and no talk of STD뭩 or birth control, but we can뭪 forget the difference between this dream world and reality. Sex is never what it is on the big or small screen, or even in books or magazines. Whether it뭩 awkward, embarrassing, hysterical, disastrous, mediocre, or earth-shatteringly fabulous, it뭩 different for every two people, every time, with different emotions, experience, and circumstances. It뭩 more complicated than a patchouli-scented candle and the right CD on the stereo.

MYTH: Sex is the most important thing to a teen.
FACT: Nobody likes to be generalized, and as you hopefully know by now, every individual is different. Sure, it뭩 important. Sure, the average teen fights a Death Match with their hormones on a daily basis. But that doesn뭪 mean she or he values someone뭩 companionship, trust, friendship, or love more than the mattress mambo. If someone acts like a Sex Machine in front of their friends, chalk it up to peer pressure and get to know what really matters to him or her.

MYTH: You can뭪 get pregnant the first time you have sex, or by doing it standing up, or by using douche afterwards, or when you뭨e stoned, or if you뭨e having your period, or you have irregular periods, or if you뭭e recently had a child, or by doing it in a hot tub...
FACT: We뭨e sure you뭭e heard some of these whoppers, or maybe some even weirder ones. Forget who you뭭e heard them from, or how many times you뭭e heard them. The truth is, you can get pregnant any time you have sex (unless, of course, you뭨e already pregnant, which means you뭭e got other things to worry about). Even if you use a condom or other form of birth control, you can still get pregnant. The only 100% foolproof method of preventing pregnancy is by NOT having sex. So if you choose to have sex, regardless of when and how, know what you might be getting yourself into.

MYTH: Drinking and drugs make sex much more fun.
FACT: In the haze of being under the influence, that may seem true. But here뭩 the reality: substance use causes impotence, premature ejaculation, inability to orgasm, and other not-so-fun side effects. It might feel good to have your inhibitions washed away by alcohol or drugs, but that also means you뭨e less likely to practice safe sex. So you might end up with the ultimate side effect: an STD or unplanned pregnancy. People are also much more likely to be victims of rape and assault when substance use mixes with sexual activity.

MYTH: The only way you can contract an STD is by having unsafe sex with more than one person.
FACT: It뭩 a clich? but it뭩 true. All it takes is one time, with one person. With some STD뭩, you don뭪 even have to have intercourse to be exposed to a sexually transmitted disease. Obviously, the more partners you have, the better your chance of getting an STD, but in the end (like getting pregnant), the magic number is One.

MYTH: Condoms keep you from feeling anything during sex.
FACT: Most of us have heard this one. Admittedly, it뭩 true that condoms can reduce sensitivity for the guy, but they don뭪 affect a girl뭩 sensitivity. They definitely don뭪 eliminate feeling completely, and the benefits of using a condom far outweigh any drawbacks. There are many varieties of latex condoms on the market, so it뭩 worth experimenting to see which condom is the most comfortable.

MYTH: If you masturbate, it means you뭨e lonely and perverted.
FACT: Experts agree that masturbation is can be a positive thing. And no, it won뭪 make you go blind, or grow hair on your palms. As Woody Allen once said, "Masturbation is sex with someone I love". Masturbation is a risk-free way to learn about your body and what feels good to you.

MYTH: Guys get terrible pain "down there" if you get them worked up but don뭪 have sex with them.
FACT: If you ask your mom, older sister, or another older relative, they뭗 probably tell you they뭭e heard the same thing. This is a time-honored myth about sex. It뭩 true that guys will have some discomfort and muscle tension when they뭨e sexually aroused, but it will go away. It won뭪 kill them, and it뭩 definitely not worth doing something you don뭪 want to do just to cure a guy뭩 "blue balls".

MYTH: Girls never pressure guys to have sex뾭ressure always come from the male.
FACT: Again, there뭩 that generalization thing causing lots of trouble. Every person, and every combination of two people, is different. Pressure can come from anyone, regardless of gender, sexual experience, or age.

MYTH: Fooling around without sex is like walking out of a movie ten minutes before the ending.
FACT: There are no rules. Nobody뭩 going to give you an "Incomplete" grade for leaving sex out of the equation. Fooling around is what feels good and comfortable to both people involved. If it뭩 not right at this moment, this day, this week, this year, don뭪 do it. Sex, whether it뭩 oral sex or intercourse, is never a "must"; it뭩 always a choice. It can be much more fulfilling뾞nd fun-- to explore different ways to physically express your feelings.

MYTH: If you really loved him or her, you뭗 want to sleep with them.
FACT: Loving someone and being ready to have sex with them are two different things. If you know you love someone deeply, try to concentrate on other ways to express it until you both know you뭨e ready. If someone you love is pressuring you to take that step, and possibly even threatening to dump you if you don뭪, it says a lot about how they love you back. Intimacy is about communication, trust, and respect. In the end, if he or she really loves you, they뭠l be willing to wait.

MYTH: Sex means instant adulthood.
FACT: Okay, so you can뭪 vote, drink, drive, stay out past midnight, or support yourself financially, but since you뭨e having sex, you뭨e automatically an adult? Don뭪 think so! Maturity is about a million other things besides sexual experience. Actually, it뭩 a lot more "adult" to focus on growing as a person.

---

Heard that "si lo hacen parados, she can't get pregnant" - LMAO...

I shared that with someone the other day, and it caused non-stop laughter for several minutes.