TiK ToK: My Biological Clock.
Before 4:00 PM, I had it all figured out. Post-Yale I would go to a post-baccalaureate program, enroll in medical school and become a resident. I’ve always thought that maybe there would be marriage and babies in between. If not during my medical education, there would definitely be children after. Why not? I know I want to be a mother someday. But according to Corey Whelan and Ken Mosesian of the American Fertility Association, my thought process was the exact same one that millions of infertile women had when they were my age. At their talk on February 8 called, “Why Nature Wants You To Get Laid Right Now (But please wait until we leave the room…)”, I learned that by the age of twenty-seven, there is a significant dip in fertility for women. After that change, it becomes more difficult to conceive a healthy baby. I did some quick math, and realized that by the time that I finish post-bac and medical school, I will be twenty-eight. Twenty-eight?! When is there going to be any time to meet a nice guy, to fall in love, to get married and have babies? It’s just not in the cards. All I want in the world is to feel the love that my mother has for my brother and me, a love that I cannot fully comprehend. But the other thing I really want is to be able to support myself completely. Is there any way I can have it all? For some reason, I decided that this was the perfect time to make the decision about my future (or at least this is what I thought when I first heard all of this information): Should I give my career ambitions up so I can have time for a family and choose a different job, or should risk infertility?
Clearly, I was overwhelmed. I eventually got (somewhat of) a hold of myself so I could listen to Whelan and Mosesian discuss other options and ways to remain as fertile as possible. The more I listened, the more I realized that the opportunity for a healthy family is not over at twenty-seven. There is egg donation, egg surrogacy, in vitro and even egg freezing that can help a woman having trouble conceiving. We were also told of certain foods and toxins to avoid in order to remain as fertile as possible. My brain was on overdrive, and I made a mental list of my health “do’s” and “dont’s.” No fish (too much mercury), broccoli (my favorite vegetable), nail polish, laughing gas, and certain kinds of make-up. I managed to put a mental side note to eat more black licorice (ew) in order to absorb all of the excess toxins in my body on that list. I should work out, eat right, and find a partner who can maintain an erection, has a high sperm count, is healthy, and is not on steroids. You can probably tell, I was going a bit crazy.
All of a sudden I realized the absurdity of what I was thinking. I wondered why an (almost) twenty year old would ever think about fertility and why I was thinking about a future family. My whole life I’ve been self-directed towards building a successful career, and now I’m thinking about giving it up for some guy and kids? I thought I was going insane. Before this talk, I couldn’t understand anyone who mentioned marriage or babies or long-term relationships to me. It seemed so distant and irrelevant to my life, a life that mainly consists of studying, doing work for extracurriculars, and then going out to party and potentially having a no-strings-attached make-out. A meaningful relationship would be great, but it definitely has never been a priority. I always thought of myself as an independent, hard-working woman. So even after rationalizing all of this, why am I still worried about my biological clock? Whelan’s reason for discussing this with people in my age group is because she (as well as the American Fertility Association) believes that “the best time to think about it is now.” She continued to say that it’s best for younger people to be thinking and educating themselves about fertility so they’re not blind sighted if they have trouble conceiving in the future. It seems to make sense, but I think it’s scary as hell. I have no immediate conclusions on what I want to do, but until I figure it out, I guess I’ll just force-feed myself licorice.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This talk was incredibly informative, exciting, and not nearly as depressing as I make it appear in this article. To get the information from this talk, visit the American Fertility Association’s website. They had three handouts: one is called “The Dirty Dozen,” a list of environmental factors that effect fertility. The second is the booklet for the American Fertility Association’s Infertility Prevention Program 2009, and the third was a CD called “Beginnings: 2010 National Fertility and Adoption Directory,” also from The American Fertility Association.
A recap of the panel discussion, “Love Junkies and Sex Addicts”.
This afternoon, author/addict Rachel Resnick, sexologist Michael Rothenberg, and anthropologist Megan Douglass discussed their perspectives on sex addiction/compulsion. One of the first issues discussed: how and why does one identify as a sex addict, and is the word “addiction” a proper word to use in relation to sex? Douglass used her current research on women who identify as “hypersexual” to explain that many women in college are reluctant to identify as “sex addicts,” but frequently compare themselves to a “whore” or a “slut.” She believes that culture and media have a large influence on the way these women feel about themselves and the way they think about sex. Michael Rothenberg told some very shocking stories about patients that explained that everyone has a different concept of what is “normal,” when in fact it is impossible to define “normal.” Rachel Resnick’s account of her own experiences from childhood to a Yale graduate was thought-provoking and gave the audience a chance to think about intellectual maturity versus emotional maturity. A few members of the audience asked questions about emotional maturity and how students can be educated about the importance of understanding their emotions before deciding to have sex. Megan Douglass brought up the statistic that over 65 percent of teenagers regret the experience of losing their virginity. Overall, the panelists provided a stimulating discussion about sex, relationships, emotions, and how they all relate.
It’s what you do with it: a review of Lux Alpatraum, “The Internet…simultaneously destroying and saving the porn industry”.
by Anna Moore
Chances are if you watch porn, it’s xtube on your MacBook with a Kleenex while your roommate’s out. But according to Lux Alpatraum, editor of Fleshbot, “Every time you watch a free video a porn star dies.” Or not quite, but something like that. Alpatraum wants you to know, however, that the purge of adult companies the Internet has caused may not be a bad thing for the industry. Tube sites, originally created to share amateur smut, have become hosts for pirated content and culled legal TGP content (the free previews and teaser shots companies release as a marketing ploy). Piracy hurts the porn industry just as it hurts the film and music industries, perhaps even more so since less value tends to be placed on “two minutes of jacking off” than on the experience of going out to a movie. The result has been a decrease in the number of pornos made, companies extant, and actresses employed. Digital Playground estimates that whereas the average actress could expect 10-12 scenes a month before the rise of tube sites, she would be lucky to book half that number in today’s industry.
In line with what she believes the new ethos of successful adult companies will be, Alpatraum takes a quality over quantity attitude toward recent losses. “The industry isn’t dying, it’s evolving,” she says. Technological innovations like augmented reality, 3-D, and bluray porn are not only more novel and therefore attractive than traditional porn, they are also harder to pirate. An increased focus on niche porn and features (think, Pirates) is expected to be more remunerative simply because its target audience is unlikely to frequent redtube or xporn anyway. Companies that have tanked have been, in Alpatraum’s opinion, those centered more on making a quick buck than producing a high quality product. “I’m not sad that they’re gone. I’m not sad that a lot of people who were making uncreative stuff are not in the industry.” The adult film industry more than endured the advent of the personal camcorder in the 1980’s. The companies that are still around two to three years from now will be those that have not only survived the Internet but thrived because of it. In the process, a more exciting, high quality product may well become the norm.
Don’t bother taking notes..
Get the text books!
Get your books before your favorite guests get here! Check out the display table at the Yale Bookstore to find publications by our fabulous speakers visiting campus for this year’s Sex Week! You might even get a few of them signed.
GET TESTED.
During Sex Week, RALY (the Reproductive Rights Action League at Yale) and YUHS have teamed up to expedite the testing process. Join RALY before the Sex Week events listed below and there will be NO NEED to make an appointment or speak with a nurse at YUHS. Just come to our pre-test screenings before the events and then make a trip to the lab at your convenience (this can be whenever you want – the day after or months after)!
To Get Tested During Sex Week Go To Either…
1. YUHS Student Medicine on Friday, February 5th from 1 – 4:30pm
to GET TESTED without an appointment! *The first 20 to come will be guaranteed front-row seats at Sex Week’s lingerie fashion show!
2. LC 102 on Monday, February 8th from 6-7pm Come early to Logan Levkoff’s self-stimulating talk to get your pre-STI test screening and free giveaways from official Sponsors.
3. SS114 on Tuesday, February 9th from 6-7pm Come early (and often) to “Babeland’s Lip Tricks: Blow Jobs and Going Down” to get your pre-STI test screening and free giveaways from official Sponsors.
If you can’t make it to one of our events…
Call to make an appointment for free and confidential STI testing at YUHS:
Student Health: (203) 432-0312
OB/GYN: (203) 432-0222
It’s your (sex) life.
Take control of it.
GET TESTED
If you have any questions about the event or would like to get involved with RALY, contact Madeleine.Rafferty@yale.edu or Jessica.Moldovan@yale.edu
Sex Talk on WYBCX.
To get updates and insights into Sex Week events, tune in to SEX TALK on WYBCX (www.wybc.com/x) on February 6 at 7PM!
Each week, listen to co-hosts George Norberg and Willi Rechler discuss different subjects related to sex and human sexuality. Upcoming show subjects include orgasms, hooking up, sex etiquette, masturbation, porn, and body image.
The show airs every Saturday at 7PM on wybc.com
Remember that time we made a movie?.
Sex Week at Yale Movie trailer
… that was fun.
Unrequited Love? Not for long….
GoodCrushYale.com, launched in late 2009, allows users to list their crushes and to notify them anonymously. If the crush submits the original user as a crush, their identities are revealed to each other. Users can also post about their crush on the front page of the website, which can be viewed by visitors to the site. With over 1811 crushes sent, and 284 “missed connections” posted, this is a way to potentially connect with your crushes or just read some interesting posts about unrequited love.
Explore “Relationships” with Sphere: Call for Submission.
Sphere Magazine wants you to be heard in their upcoming issue on Relationships. Come hear the Board of Sphere Magazine introduce the alternative voice on campus at the Sphere Recruitment Event. Meanwhile, start preparing to submit any form of publishable material for the coming issue.
Date: Feb 1, 2010 Monday
Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm
Venue: Pierson Common Room
Deadline of Submission for Sphere Magazine: Feb 8, 2010 Monday
Please email our editor, Maddie, at madeleine.haddon@yale.edu.
Background
Sphere is a magazine about contemporary culture with a focus on what it means to be a global citizen. We try to provide an alternative and more global perspective to some of the more mainstream publications on campus. We are also a very visual magazine with and put a lot of emphasis on design, layout, production, and photography. Each issue is based around a different theme. Past themes have included Class, Beauty, Violence, Immigration, and this issue’s theme is Relationships.
Issue on “Relationships”
Relationships can be explored through a variety of different angles – romantic, professional, platonic, familial, antagonistic. We would like to have as many interpretations of this theme as possible in your submission of publishable material. Read the full post »
The History of Sex Week.
Founded in 2002, Sex Week at Yale is a biennial event proclaimed on its website as, “an interdisciplinary sex education program designed to pique students’ interest through creative, interactive, and exciting programming.” Sex Week at Yale explores love, sex, intimacy and relationships by focusing on how sexuality is manifested in America, helping students to reconcile these issues in their own lives. The week gives students access to professionals both in the classroom and during informal events, including debates, seminars, fashion shows, concerts, and discussions. The events provide students the opportunity to learn about love, sex, intimacy, and relationships from experienced professionals who deal with these issues every day in their professional lives.
Sex Week at Yale began as a Jewish event, a Kosher Sex Week, to get Jews involved in the Jewish community who would otherwise not be involved. After weeks of organizing this Jewish-centric event, the week’s founder approached other student groups with the idea and they swiftly got involved. As mentioned in the Yale Herald in 2002, “Soon the Women’s Center, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Co-op, and Student Health Education (which had always given sex talks around Valentine’s Day) were on board to co-sponsor the project. As a result, the focus of the event widened to include not only “kosher sex,” but also safe sex, great sex, college sex, and tantric sex. Thus was Campus-wide Sex Week, as the event has been re-titled, born.”
Campus-wide Sex Week was not the end of Sex Week at Yale’s growth. Campus-wide Sex Week was a campus-centric event. The event was composed of talks by a number of Yale professors, a series of talks by Yale’s peer health educators, a film festival and a celebrity panel entitled “Sex and Entertainment”.
Still, it was not until the summer of 2003 when the week found its focus and grew its scope. Sex Week at Yale in its current form takes a multi-disciplinary approach, enlisting a diversity of speakers from company executives, to sex therapists, to professors, clergy, adult film stars, and everyone in between.
