This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bristol chapter.
I’m not sure where I stand on sexting. On the one hand, it’s a fun way to communicate some very naughty, sexy things that would be too unbearably awkward to express face to face (I categorically cannot say cock out loud); on the other, it can be cringe and uncomfortable and you never know who might end up seeing it. What if his mum happens to be peering over his shoulder? How will she look me in the eye at Grandma Judy’s 80th when she’s witnessed me telling her only son that I want to reverse cowgirl his raging member until it damn well falls off inside of me?
There’s the tame stuff, like eggplant emojis and little kitten faces (I like to think that someone is reading this and finally realising that Dan from Mbargo didn’t mean he fancied going to the farmer’s market with his cat that time). Sure, these are fun and lighthearted, and I for one am always down for some not-so-cryptic emoji sex because it’s clear that no one’s taking themselves too seriously.
(Photo Credit: fawesome.ifood.tv/Emoji)
Dick pics, however, do not excite me. How am I supposed to respond to the unsolicited image of a feral looking penis popping up in my inbox? “MMM THAT’S A NICE DICK U GOT THERE MY MAN.” All dicks look the same to me, and I really can’t say that the sight of a semi flopped over some grubby Calvin Klein’s gets me going. One of my boyfriends once asked me to send him a picture of my vagina and for the life of me I could not understand why he’d want for such a thing. It’s no secret that genitals just ain’t pretty things generally, but an isolated close-up UNDER A FLASH? All shiny and discoloured, with every pimple, hair and pore glaring menacingly down that poor lens? It is a no from me.
Messages of actual erotic dialogue really do turn me on. I like being told who’s going to put what where when they see me – my downfall, however, is when I have to respond. Is this too vanilla? Is that too weird? Why am I so awkward? More often that not, it turns into an ordeal reminiscent of The Inbetweeners, and the poor sod becomes sorry that he ever asked me what I wanted to do to him. And deletes my number. And calls the police. You win some, you lose some, though, right?
Regardless of how I feel about it, sexting has become a critical part of modern dating – there has to be some good reasons why. A recent study conducted by professors at Drexel University estimates that eight out of ten Americans between the ages of 18 and 82 sext: basically everybody, then. I guess it’s like porn, but better because it’s personal. Knowing that you’re desired is one of the biggest turn-ons ever. Sexting done right can really indulge you in that feeling. Plus, you can let out your deepest, darkest inner sex fiend with the comfort of hiding behind a screen. So here is my pledge to practise, practise, practise, until I become a true sext-pert.