WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER? By Sarah Schusler
H
ave you ever been asked, “What’s your number?” on a date? No, not your phone number… your number. The amount of people you’ve slept with. For women, this is a tricky subject. Throughout our lives we’ve been constantly subjected to slut shaming and harmful purity culture ideals, so much so, that most women feel ashamed to have slept with more than a couple of partners—let alone talk about it on a date. It’s ironic, considering men are looked at as more attractive and renowned by both women and men for having numerous sexual conquests. Men are somehow seen as more sexually knowledgeable and, therefore, better equipped in bed due to their copious sexual experiences. But of course, this is, in fact, false, especially considering what’s called the “orgasm gap,” a term coined to explain the percentage of heterosexual men that orgasm versus the percentage of heterosexual women.
42 | SPRING 2023