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Students to receive mandatory Bystander and Consent training

support a strategic priority”, with one of the methods being the creation of mandatory “in-person student sexual violence and consent training”.

Newcastle University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Chris Day, has confirmed that Bystander and Consent Training will be made mandatory for students from September 2023.

It has currently been agreed that this training will be a compulsory online course available from September. However, an in-person pilot is being created to be rolled out in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology.

A proposal for funding to create Active Bystander Training for students had been written by Abbie Hutchinson, NUSU President 2021-2022, in the summer of 2022. However, at the time, the funding request was rejected. Since then, Mady Baugh has continued to pressure the University by highlighting the significant need for this training.

Speaking to The Courier, Mady Baugh said: “Our Vice Chancellor has ONLY agreed to this training being online so far which is disappointing as the report recommendation is for mandatory, inperson training.

Online training simply doesn’t have the same impact, critical thinking or engagement with changing the culture around sexual violence, hate crime and discrimination as in-person training does.

is an expectation of all students, and consists of an online module and live workshop session. In order for students to progress to the workshop stage, they must complete a quiz and obtain 80% in order to pass.

Baugh has continued to pressure the University by highlighting the need for this training

Discussing the options for use at Newcastle Univerisity, Mady said:

“I have been working alongside the University to evaluate some external training providers in order to get

something in place for September, but I am also conscious of not rushing to choose a program in time for the new academic year that is unsuitable for our students when the University should be using this time to develop its own, written for and supported by our students”.

Speaking to Annie Tindley, Head of History Classics and Archaeology, it is apparent that introducing Bystander and Consent Training into the School is something that she is passionate about.

Annie Tindley said: “We are really pleased in HCA that we will be piloting this training collaboration with NUSU and the University. As a whole range of research shows, making issues around consent and active bystander work visible, building people’s confidence in talking about and addressing very problematic behaviour wherever they

see it, on campus and off. But it is really important for our School, where we are working hard to make our environment as inclusive and welcoming to all students and staff as possible.”

all”

This comes after recommendations were issued to the University in a report written by the It Happens Here (IHH) society, alongside NUSU President, Mady Baugh in December 2022. The recommendations were influenced by the #DoBetterNCL campaign run by IHH between January and May of 2022, which aimed to improve policy and procedure around sexual violence, as well as the support available to students.

The #DoBetterNCL survey, completed by 409 students, staff and alumni, found that 76.2% of respondents had been, or knew someone who had been, sexually assaulted whilst at Newcastle University.

As a result of this statistic, the report asked for the University to make “sexual violence prevention and survivor

It is vital that our students are informed and empowered and the University’s commitment to invest in this essential education and prevention is lackluster. It is likely that the OfS [Office for Students] will make such training a requirement from HE [Higher Education] institutions so we must do this the right way, and whilst there is positive and encouraging work with Student Health and Wellbeing around supporting a trial for in-person training, we are miles behind other institutions”

When asked why an online option was chosen for this training, despite the specific recommendation for inperson training, a spokesperson from the University said: “We have agreed to do both online and in-person training, however, in response to student feedback and the practical scalability of in-person sessions, we have decided to take a two-stage approach”.

There are many successful Bystander and Consent programmes across the Higher Education sector. UCL Students’ Union’s

When asked who would benefit from this training, Annie Tindley said: “The training will be for all our students and all our staff – so every year group and subject group among our students and all academic and professional services staff. By all of us doing it, we will build a stronger and more inclusive culture in our School as a whole, which is really beneficial to everyone – whether that is in teaching, or on the more social or community side. People will feel safer and more confident and that is great for us all, not just in the kind of tough situations this training helps us deal with, but just generally in day to day life”.

Mady Baugh’s final comments were:

“Full credit goes to the It Happens Here society for this exciting progress. There is still a lot of work to do, but this is certainly a huge win that the society, and our student community can feel proud of. There is huge power in student voice, and this is a win we can all celebrate whilst continuing to fight for further commitment from our University”.

The University continues to iron out the specifics of the course. With regards to ensuring that students complete the training, a Newcastle spokesperson said: “We are exploring the feasibility of a number of options. One option we are looking at is that the training must be completed before a student can register and/or gain access to University accommodation”.

“Online training doesn’t have the same impact as inperson training does”

Howe - Editor-in-Chief

“People will feel safer and more confident and that is great for us

Chosen by The Courier’s Editors, here are the top 7 tracks to get down and dirty to...

to shag to

A note from the Editor

Hello, welcome back, Happy New Year (can I still say that?). It’s been 8 long weeks since I’ve written words for this page, and as always I’m sitting here at 11:30pm on the night we send to the printers, giving you a little look into my sleep-deprived brain.

I won’t ramble on about the new year too much, but I have to say I had a very successful January. It was very important for me to sit back and reflect on Semester 1: the highs, the lows, the successes, and the failures, and come back refreshed and inspired for Semester 2. With only a

handful of papers left, as my time as Student Media Officer is fading away day by day, I really want to make the most out of the creative community that we’ve established. On that note, I’d like to welcome the 10 new sub-editors who have joined our Editorial team for Semester 2. This is the first paper that they’ve worked on, and I have to say that I’m really impressed. Each one of them has jelled with their teams already, and it’s really lovely to have some fresh faces to really add to the creativity here at The Courier. You may notice something a little different about this

Inside 13th February 2023

Current Affairs | Campus Comment

Flat-cest: yay or nay?

Is your flatmate actually fit? Or do you just start to see them in a different light when you borrow their milk every morning? | Page 8

Current Affairs | Opinion

Bootylicious British Politicians

From Labour-loved Jeremy Corbyn's passable beard to the Brexit babe Nigel Farage's and his yellow teeth — who do we rate best? | Page 10

Life & Style | Relationships

Intimacy: it requires patience

As time passes, love conquers lust and patience overrules whim and impulsivity. How does this all play out? | Page 14

Life & Style | Lifestyle

Finally getting over my fear of sex

Sex expectations are at an all-time high for our generation, so here's some candour about cum

| Page 16

Culture | Film

Fetishisation or real representation?

LGBTQ+ screen depictions

Representations of queer sex teeters on the fine line between porn and erasure | Page 28

Culture | Arts

Smut: entertaining or damaging?

Should safety and enjoyability be sacrificed in the name of Wattpad fantasies?

| Page 31

week's paper… I decided to link this edition of The Courier to the current ‘Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby’ campaign which is currently being hosted in the SU by my colleague and friend, Mady Baugh. It’s been lovely to jump off the back of a campaign, as this isn’t something that the Editor often gets the chance to do! Sex, sex education, and sex positivity are topics that I’m incredibly passionate about. In fact, some of my very first articles in The Courier centered around this topic, so it’s been so much fun to bring this to life across the whole paper this week. Thank you to my Editorial Team

for indulging me in this fun little project, and to all of our writers for being just as keen, despite the different selection of articles on offer!

We approach election season here at NUSU. With a cohort of brand-new candidates ready to campaigning, I want to take a minute to wish them all the best of luck. You’ll learn a lot about yourselves over the next month, so don’t forget to stop, breathe and take it all in!

Finally, you may notice an exciting new masthead on

THE COURIER SECTIONS

Editor-in-Chief

Meg (the most Mark) Howe (she/her) -- mediaofficer.union@newcastle.ac.uk

Current Affairs

Senior editor:

Elsa (Mark) Tarring (she/her) -- e.tarring1@ncl.ac.uk

News

Poppy Bedford

Alice Holmes

Rhys James

Amana Khan

Izabela Kirschnerová

Charlotte Lee

Ella Winskell

Campus Comment

Alexander James

Ashna Mathur

Sam Norman

Opinion

Ross Bennett

Alex Dunn

Science

Elisabeth Göres

Isabel Lamb

Anthony Welsh

Sport

Senior editor: Katie (Mark) Siddall (she/her/they/ them) --k.e.siddall1@ncl.ac.uk

Tom Barlow

Arthur Ferridge

Elena Photiadou

Paige Rutter

Social Media

Head of Social Media: Autumn (Mark) Keil (she/her) -- a.keil2@ncl.ac.uk

the front of this edition. As we enter 2023, we begin celebrating 75 years of The Courier. With our anniversary celebration just on the horizon, I wanted to honour the year with a slight rebrand! Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing some fantastic moments from the past 75 years, so keep an eye out!

For the first time this year…

Much love,

-- Meg Howe xoxo

Life & Style

Deputy Editor Sophie (not Mark) McNally (she/her) -- s.c.mcnally2@ncl.ac.uk

Senior editors: Gabbi (Mark) de Boer (she/her) --g.de-boer2@ncl.ac.uk

Scarlett (Mark) Welch (she/her) --s.welch11@ncl.ac.uk

Relationships & Blind Date

Ruby Butler

Georgia Purcell

Rebecca Wright

Lifestyle

Jenica Davis

Zahra Hanif

Molly Jackson

Fashion & Beauty

Samantha Seidu

Lizzie Yockney

Travel

Jude Parkinson

Ellen Pinch

Elžbieta Voverytė

Food & Drink

Daisy Harrison

Katy Anya McEwan

Abigail Roch

27 years ago!

Mark's are the winners in terms of performance in the sheets, and you can work out a man's penis size by the shape of his face and the proportion of his nose. So whatever you do, do be a Mark because... that's a slay in the sheets. Make sure to take a look at the new names given to our Senior Team... ;)

Culture

Senior editors:

Carly (less Mark than Sophie) Horne (she/her)

--c.a.horne2@ncl.ac.uk

Rachael (Mark) McCreanor (she/her) -- r.mccreanor2@ncl.ac.uk

Music

Lucy Bower

Rowan Christina Driver

TV

Castor Chan

Olivia Crowley

Imogen Smillie Film

Rachel Carron

Mitchell Hall

Jessica McKeown Arts

Louise Cusine

Martha Probert

Sarah Tunstall

Puzzles

Rhys Mason

Leo McManus-Andrea

Newcastle University Professor Karen Ross sends out press release on the “menopause leave”

Margaux Martinez

The details of Professor Karen Ross's press release following the Government's rejection of menopause leave

Following the government’s rejection of the “menopause leave” proposed by the Women and Equalities Committee, professor of Gender and Media at Newcastle University Karen Ross shared her opinions in a press release.

In January 2023, 12 recommendations to help women through their menopause were introduced to the government. Five of these were rejected, including the implementation of a “menopause leave”. The government explained their decision by their fear of it turning into a discriminatory measure towards men who are suffering from serious medical conditions.

In her engaged press release, Professor Karen Ross expressed her outrage at the fact that in their minds, “more to her means less to him”. She recalls how

important menopause is in a woman’s life and the impact it has. According to a British Menopause Society survey, 45% of women indicate that their menopause symptoms had a negative impact on their work. The hot flushes and brain fogs induced by it can be hard to work with especially if one’s workplace is not supportive.

45% of women say their menopause symptoms

Karen Ross aims to reiterate the importance of employers’ response despite what the government has decided. The need to educate themselves and create a safe environment for their women employees is deemed necessary for her. She suggests a development of “proactive strategies” like they have done at Newcastle University.

“Universities have the opportunityboth as employers and experts- to lead the way in driving a positive change in the way we support women during the menopause.”

At the University, menopause has been a subject of discussion and many measures have been taken to address it. In her opinion, they are much better equipped at this than the government. Through policies and guidance, the University offers support and advice

to women during this time as well as raises awareness for men and younger women. The safe space created allows them to share their experience and thus make this easier to deal with. She ends her statement by highlighting the need for men to be part of this

equation and to 'come on the journey with us [women]'. It is not a fight reserved for women. In fact, men’s involvement can only be beneficial for the cause.

Attack on Atack - 'Emily Atack: Asking For It?'

non-consensual displays of sexual attraction online can cause harm and how the issue needs to be taken more seriously.

Actress and comedian Emily Atack releases new BBC 2 documentary to expose the nature of the sexually aggressive messages she received

Unsolicited pictures of genitalia and suggestive sexual texts have plagued the internet for years since the beginning of the web. Actress and comedian Emily Atack has chosen to share the obscene messages she receives on social media through her latest BBC documentary ‘Emily Atack: Asking For It?’.

In the documentary, she tells viewers about the multiple sexual messages she receives from strangers and how they have had a harrowing effect on her mental health. Atack cites the COVID-19 lockdown as a time when the influx of unsolicited sexual content drastically increased and gravely affected her. This led her to expose her harassers on her Instagram page, to which she understood that multitudes of people, specifically women, were subjected to the same kind of treatment online.

The Inbetweeners star uses this documentary to shine a light on how

The actress talks about the kinds of messages she receives from strangers. Some of the messages are texts that are innately suggestive and sexual and some of the messages she receives are pictures of strangers’ exposed genitals. In one particular scene of the documentary she states: 'I’ve already received 37 messages, and it’s only been 8 'o' clock in the morning'.

Atack highlights the need to put forth actual real-life consequences for those individuals that are harassers and offenders on the internet. Atack meets with experts, including a sexual violence and abuse councillor and online safety campaigners, to address this issue and understand why it has prevailed and become normalised within society.

She goes on to talk to the parliament about criminalising cyber flashing. The comedian also meets up with young women and girls, who also share their experience with receiving non-consensual sexual content from strangers on the internet.

talked about sex in her shows and works. The actress later says that it isn’t anyone’s fault if they do receive such messages, and rather it is the messenger that should be held responsible.

Speaking about the documentary, Atack said: 'Over the last two and a half years I've been speaking out about my own personal experiences of online sexual harassment. 'Within that time, one thing has become clear, I'm not alone. With this documentary, I am hoping to find answers to the many questions I’ve been asking myself my entire life, and I hope it will go on to help thousands of others too. It’s been wonderful working with Little Gem and the BBC on a project that is so incredibly close to my heart.'

The Head of Commissioning, Factual Entertainment & Events, Catherine Catton says: 'We are delighted to have this important and timely film with Emily, looking at whether enough is being done to protect young women and girls online and exploring Emily’s own personal experiences. It’s an incredibly brave undertaking for her and we appreciate her honesty and openness. We have no doubt that the film will contribute to a very important conversation.'

'Emily Atack: Asking For It?' is available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer.

Atack talks about how she has dealt with self-blame as these events have occurred. That she was in a way ‘asking for it’ because she had been publicly comfortable with her sexuality and

Visit Newcastle University Student Union's (NUSU) Support and Advice hub to learn more about the wellbeing available at NUSU at nusu.co.uk/support.

Sub-editors: Poppy Bedford, Alice Holmes, Rhys James, Amana Khan, Izabela Kirschnerová, Charlotte Lee & Ella Winskell

had a negative impact on their work

Varsha Jayaprasad

Atack notes that some thought she was 'asking for it' given her openness about her sexuality

Trigger warning: sexual harassment

Research at UCL says teens and students are having less sex

Arwa Mahmood

Research suggests that young adults and teenagers have been having less sex than in recent years. A range of factors have said to have affected this. Regardless of how young people get their satisfaction, one thing is clear: young people are understanding their personal desires better than in the past.

Debby Herbenick, a professor at Indiana University, in the School of Public Health discusses the idea that ‘rough sex’ is contributing to the decline of sex. Henderson considers the miscommunication factors of sex at university and how a simple kink like rough sex can actually sexually victimise many young women, specifically young bisexual women.

Research also suggests that young adults and teenagers have been having less sex than in recent years. This could be a consequence of the lockdown separation and young people spending more time alone, though this doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

The decline of sex today could be a

result of young people understanding exactly what they want because of social media and podcasts; where information is distributed openly and informally. This thus opens doors to discussions as to whether sex is genuinely what people desire.

The recent rise of people coming out as asexual is a great example of young people having an understanding of the things they actually want. This shows that people no longer feel the need to pretend to enjoy something just because it’s socially normative.

There are a multitude of activities for young people to partake in aside from sex. For example, some have been open to the idea of meditation as a form of whole-hearted healing rather than a short term fix of enjoyment.

Overall, sex is a way of releasing energy and tension and a way of focusing on nothing more than a moment of ecstasy, and therefore is effective as short term relief from stress. Yet, as the research states, students are now exploring extracurriculars beyond sexual interactions. For many overworked students, sex is no longer a viable solution against tiredness and burn out.

Hormone kisspeptin improves sex drive in both men and women, new research shows

for rigidity at the same time.

Two small trials from UK researchers have suggested that giving the hormone kisspeptin to men and women can help boost their brains sexual activity and stimulate key areas linked to sexual desire.

Kisspeptin is a naturally-occurring hormone which has been implicated in ovarian function, fertility regulation and lactation.

The studies published in JAMA Network Open reported that giving men and women increased levels of kisspeptin can boost sexual responses in both sexes who are known to have hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), a condition of low sexual desire.

Participants' moods and brain activity were monitored while watching erotic videos

In the studies, consisting of 32 heterosexual males and 32 heterosexual females, participants were on one occasion hooked up to a kisspeptin drip and on another occasion a fake drip.

The participants were then monitored using an MRI scanner to analyse their mood, behaviour and brain activity while watching erotic videos. The male participant’s penises were also measured

Dr Comninos found that kisspeptin improved activity in key brain regions linked to sexual desire in both the men and women participants, and that penile rigidity increased by up to 56% when the male participants were given kisspeptin.

Those with low sex drive showed the greatest improvements in the trial

Further, the participants who were most distressed by their low sex drives; an issue which affects 10% of the population, showed the greatest improvements.

Overall, women recorded feeling “more sexy” while on the kisspeptin drip and the men reported having improved feelings of “happiness about sex”.

Dr Comninos went on the say that “Our two studies provide proofof-concept for the development of kisspeptin treatments, as we provide the first evidence that kisspeptin is a potentially safe and effective therapy for both women and men with distressing low sexual desire.”

While the findings from these trials cannot be confirmed yet, previous research into the hormone has confirmed that it stimulates the release of reproductive hormones and plays a vital part in puberty.

Image credit: Unsplash

Rhys James - News sub-editor

Sub-editors: Poppy Bedford, Alice Holmes, Rhys James, Amana Khan, Izabela Kirschnerová, Charlotte Lee & Ella Winskell Image credit: Raw Pixels

£4.6 million building project the Farrell Centre set to open in April

The centre hopes to become an ‘urban room’ following its inspiration from the Farrell report commissioned by the UK government in 2014 where Farrell himself called for all cities to have one of these ‘urban rooms’ a space for citizens to learn about the past, present, and future of the city they live in.

The Newcastle development hopes to extend this further in its mission to explore local, national, global issues in the face of the climate crisis: searching for a solution that leads to more sustainable, democratic, and inclusive cities. The centre will feature a public forum for scheduled and impromptu

talks, an adjacent independent cafe, opening this February, a gallery space for a series of exhibitions circulating the face of architecture locally, nationally, and globally. Spaces for community gatherings, as well as official, and a top floor dedicated to housing the Newcastle University project ‘Insights

North East’.

The centre's inaugural exhibition; ‘More with Less: Reimagining Architecture for the Changing World’. Opens on 22 April and will run until 10 September with admission free of charge.

The Farrell Centre, an architectural hub instigated by renowned architect and planner Sir Terry Farrell, opens its doors this April to the public. This comes after the completion of the £4.6 million building project on what was the Quilliam Brothers Tea House, a four storey Victorian building, on the outskirts of Newcastle University’s campus at Eldon Place.

10% of nine-year-olds have been exposed to pornography, report finds

Aimee Bond

Children

Commissioner's report reittterates the impact of pornography on those as young as nine years old

In the wake of the shocking Children’s Commissioner’s report regarding the impact of pornography on young people, Dame Rachel de Souza has reiterated the urgency of the controversial Online Safety Bill, which aims to enforce age verification for users of platforms containing pornographic material. But what exactly is the Online Safety Bill and how necessary are these measures?

Based on a 2021-2022 governmentcommissioned review, this report highlights not only the scale of children’s porn consumption but the devastating ways in which this spills out into young people’s sexual experiences.

While the average age that children are first exposed to pornography is 13, 10% had watched porn by as young as nine. An increasingly concerning statistic given that those exposed to pornography at younger ages were not only more likely to become frequent porn users but significantly more likely to seek out

violent content.

Nearly 20 years since the launch of the first free porn sites, according to the report, 47% of young people believe girls ‘expect’ sex to involve aggression, and the same percentage of respondents between 18-21 had experienced a violent sexual act.

The Online Safety Bill plans to give communications regulator, Ofcom, the responsibility of ensuring that all platforms that require a minimum age for users clearly explain how this is enforced, with those which fail to do so risking fines and even a ban. Sites that are likely to be accessed by children also have a duty to prevent legal but harmful material from being accessed.

Call for pornography to be defined as harm to children

The Children’s Commissioner has called for pornography to be defined as harm to children on the face of the Bill, allowing Ofcom to rapidly set standards facilitating the rollout of age-assurance

measures.

However, human rights organizations have raised concerns about risks to anonymity and freedom of expression and information online, with the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee highlighting the risk of jeopardising Ofcom’s independence given the power the Bill affords to the Culture Secretary.

Undeniably, the increasingly violent nature of free and accessible online pornography has shaped young people’s understanding and experiences of sex and relationships, with only 4% of respondents disagreeing with this.

The Children’s Commissioner has emphasized her concern for young girls, who are predominantly the victims of the misogynistic attitudes perpetuated by the free porn industry. While the Commissioner accepts that the Online Safety Bill is not a ‘silver bullet’ and should work in coordination with education, she continues to advocate for its swift implementation.

47% of young people believe girls ‘expect’ sex to involve aggression

New bill aims to enforce age verification for pornographic sites

The centre hopes to become an 'urban room' with a cafe and gallery space

Ella Winskel

- News sub-editor

A new centre for architecture and cities is set to open its doors to Newcastle this Spring

Image credit: Twitter_FarrellCentre

Image credit: Lars Plougmann

Sub-editors: Poppy Bedford, Alice Holmes, Rhys James, Amana Khan, Izabela Kirschnerová, Charlotte Lee & Ella Winskell

More traffic charges expected to be implemented in NCL this Summer

Charlotte Lee - News sub-editor

£12.50.

Yet, there is still confusion amongst drivers as private cars are not being charged for driving in the CAZ zone, but older private vehicles are still expected to pay a separate charge when just driving in Newcastle City Centre. This confusion has caused many residents to question what the point is of implementing a CAZ zone, if private vehicles aren't being charged, even though they are one biggest polluters.

On 30 January, Newcastle City Council implemented a Class C Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to improve the city’s air quality and protect residents' health. The zone covers the city centre and routes over the River Tyne, including High level, Redheugh and Swing Bridges. Buses, coaches, taxis, and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) that do not reach the Euro VI standard are charged. Likewise, from July 2023, vans and light goods vehicles will also be tolled if they do not also meet the minimum emission standard. Buses, coaches and HGVS will be charged £50 per day, while taxis and minibuses will be expected to pay

Furthermore, in order to encourage residents to upgrade their vehicles; the council has offered significant grants to motorists to aid in replacing and upgrading vehicles so that they meet the minimum emission standards and help improve Newcastle's air quality.

Likewise, in order to reduce the financial burden of the charges, the council has stated that drivers whose vehicles are registered to Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside can apply for a discount of paying £50 per week rather than £12.50 per day. For those who have submitted an application for financial help, they will receive a 120 day exception on the charges while their application is being approved by the Councils.

Students' Union Council: Thursday 9 Feb, The One in the New Year

Katie Siddall - Head of Sport

We take a look at the goings on of the first Student Council of the year

The first Student Council of 2023 took place on 9 February. This Student Council, like a few before, saw all the motions pass! Though members of the council found this council less entertaining than the rest, there was a little resistance during the Open Debate.

We are unsure if Mack's motion will be passed as it may not have met quorum

Mack Marshall, the Education Officer, had two motions. One of which passed with 100% and, to quote Mack, is to "protect all degrees, for all students, for as long as possible." Whilst the other passed with 93%, it is under question due to the amount of voters in the room. It is currently being looked into as it

may not have met quorum.

All three Scrutiny Committee positions were taken after the Chair promoted it to the attendees

After all the motions had passed, Afiya Ballard Debois, the Chair of Council, asked if anyone would take any committee seats. Mack stood up to promote the Steering Committee and after his speech - and a few questions

about said committee - all three steering places were taken. Afterwards, three places were taken for the Scrutiny Committee - the newly appointed Chair of Scrutiny also stood up and promoted his committee. One of the places was taken by NSR's very own Station Manager, Jimmy Turner.

Once people had nominated themselves for committee places, the Open Debate sparked interest surrounding the SU building. We spoke about what refurbishments people

would like to see. With accessibility at the top of the list, many people started to suggest in what ways the building could be more accessible. Furthermore, we turned to look at more fun aspects like having karaoke nights in Luther's and having a Swap Shop, like at Sheffield's SU.

Finally, this was the final Student Council for Angela. Angela has been working with NUSU and Student Council for 19 years. Within that time, Angela has helped organise Student

We looked at having karaoke nights in Luther's

Council and attended many of them herself. Students have a lot to thank Angela for and we wish her all the best in the future.

Image credit: Unsplash

The planned changes follow the implementation of the CAZ toll in January

Sub-editors: Poppy Bedford, Alice Holmes, Rhys James, Amana Khan, Izabela Kirschnerová, Charlotte Lee & Ella Winskell

Shag, marry, kill: university courses edition Flat-cest: yay or nay?

Katie Sidall - Head of Sport

Which course would be the best in bed, and which would you rather have dead?

After a lot of thought about which courses I would rather shag, marry, kill, I'm still confused. A lot of conversations have happened within my household and we started to think about the long term. So... I propose my final(ish) answers. Shag: Sport and Exercise Science. They've got stamina... surely? I would argue they may be the best course to get into bed with due to all the connotations you think of when you think "sports".

Marry: This was a toss-up. Medicine - because in the long term... money. Then again, I thought about Mechanical Engineering. This thought is due to 16 year old me wanting to do Engineering and the fact that I love cars. It would mean I'm guaranteed to have fun conversations about cars and enjoy their time. Right?

Kill: Maths. This is nothing to do with my being an English student - I promise. I took Maths at A-Level (I know right!) and sometimes I do look back and think I should have taken Maths. I think my parents also think this when I complain about my current degree. So, if I took Maths off the table then maybe I wouldn't complain about my course as much... maybe.

Marina Snyder

When arriving at university it is most likely you will be told one rule and one rule only: whatever you do, don’t commit flatcest.

For those who don’t know, ‘flatcest’ is the term coined when people who live together, flatmates, get together or hook up. Coming to university and hearing about the horrors of flatcest, I didn’t think it would be that likely to occur, thinking of it as more of a myth than anything else. However, to my surprise, flatcest is an occurrence that happens way more than one would first believe it does.

Living in close proximity to someone means it's not so surprising that flatcest can be a regular occurrence for many students. In fact, according to a survey by The Guardian, 26% of students say they've had a sexual relationship with someone they live with. But is it such a good idea? Well, flatcest can go two very different ways. In comparison to other sexual relationships such as one-night stands, the risks are much higher

The dark reality of the teacher/student fantasy

Poppy Baxter

More should be done to safeguard students against predatory staff members

We've all had a crush on a teacher, but I believe that staff/student relationships are completely different, and should never happen.

Firstly, I think staff/student relationships are inappropriate, as more often than not it is situations involving sexual relationships with underage children. In the news I see countless cases where students were pressured into sex by the people who should have been protecting them.

These teachers, regardless of their gender, are predators who exploit their student's immaturity. The abuse of power is normalised and disguised as a romantic relationship. But in reality, it is rape, grooming and manipulation. To me, sex should never be about the abuse of power, or something to be ashamed of and hidden.

Even if the student and teacher were both consenting adults that loved each other, I still think it is inappropriate. Regardless of the age of the student, the teacher is there to teach and not date their students. They made a promise as a teacher

to safeguard their students, not to act on their own impulses at the expense of ethics and the student. I think it would cause unneeded complexity in a student's life. And the obvious power imbalance cannot be ignored.

Many couples use student/teacher relationships as a form of role play, using ‘sexy’ teacher and ‘naughty’ student costumes to help them become intimate. It is their choice and is a fantasy. But this fantasy should never exist in real life. It is simply wrong to me.

due to the fact you will have to not only see this person every day but live with them. It’s an interesting and strange dynamic because you now live with the person you sleep with, and therefore boundaries must be placed from an early start.

For one thing, there is something that should be noted in the convenience of committing flatcest, in that, it means no walk of shame from someone else’s accommodation (apart from your own flat corridor), no need for awkward pleasantries (you already know each other and your living habits) and it means you can take the time to be comfortable with someone you already know.

With that said, It’s not for the weak. If it leads to a relationship, then it can still be complicated; you’re skipping crucial steps and

essentially going straight to living together. If it’s just a bit of fun, then you’re potentially jeopardizing your flat dynamic and once again, must live for a whole year knowing the person making breakfast across from you, has seen you naked. All in all, it depends on the situation, the people, and the dynamic. Essentially, flatcest is not

Samantha Seidu - Fashion & Beauty sub-editor

The topic of virginity is one that is definitely complex and multifaceted, so when it comes to conversations about virginity in early adulthood, it adds many more layers to an already confusing topic. As we know it now, virginity is a social construct. It is more important in certain cultures and religions than others and implies many different things.

Generally speaking, virginity is often associated with innocence, purity and inexperience, and losing it is often seen as a sort of transition to adulthood and maturity. Obviously, this isn’t the case, but trying to change a societal belief that has existed for hundreds of years can be very difficult.

As the title suggests, I came to uni as a virgin. It’s not something I am particularly ashamed of, it’s just a fact that I’ve never had sex, and that isn’t a bad thing. I’ve never made a huge fuss about it, and to be honest, nobody around me has made a big deal out of it either, but I would be lying if I said that didn’t feel very isolating.

A central part of the uni experience, amongst all other things, is relationships and sexual encounters. We’ve all seen situations where people have shared their weird and wonderful sex stories, spoken about their body count, etc. - it’s a common occurrence in a uni setting. When you’re the virgin in the group though, you might often find yourself not being able to contribute much to these discussions, which can definitely feel very weird.

The topic of virginity in early adulthood can be a very frustrating one

at times. We are living in a time where society has become much more openly sexualised and it is easy to feel pressured into having sexual encounters by a certain age so you don’t feel as though you are falling behind.

I always found it very difficult to see my close friends back at home and at uni telling me about their experiences with sex whilst I was yet to have a similar one. It is always the first thing I’m asked about when I see old friends and family: “any boys yet?”, “have you met anyone?”, “you need to put yourself out there more!”.

As well as this, the ties to virginity and innocence have meant that when people find out I’ve not had sex yet there is always some kind of weird obsession with either maintaining my so-called innocence or being the first person to take it away- very creepy, I know!

It is easy to fall into the trap of feeling embarrassment or shame across all sexual orientations and gender identities because you are a virgin in adulthood. Not having any romantic or sexual encounters can make you feel as though you are missing out or in some cases, make you feel undesirable.

In my early uni days, I considered lying about my body count (this is very common with people who are and aren’t sexually active) or at least finding a quick hookup so I can say it’s done, but thinking about it made me realise

Image credit: Public Domain

Image credit: Wiki Commons

I came to uni as a of virginity in

I considerd lying about my body count, or finding a quick hookup to say it's done

The abuse disguised as a romantic relationship

The buildings on Campus if they were sex positions

Zahra Hanif - Lifestyle sub-editor

Ever wondered what the Percy Building would be doing the dirty?

Walking through campus, have you ever stopped to glance at any of our university buildings and thought "Hey, I wonder what this place would be if it were a sex position"? My guess would be, no, not once, ever. So, with that being said, here I am to answer the question on no one's mind, with a definitive list of some of our top buildings across campus and their sexy counterparts.

Starting off strong, I'm assigning our Student's Union building to missionary. We stroll past it every day, we might not think much of it consciously at least, but it's still our go-to, the default if you will. It's reliable and it gets the job done.

It's reliable and it gets the job done.

Next up, I would liken the Barbara strang teaching centre to doggy style. The reason is that I don't like it that much but somehow I always end up in it.

There's only one contender for cowgirl and that'd have to be the Percy building. Reverse cowgirl? The medical school. Opposites, but both very useful to their subject areas. They’re not for everybody, but they cater to the niche audience that they do have well.

Next, I'm putting the Henry Daysh down as 69-ing. Just a very pleasurable experience all around, you know? Everyone has their fun (especially with basically any and every degree being taught in there).

I think the Urban Sciences building can be assigned to scissoring. There aren’t as many discussions around it, given that it's absolute miles (a ten minute walk) away from the central cluster of university

virgin: the stigma your early 20s

It simply hasn't happened yet and that's absolutely fine!

Doing more for doing it...

buildings, but it’s worth it once you’re in there.

Last up, I’m gonna put the Herschel building and spooning together. I feel like they’re both just quite minimal, nothing outstanding or remarkable, but sometimes we just happen to be there. Not so appealing from the outside, but once you’re in, it’s the same as anywhere else. So there you go, my indisputable opinions of what the Newcastle University buildings would be if they were sex positions. If you disagree with any of these, please argue with the wall. Many thanks.

Katy Saunders

A discussion into the University's sexual health services

Does the university provide adequate care and support regarding student sexual health, and if not, what more can be done to aid students in caring for their own sexual health?

In accordance with the Student Union’s ethos around the importance of caring for our sexual health, the website boasts an apparently wide range of related services and resources. The Welfare and Support Centre in the Support and Advice hub provides free STI tests, condoms, pregnancy tests and more. Furthermore, as part of their sexual health initiative, free contraception is also now available through the university. However, are these measures alone enough?

Most advice given by the university encourages students to reach out to NHS sexual health clinics if need be - the most local being the New Croft Centre in the city centre. But should

there not be an on-campus sexual health clinic too? Considering the prevalent importance of maintaining sexual health, especially within our age group, it does seem necessary, if not

Let's Talk About Sex, Baby: NUSU's sex positivty campaign

he SU introduced their ‘Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby!’ campaign after the President’s manifesto promoted sex-positivity, and let’s say, it’s In November, a few friends and I went to the Drag Bingo event. And, wow. It was so exciting watching all the twerk-offs, moaning competitions, and my best friend on the stage bent over by Drag Soc’s

Costa Fortune. Everything was iconic, horny, and most of all - normalised, inclusive and fun!

Maybe this is a unique experience, although I’d be surprised if it was, but sex education in schooling environments is extremely limited. Even then, all we are taught is basic anatomy. “Here is a penis, here is a vagina, this is a period, this is ejaculation.” Where are the lessons on pleasure, pain, and the promotion of safe sex instead of shameful stigmas?

Well, it seems like the SU took on that responsibility with this campaign, and I am all here for it. A long overdue elimination of sex as a taboo subject,

with a full ‘Let’s Talk’ page on NUSU’s website. Talking topics like the importance of sexual-health testing, what sex positivity is and is not, and various conversations on different types of sex and sexual engagement.

All of which I saw demonstrated at the Drag Bingo, and I assume the Burlesque Beginner’s class (which unfortunately I did not attend, despite knowing the entire soundtrack.) Nothing says sexpositivity like giving away prizes of vibrators and dildos, huge props to the SU for doing us all a huge favour.

And putting on a great show

I hope to see more of these events are campaigns from the SU, who knows what’s next.

More Burlesque and Drag Soc

Image Credit: @nusupresident Instagram

Image Credit: RawPixel, Wikimedia Commons

Image Credit: Unsplash

Image Credit: Unsplash

I'm here to answer the question on no one's mind

From Donald Trump to Prince Harry: do we know too much about celebrities' sex lives?

Harry Sanderson

Since the '90s, media in the UK and around much of the world has taken a sensationalist turn in its style of reporting, learning from the growth of wildly successful tabloids in what has been termed “tabloidization”.

Although previously the mainstream broadsheet media would consider speculation upon the sexual proclivities of public figures to be an undignified form of journalism, changes in recent decades have shown this attitude to be a relic of the past. With the deluge of information about the personal lives of celebrities provided to us through the media, the question must be asked: how much of this is in the public interest and how much is irrelevant and intrusive gossip? The process of tabloidization has only been exacerbated by the rise

of the internet and social media, alongside the concurrent decline of print media, as people no longer need to pay to access most journalism. These developments have fanned the flames of sensationalism to an enormous extent, with online newspapers dependent on generating clicks for ad revenue rather than delivering quality journalism, creating an online media atmosphere defined by an abundance of absurd clickbait articles which are designed to provoke rather than inform.

There's an abundance of absurd clickbait articles designed to provoke rather than inform

How much of this is irrelevant and intrusive?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been one of the main points of focus for sensationalist media in recent years, showing the uglier racist side of tabloid culture in the media. Almost every detail of the couple’s private lives were scrutinised in a manner that was nothing in comparison to the laughably

Too grown?

Adriana Newbury

Let’s talk about sex, baby. Or, let’s show young people unhealthy versions of sexual relationships, baby. The internet’s easy accessibility has endless benefits and disadvantages, but in terms of sex, young people are over exposed to pornography.

A complex issue, one that perhaps gets overlooked, is the effect that copious amounts of accessible porn has on the wellbeing and relationships of young people. According to a report carried out by Durex, the average age at which people lose their virginity in the UK is 18.3, with approximately one third having had sex by the age of 16.

In comparison to this, sexual awakening can begin when puberty starts, that’s to say, children start to think about sex as young as around 11. With these numbers in mind, for around 5-7 years, children’s only form of ‘healthy’ sexual relationships is online pornography.

There is an epidemic of unhealthy perception and relationships because of young people’s overconsumption of porn. Porn normalises sexual behaviour that disregards any type of loving and caring relationship, instead prioritising male-centred pleasure and aggressive sexual play.

Before the ban on unverified users on PornHub in 2020, there were 13 million videos on the site, many including phrases such as ‘see how much she can take’, and a huge proportion of videos normalise physically aggressive kinks such as slapping.

Now, a matured adult might be able to identify that this is abnormal behaviour, but a young person with no personal sexual experience begins to have their perceptions warped. There is a common view among young people that someone who wants to have caring sexual

relationships is seen as vanilla, because they are overexposed to aggressive play in porn. This is completely absurd; sex is supposed to be mutually enjoyable and can be an expression of love. But young people are starting to believe someone without kinks is boring because they consume so much online porn of this nature before they understand what a real-life sexual relationship is.

Not only has overconsumption of pornography warped today’s youth’s perception of healthy sexual relationships, but it has also misinformed them of realistic body expectations.

Young boys battle with body image around the size of their penis and how long they can last in bed, comparing themselves to the men in porn who are most likely on medications to prolong their performance. Young girls suffer with body image too, expecting their bodies to mature to the fake boobs and bum of porn-stars.

More importantly, they are scared of being prude with their bodies, with 1 in 5 young girls having had anal sex, a practice which can lead to many health issues if the right precautions are not taken. And it’s these potentially damaging sexual practices stem from the overconsumption of porn from too young an age.

It is naïve to think that we can entirely control young people’s access to porn sites, with website blocks easy to get around with servers such as VPNs. With today’s youth more fluent with technology than ever before, we have to educate young people with a more realistic sex education. Not just one that covers basic anatomy and intercourse, but one that talks about the complex issues surrounding the relationship between over-use of porn and negative mental health, or the impractical expectations that porn gives. By ignoring this problem, or brushing porn under the carpet, we are only further intensifying the problem.

Bootylicous British Politicians

Bootylicious British politicians. At first glance, it seems like a wildly oxymoronic phrase. But I’ve been doing a little bit of research and it turns out that many of our beloved lawmakers are hot with sex appeal. Below I’ve compiled a list from least (being 10) to most (being 1) bootylicious UK MPs.

10) James Ramsey Macdonald

– Elegant with a great mustache and a sexy Highlands accent…bla bla bla…co-founder of the Labour Party and its first Prime Minister…bla bla bla… He’s from a working-class background and is one of the very few PMs who didn’t go to Eton and Oxford… bla bla bla… and was a big campaigner for bills that supported the poorest members of society. Massive ick. Pass.

9) Jeremy Corbyn – A socialist in favour of scrapping student fees and bringing back maintenance grants, a pacifist and generally humble guy. Some would argue that he’s a charming grandfather type with a fairly good beard. Yeah, I dunno. Pass.

8) Andy Burnham – Tall(ish), dark-haired, and handsome. I mean, those aren’t my words but I’m sure there’s someone out there who’d describe him as such. So, I guess

he pushed the government to open a second inquiry into the Hillsborough Disaster and as Mayor of Greater Manchester is committed to eradicating homelessness in the region. I guess. Whatever. Pass.

7) Rishi Sunak – OK now this is where it starts to heat up. The man behind Eat Out to Help Out and the increase of Covid infections. And sure, maybe we didn’t vote for him and maybe he is filthy stinking rich. But I would tell him to cover those big beautiful ears and let the haters hate. Money Love conquers all.

6) Matt Hancock – If any of you broke lockdown rules, you should be ashamed. But of course, if lover boy here wants to bend the rules for a sneaky adulterous link, that’s fine by me. He’s a rebel without a cause or morals and he deserves every penny (minus 3%) of the £320,000 he got for I’m a Celeb…

body be bussin’ it down reptilian style.... We May have lost one queen, but the Dancing Queen, old and stiff, is here to stay. Long May she dance.

3) Priti Patel – More like PRETTY Patel. With her luscious raven hair and pencil-thin eyebrows, in my books, she has the Priti privilege to send migrants to some random island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean or better yet, Rwanda. #Girlboss, Gaslight, Gatekeep Britain.

2) Boris Johnson – His bumbling mumbo jumbo is poetry to my ears. Hands, face, space? Sorry, but when it comes to Mr Johnson, I must break every social distancing rule. This party gatekeeper is art on legs: behold the way his bleached blonde straw-like hair sticks out in every direction. I would gladly join him on a romantic rendezvous to Peppa Pig World to conceive child number 8.

5) Dominic Cummings – There is beauty in that receding hairline. I would drive exactly 264 miles whilst infected with Covid for that hairline. Then I’d go a further 30 miles for a nonessential leisurely trip for that hairline.

4) Theresa May – The way that

1) Nigel Farage – As a huge horror fan, when Nigel’s hideous face contorts itself into what I believe is supposed to be a smile, and through his yellow teeth he spits out his xenophobic, racist garbage, my heart doth burn for him. Hands down, Britain’s sexiest politician. Expectations that porn gives. By ignoring this problem, or brushing porn under the carpet, we are only further intensifying the problem.

benevolent treatment of Prince him to his advantage. ‘Spare’ has tabloidization seems to be here to stay.

Refugees aren't the only thing she's throwing back

Image credit: Harry [BTtimesonline.com] Vaseline [biocutem.com]

Image credit: WikimediaCommons

Jemima Ajayi

Pornhub... the Good, the Bad and the Horny

Immy Brown

One of our writers analyses the pros and cons of the world's leading online adult entertainment platform

We’ve all heard the classroom sniggers and stifled laughter; British awkwardness around sex preventing us from talking openly about the impacts of porn. However, as Pornhub’s 2022 yearly statistic review provides insight into user habits, I question the danger of Pornhub’s influence. These sites are branded as ‘entertainment’, but do they in fact mask a darker side to sex?

The leading online adult entertainment platform Pornhub launched in 2007, reaching 1 million daily visits within its first seven months. The expanse of its online presence is enormous, but its reach makes controlling usage extremely difficult. 60% of children aged between 11 and 13

have seen pornography unintentionally, influencing many into believing porn is a true representation of sex, when in reality, this is far from the truth.

Aside from promoting extremely unhealthy body image expectations for both men and women, porn romanticises aggressive and sometimes violent sex. In 2022 the search on Pornhub for 'gangbang' went up by 88%, illustrating how porn cannot always be seen as harmless 'entertainment'.

This category often places one person in a position of vulnerability whilst others physically dominate, actively inciting violence and abuse whilst being disguised as ‘sexy’.

Through presenting non-consensual sex as attractive, porn instils the attitude that consent is unnecessary, creating the expectation that because porn is so easily accessible at all times, sex must be too. A good friend of mine was born and brought up in Iran, a country where homosexuality is still illegal. She told me that

through access to porn she was able to learn about lesbian sex, helping her to identify and understand her sexuality through online platforms providing education and exposure.

Whilst porn creates the space for sexual education, it also fuels the fetishisation of lesbianism for the male gaze. The 2022 Pornhub statistic review saw 'lesbian' become the favourite search in the US, perpetuating the idea that sex is an experience to be enjoyed by men, thus placing male pleasure at the forefront of these platforms. With comments like “you’re a lesbian that’s sexy” or “let me watch” becoming all too frequently heard, porn disrespectfully places homosexuality in a category of fetishes. I'm not denying that this industry has benefits. Sex work is real work, and so sex workers deserve to be respected and protected within their jobs. As a rise in popularity of other entertainment sites like OnlyFans shows, women are reclaiming their

sexuality in a way which allows them to profit and gain financial independence. However, Pornhub sparks major ethical concern through exploitative patterns that show a lack of responsibility for the videos published.

Representation in porn needs to change

In 2009, a 14-year-old girl was raped at knifepoint, the videos being uploaded to Pornhub. Despite repeated emails, phone calls and messages from the girl, Pornhub ignored her. They only deleted the videos when she impersonated a legal team, exposing a fundamentally unethical core of the company and a lack of responsibility for the individual. Representation in porn needs to change. Real bodies and real experiences need to be dipicted, rather than perpetuating an unhealthy display of sex that places pressure on viewers to achieve an edited version. Porn sites have a moral responsibility to promote safe, consensual sex, allowing teens that learn about sex and relationships through their content that respect is fundamental.

Should sex education in school be more inclusive?

Caitlin Gee

Sex sounds pretty simple when you say it out loud. It’s just something that two people do when they are attracted to each other, right? At least that’s what we’re taught in the classrooms.

Break her back and overthrow her government

Sex and government - not the most obvious of pairings, nor the most agreeable, but nevertheless the two are undeniably related. I don’t mean to bring politicians into the bedroom, but really, they were already there.

Sexual freedom and sexual limitations are, unfortunately, controlled by the state instead of the individual: it is politicians who ultimately decide who we can have sex with, who we can marry, and what we do with our bodies. As gross as this sounds, it is the reality of all governments, democratic or not, and, whilst we don’t want to think about Rishi Sunak in a sexual context, it is the truth of this country as well.

However, in the UK, we are lucky enough to have a reasonably progressive democracy from the sexual point of view: abortions are legal, same-sex marriage is legal, and the majority of laws to do with doing it are in place for our own protection. Similarly, in the UK, we don't have any military coups or civil unrest (if we ignore the strikes) - so can there be a link between the two?

Use condoms, don’t trust the pull-out method and treat consent like a cup of tea. All of these rules are emphasised in sex education classes, but where does that leave female and queer people?

In 2017 the government passed a law that sex education must be compulsory in all schools. We were taught the basics.

The anatomy of the act, and the fact that it can lead to pregnancy. Looking back, it all seems so…. male gaze.

The reality is that sex is not such a simple process. As well as being a physical act, sex is inherently based upon the mentality of the people involved. It can cause feelings of love, lust and even regret. Yes, I left school almost three years ago, but my memory of anything along these lines being taught is non-existent - most-likely because it was never mentioned.

Let’s talk about contraception, because the only time I learned about it was when I was prescribed a hormonal pill to take at 14 years old. 14 is a young age, and often girls take on contraception even earlier. Women and girls are immediately expected to fill their body with anti-pregnancy medication from day dot, with a lack of knowledge on the consequences. Looking back, if I had been aware of the hormonal side effects of contraception through education, the whole process would have been far less intimidating. As well as this, educating boys and girls on the difficulties women face in terms of contraception would certainly help men to better understand their partner’s needs. It

although

male and females are educated on every type of STD possible, female STI’s are never in conversation. It is startling that 60% of women commonly contract water and yeast infections from sexual intercourse, but do not know about their existence until they are victim to the excruciating pain caused. Men know that condoms protect them from contracting chlamydia, so why is it so difficult to remind girls that they must urinate after sex?

This male gaze aspect of sex education is also arguably very straight male focused. If over 1.2 million people identify as LGBTQ+ in the UK alone, then surely it should be the bare minimum to provide the necessary sex education? There would be no radical change to the teaching content - recent studies show that the simple inclusion of LGBTQ+ sex education is incredibly beneficial to both queer people and straight people, in terms of reducing homophobic harassment. The link between sex education and the taboo of gay sex is uncanny, and things need to change.

It’s all very simple in hind-sight - sex education is not extensive enough. Women and queer peoples’ needs are neglected, and the system is appearing more and more oldfashioned. In 2023, it should be the bare minimum to require an inclusive, diverse experience for all in sex education, and if things do not change, then misogyny and homophobia will continue to haunt people’s attitudes towards sex.

According to Hilary Clinton, there most definitely is as she argues that women’s rights and violence against women should be considered issues of national security. Meanwhile, the US appears to have taken this statement as a personal challenge, as the rise of right wing extremism, culminating in the attack on the Capitol in 2021, seems to directly mirror the amount of states seeking to control abortion, and, by extension, sex itself.

The increasingly drastic responses to issues surrounding the control of women’s bodies in some states, and on a national level (Roe V Wade being overturned), certainly connects political stability and control with approaches towards sex. In the US, it does indeed appear that women’s rights are quickly becoming a concern for national security.

Looking further afield, Brunei is a country in which it is legal to flog and, in some cases, kill LGBTQ+ members, an example of extreme sexual control that perhaps reflects its status as a monarchical dictatorship, as its Sultan is the head of state with full executive control as well as emergency powers since 1962. This shows how an authoritative state can exercise its absolute power through the control of its subjects’ bodies and sexual autonomy.

In Nigeria, a country which has experienced nine political coups between 1966 and 2014, identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community can land you up to 14 years in prison - although this civil unrest does have more to do with the destructive affects of British colonialist rule rather than the inhibition of sex. Regardless, it is clear that where there is more control of sex and the individual’s bodily autonomy, the ruling state is much more reliant on that restrictive control, inside and outside the bedroom.

Being as lucky as we are in the UK, we should celebrate our rights to have sex, so by all means, break her back and overthrow the government this Valentine's Day. Rishi won’t see it coming.

Sex sounds pretty simple when you say it out loud

Taking contraception would have been far less intimidating had I known about the side effects

Looking back, sex education all seems so... male gaze

Amelie Baker

Image credit: Pixabay

Space sexology: the scientific study of extra-terrestrial intimacy and sexuality

Ada Stockwell

One of our writers explores the question of why we aren't reseaching sex in space

At the beginning of this space-faring age, humans in space can struggle with intimacy due to a lack of research into the topic. Space sexology, which is defined as “the scientific study of extra-terrestrial intimacy and sexuality” (Dubé et al., 2023), affects every space mission. Sex is an inherent part of being human and must be dealt with carefully to avoid conflicts among crew members. The space industry continues to grow, so this issue must be dealt with now.

To some extent, sex and intimacy are inevitable in space, especially if our aim is to continue humanity elsewhere. Cast your mind to the realms of science fiction: if we are to create a happy spacefaring society, we must protect the reproductive health of astronauts and, eventually, protect those who are born outside Earth’s atmosphere. Furthermore, without

research, the risk of sexual violence experienced terrestrially can permeate space too. Given that minority groups are disproportionally affected by sexual violence, it is further important to minimise the risks to create an inclusive space environment.

Why, then, does NASA insist that “we don’t study sexuality in space, and we don’t have any studies ongoing with that. If that’s your specific topic, there’s nothing to discuss.” (Bryner, 2008)? There are several factors that prevent research into the topic. Due to high hygiene levels, a limited number of crew members, and a lack of research in space environments such as the ISS, sexual relationships are not currently feasible. Thus, this issue's progression may require developing new technological systems – perhaps to facilitate conception in low-gravity environments. Furthermore, space agencies' decisions intersect with their financers' sociocultural norms. The traditionally conservative sexual views of the population make space organisations avoid funding anything related to sex.

There are, of course, risks with extraterrestrial eroticism. Problems facing sexual interactions include privacy and the physical effects of low gravity

on reproductive organs. It is also known that microgravity can lead to deconditioning, which is the reduction of bone density and muscle atrophy, as well as affecting liquids such as blood flow and semen (which could influence erections, procreation, and gestation). Furthermore, exposure to radiation may affect conception, pregnancy and child development, since ionising particles can alter the DNA of cells and gametes, promoting cancer, congenital malformations, developmental anomalies, and miscarriages (Williams & Fletcher, 2010). Further, adapting to space life can be stressful and disrupt nutrition intake, circadian rhythms, and microbiomes, and typical embryo development requires a standard gravity of 1-g (Wakayama et al., 2009).

is proven to help with stress, blood pressure, sleep, pain, headaches, the immune system, pelvic floor muscles, protection from prostate cancer, selfesteem, body image, and relationship satisfaction (Pennanen-Iire et al., 2021).

A reasonable solution could be masturbation, which is more accessible for the above benefits with fewer risks. Fundamentally, humane, meaningful extra-terrestrial lives include sex.

However, not everything about sexual relationships beyond Earth is negative. If intimacy is facilitated, astronauts' quality of life could be improved. Sex

The dual control model that revolutionises your sex life

Francesa Read-Cutting

The sex-positive science podcast that will get you talking...and cumming

Emily Nagoski is a sex educator, science lover, and author of the NY Times best sellers 'Come as You Are' and 'Burnout'. She is also the host of the 'Come as You Are' podcast, which has the potential to completely revolutionise your relationship with your sex life.

Nagoski makes sure her science and advice extends to the LGBTQ+ community and uses groundbreaking research and other leading experts to bust cultural myths around sex and sexuality.

One of the key topics she refers to is the "dual control model", a model for sexual response which states that the sexual response mechanism in your brain is controlled by a juxtaposing pair of mechanisms, termed an accelerator and a brake.

The sexual accelerator notices all the sex-related cues in your environment to send signals that 'turn you on', deduced from smell, touch, taste as well as from your thoughts, beliefs and imaginations. Our accelerators are functioning at low levels all the time, including as you read this article about sex, which likely stimulates your accelerator a little bit.

Nagoski points out a lot of sex advice is aimed at increasing the stimulation of our accelerators, but often neglects addressing our brakes, or 'turn offs'. In the dual control model, the process of becoming aroused is a simultaneous process of turning on the 'ons' AND turning off the 'offs'. Nagoski disclaims that the model is more complex than this, with there being multiple brake systems, however these basic principles are enough to start being applied to our own sex lives.

Mind the orgasm gap

Daisy Harrison - Food & Drink sub-editor

body self-criticism, relationship issues and trauma history, may all require more directed long-term approaches to overcome.

Our sexual response mechanism has an accelerator and a brake

Environment can also be crucial, as demonstrated by studies that aim to research how orgasms affect the brain. These studies require participants to masturbate to orgasm inside an FMRI machine, and among the type of crowd who are even willing to participate in this research, only half are able to achieve this, while the context keeps the brakes on for the rest.

However, when a Dutch researcher allowed participants to wear their socks the likelihood the person orgasmed doubled. It turned out that having cold feet had been the biggest brake, distracting participants enough to prevent orgasm, but this brake was released simply by giving them warm socks.

So, if you find you struggle to get fully aroused in the moment despite having all the right 'accelerator' cues, it might be that your 'brakes' are simultaneously being over stimulated, which can be caused by a huge variety of factors.

Many minor brakes, such as worrying about being walked in or heard, can be more easily fixed, by locking the door or only having sex when no-one is home. Other brakes such as stress,

So how can we apply this model to our own sex lives? Well one way would be to make a basic list of all the cues that typically activate your accelerator and a corresponding list of those that stimulate your brakes. If you have a regular sexual partner, get them to do the same, and communicate your brakes to each other in order to stop them from being activated.

Orgasm: the highest point of sexual excitement, characterised by an intense sensation and usually accompanied in the male by ejaculation of sperm and in the female by involuntary vaginal contractions. Sounds like a fair deal: both males and females experience the feeling of pleasure during intercourse. However, the definition above gives no indication of the disparity between the frequency of men's and women’s orgasms when taking part in sexual intimacy. The Archives of Sexual Behaviour studied over 52,000 sexually active Americans and found that heterosexual men were recorded to orgasm 95% of the

As with most problems faced by women, the ingrained nature of the patriarchy within society is a leading factor in the orgasm gap. For centuries, women have been taught to be passive to male demands, with their own needs being placed as inferior to male pleasure.

This positions the female orgasm as less important than male sexual satisfaction, leading to ignorance of women’s requirements within sexual encounters. For example, Dr Laurie Mintz found that only 10% of women are able to orgasm from penetration alone, yet it is often viewed by men as the most effective way to make women orgasm.

Thus, ‘foreplay’, and especially clitoral stimulation, is the most powerful way to produce a female orgasm; with Mintz also establishing that 99% of women opt to stimulate their clitoris when masturbating. Therefore, the rejection of foreplay

time, in comparison to women, who were recorded to have an orgasm frequency of 65%.

Surely women and their bodies are to blame for this division, known as the ‘orgasm gap’, right? It’s just harder for women to orgasm than men, isn’t it...? Sex researcher, Alfred Kinsey, found that both men and women take four minutes to orgasm; women have more orgasms when they’re alone vs with a partner; and lesbian women have significantly more orgasms during sexual encounters than heterosexual women. So, if women aren’t accountable for this intimacy incongruity, what is? And how can it be prevented?

in favour of penetration is less likely to produce a female orgasm, and instead leaves women unsatisfied and unimpressed.

Although recent depictions of sexual encounters in popular culture have become more authentic and accurate to real-life situations, through shows such as ‘Sex Education’ and ‘The Principles of Pleasure’, the education people receive regarding sexual intimacy, and especially women’s pleasure, needs to be more extensive – rather than expecting less from sexual encounters, we should educate and empower more.

If intimacy is facilitated, astronauts' quality of life could be improved

Image credit: Unsplash

Image credit: Pixabay

Sub-editors: Elisabeth Göres, Isabel Lamb, Anthony Welsh

Intimacy: it requires patience

I-Fen Yang

Lady in the streets, freak in the sheets

Laura Kasongo

Why we should be opening up conversations around sex and masturbation

Iused to hear someone say that “the best love should reveal the best version of ourselves.”

Communication is the most crucial skill that builds intimacy between couples. When we are in a relationship, there is a period that we are trying to understand each other, such as each other’s habits and personalities, and we should learn to respect each other and set boundaries. To understand that everyone comes from different backgrounds and families, they will also bring their knowledge to this relationship. We should never ask our partners to change their personalities to cater to our preference, just to make ourselves feel more comfortable. Otherwise, we are not falling in love with the person, we are creating the ideal partner, and this will never last.

From books to popular shows like Sex Education (2019), the conversation surrounding sex is seemingly more open within our modern age. Even though the show addresses a diverse spectrum of sexual topics, I’ve found when discussing it with pals, there is still some embarrassment when talking about the comedydrama, especially if you mention Lily and her alien fantasies. This embarrassment often transpires in any conversation about sex which deviates from the heteronormative.

If you lived in student accommodation as a fresher, you may be aware of ye olde ‘sex chart’; a graph which documents and differentiates types of intercourse. Ours was on the communal notice board. There were titles such as ‘doing bits’ or ‘getting with’ which, when I was curious about the details, found them to be based on whether a penis enters a vagina (I can already see you cringing at those words). When asking how lesbian sex worked on the chart, it seemed you somehow didn’t win as many points and it was an inquiry that led to a

sexual discussion not anticipated by some. As with most, it took me a while to get comfortable with masturbation but now I’m quite open to publicly talk about it and this discomforted the men in my flat. Not expecting my input on their laddish discussion on wanking, it was as if my open desires were unbecoming not hilarious, and/or a threat to their masculinity. One night we played ‘Truth or Drink’, during which a chosen card on sexual kinks made the room fall silent. Dinking despite the rules, I decided we should talk about it and had to give examples they would eventually confess to. The least experienced is the horniest. Go figure.

Admittedly, not all of my flat were that reserved, for instance I wasn’t the only one who owned a vibrator. In fact, one of them used to blast the song ‘I touch myself’, youth choir edition, in our living room, also known as the Sex Education song. Still, saying they had a vibrator was like saying they had a deadly weapon in their drawer; all whispered and secretive. Even when it comes to buying sex toys, sellers often assure buyers of their discreet packaging, which I appreciate that Postman Pat doesn’t know I ran out of lube but in a way does repress sexual expression.

There is a difficulty in the borderline of oversharing and it’s as if we can’t find the medium between almost Victorian repression to hypersexualisation. Whilst sex is a human bodily

function, there is still an intimacy to it with your loved one(s) or the self and that shouldn’t be lost in translation. More often than not, it is women who have to deal with the consequences of sexual status in a patriarchal society. The morning-after term ‘walk of shame’ still circulates today and its where the phrase ‘lady in the streets, freak in the sheets’ diverges. The journey home in last night’s clothing makes the repressed ‘lady’ almost impossible to find in the streets and your ‘freakishness’ to be hidden, so why not embrace both? Get freaky with your vocabulary and don’t get your knickers in a twist for taking them off.

We may expose our vulnerability in front of our partners during these conversations and some people may feel uncomfortable to express their feelings, but this is all a part of building intimacy and trust. Arguments and fights are important ways to communicate as well, as these are natural and emotional and both partners need to be mature and work together to come to an understanding.

Through the time passed, the more we understand our partners, the more intimacy we build in the relationship. We will accept the flaws of our partners and maybe some flaws just make us love our partners more, making the relationship more personal and special.

For some people it can be harder to reveal vulnerability in front of someone. If we can’t reveal this side of us now, you and your partner will have to be patient and get to know each other deeper and wait to build more trust and intimacy. Then naturally, it will become easier and more comfortable to be vulnerable.

As you understand each other’s feeling more you will appreciate them going out of their comfort zone to try and get closer to you and make you happy, which are giant steps for building intimacy and appreciation of one another in a relationship.

Communication has always been the way to solve problems. Building a good communication ability is the key to lead to building intimacy and a long-lasting relationship. So, let’s talk!

The link between communication and intimacy is integral to a healthy relationship Image credit: Pixabay

Image credit: IMDB

No Strings Attached: Is it Mission Impossible?

Ellie Cornforth

Is it possible to have no-string-attached sexor is it always doomed to heartbreak?

We're all familiar with the endless terms designated to those cheeky club kisses that end up back in our beds, 'friends with benefits’, ‘shag pals’, ‘one night stands.’ You might swap numbers or add each other on Snapchat, thinking it’s innocent. But eventually the messages, facetimes and coffee ‘dates’ you swear mean nothing cumulate in the dreaded ‘f’ word: feelings. Even worse, more often than not, only one person will be lumbered with them, and the last thing you want is to get attached to someone you were never really that bothered about in the first place.

various childhood traumas that still affect you today are kept to a minimum (ideally not had at all) the connection is purely physical and the casual sex remains… well, casual. It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of casual hookups, but once feelings are involved it becomes borderline impossible to remain calm and collected. And let's be honest nobody wants to be that person religiously stalking the socials and snap maps of someone they’ve known for a grand

truth? One night stands provide the novelty of strings being out of the question; a fun, flirty night and nothing more. But if you linger the next day and before you know it you’ve spent hours in bed, cuddling and watching Friends, this kind of intimacy eliminates casualness. Cut to a week later and you find yourself glancing at your phone every 30 seconds, hoping their name pops up. I’m all for no strings attached if you think you can handle it, but

Since the bubble of no strings attached sex is so delicate, a good idea is to establish ground rules, because even the most casual of sexcapades require some effort. One of the key rules, in my humble opinion, is to keep it light. By ensuring deep conversations about how you’re coping with your parents divorce or

The more we understand our partners, the more intimacy we build in the relationship

‘Dates’ you swear mean nothing cumulate in the dreaded ‘f’ word: feelings

Ruby Butler - Relationships sub-editor

Wank, finger, flickicking the bean - let's talk about female pleasure

Lights off; under the covers and do not talk about it. Why there are so many rules around female self pleasure and why language and culture make it an inherently shameful act.

Let’s get one sexist misconception straight… women do not touch themselves or masturbate, we wank. The word that is saved for men, normalising their self-pleasure but makes a woman seem unhinged if she is to use it for her self-pleasure. It remains unacceptable for women to openly talk about wanking which leads most women to start exploring their own bodies much later in life than men. Even when women do talk about it, it should be in a saint-like, ‘feminine’ way, compared to men. They have much more slang surrounding their ‘knuckle shuffle’ and publicly joke about their wank socks and tissues next to the bed.

But where are these gender stereotypes surrounding masturbation learnt? A lot of it seems to be taught in childhood, especially in school when boys would make hand gestures across the classroom or proudly announce that they were participating in No-Nut-November or Destroy-Dick-December. Whereas if a school girl pretended to finger herself it would be shocking,

perverted, maybe even enough to get you sent to the Headmistress’s office. And may I ask where our movements normalising female wanking stand in the calendar? All in favour of Forgo-FingeringFebruary say I…. On second thoughts, this doesn’t sound fun!

By creating a taboo around us wanking, the patriarchy keeps us dependent on men for pleasure

Our sexual satisfaction is not seen as urgent, as necessary as a mans therefore when we wank we are seen to take on a male trait and go against our role of being an object for mans’ sexual satisfaction. This view teaches young women that their pleasure is not as important as a man's, which has massive repercussions in the bedroom when we feel the need to please the man and put his pleasure above our own. It also teaches young boys that their satisfaction is more important than ours and that they can use us to get it. In this respect, the orgasm gap comes as no surprise. By creating a taboo around us wanking, the patriarchy keeps us dependent on men for pleasure, think we can all agree is very disappointing a lot of the time.

We are not encouraged

Women who wank Libidos in limbo

Confusing sex and intimacy

Hopefully we are all aware of what sex is in its fundamental actions. But, sometimes the word intimacy throws a spanner in the cogs of peoples’ brains. People can use the word intimacy to describe the act of sex. Sometimes it is used to describe the atmosphere of a cosy or romantic bar. The Oxford English dictionary describes it as ‘close familiarity or friendship’, I would argue that I know my closest friends in more intimate ways than I would ever know a partner. When sex and intimacy are confused in a romantic context it can put a lot of pressure on the people involved, when you think sex is the only way to express love then it blurs important boundaries. What needs to be done is a separation of sex from the idea of emotional intimacy, those two ideas can go hand in hand, but they don’t have to.

In our sex education at school, it’s all ‘when two people love each other’ blah blah blah. This is a toxic way of thinking. When two

people love each other they also do nice things for each other. Examples of this is buying flowers; remembering the little things that a person loves; cooking their favourite foods etc. It’s not all giving in to animal instincts. How people choose to define it is up to them, but we need to create a space in relationships to be able to do this. Be open with your partner! For some people, sex is not a majorly important aspect of a relationship, and for some, it means a lot. It’s important to clarify how important sex is to you to gain an understanding of what you are gaining from it. Sex can fulfil short-term needs, but in the grand scheme of things it is the idea of emotional intimacy that fulfils a person’s needs. So how can we change? To be in a healthy relationship with someone else we first need to have a healthy relationship with ourselves. Listen to what your body is telling you because then it is much easier to get out of a relationship what you want and need. Don’t compare your relationship to others, whether that is those that are close to you or those who are represented in the popular media or movies.

Amelie Baker

Can we define a 'normal' libido - and how much change can we expect?

Are libidos prone to change? The short answer to this question is definitely YES! A fluctuating libido is an unavoidable part of everyone’s sex lives, something that is challenging to accept.

Indeed, the very concept of a ‘normal’ libido leads us to believe that fluctuations are abnormal. Unfortunately, that sense of the ‘norm’ is, of course, dictated by hetero-normative and patriarchal stereotypes which ignores the diversity and unique intimacy constituting each individual’s sex lives. ‘Normal’ should be what works for you, regardless of gender identity, sex or sex orientation, and not tied to the expectation stemming from what’s between your legs - your libido, your ‘normal’.

hormones, which affects us all differently. The key thing, as always in relationships, is to communicate and try not to place expectations on yourself. You want to have sex when you want to have sex, and no amount of worry will change that.

Whether you find yourself wanting sex all the time, or not at all, it is okay to feel this way, and it is also okay to feel totally different about sex the next moment. The desire to do it can be elusive, or ever-present: you are just sliding one way or the other on that scale, from one extreme to the next, powered by hormones, and emotions, and all the rest of it. Indeed, fluctuations are the new ‘norm’.

Even after confronting these societal expectations, anxieties over changes to libido (or having no libido at all) are not easily overcome. A lower libido can incite questions of whether I still see my partner sexually, if the relationship is failing, should we break up? Do not listen to these little voices! If anything, the increase in stress surrounding these anxieties only contributes to this change in libido. After all, external and psychological factors are the main things that influence libido levels, alongside

Sub-editors: Ruby Butler, Georgia Purcell & Rebecca Wright

Molly Hilton

The 'norm' is dictated by patriarchal stereotypes which ignores the diversity in each individual's sex life.

Communicate and try not to place expectations on yourself

Finally getting over my fear of sex

is something

Castor Chan - TV Sub-editor

How my journey with sex has evolved

since being at university

Personally, I think that I’ve come (we're starting off with this pun, sorry) really far since a year ago. I’ve gotten over my dread of losing my v-card, I’m more comfortable with my body, and overall, I have really healthy conversations about sex and our expectations with my significant other. There is still work to do, but sex is now a much less intimidating part of my life.

Some of you may have read my article last year, some of you won’t have. Tldr – I am done with pressure and my fear of having sex. This doesn’t mean that I’m never scared again, just that I’m more confident in myself and recognising what I want. Having started pole, I’ve also learnt to appreciate my body for being able to do what I enjoy, which in turn has improved my physique and self-esteem; something that never hurts when you’re naked.

Another thing that stopped me from being okay with intimacy was my skin. I have eczema, which means pain, scarring, and self-consciousness. The patches on my arms and thighs, even if not red and angry, are still a visible and constant setback for me. But my partner loves and touches me however my skin is and even helps me take care of it. The way he looks at me and treats me makes me feel pretty, and this consideration of my insecurities

Why drunk hookups can mean whiskey business

Annoymous

am in a loving relationship, which is where this (100% true and accurate) anecdote comes from. I truly believe that in the heat of the moment, people typically lose all common sense- here is where the mishaps occur.

Anonymous

ISave the embarass-mint... It can only go up from here, right?

This is what happened, when on a mundane Tuesday I began to engage in, what I expected to be a typically pain free sexual experience with my partner. I’m not here to slander their name (for I would like to remain in this relationship), but the following events are questionable at best! They began using their limited knowledge to ‘go down on me’, perform ‘cunnilingus’, ‘lick me out’- or whichever way you want to describe what should be a very pleasant experience.

What felt like seconds into this act, an intense burning sensation washed over me. This feeling started as a tingle, which quickly erupted into a flurry of panic when it turned into an alarming burn which had washed over my entire vagina. As it turns out, my loving, caring and quite clearly senseless partner had decided that my vagina (selflubricating may I add) required more spit for a comfortable and pleasurable experience. In trying to produce more saliva, he had acquired menthol flavoured chewing gum from the drawers beside us. Here the inevitable happened, the stinging sensation which had taken hold of my entire body had started from a concoction of pH neutral saliva and eucalyptus airwaves. After sprinting to the bathroom, the cold water splashes soothed the inflammation but not the uncomfortable tenseness in the air.

The lesson learnt from this painful ordeal is that communication (and basic anatomy training) is vital in any sexual encounter. Luckily, a urinary tract infection nor thrush came from this experiencebut two very embarrassed (one walking with a limp) people.

It’s always a bad start when your house mates don’t approve, maybe that’s down to my poor taste in men. Maybe he looked like that annoying boy from Polar Express, but nevertheless I went on the date. The date went well so I did the natural thing and invited him back.

We quickly got down to the nitty gritty, clothes flung to the side. He proceeded to go down on me but when it came to the deed, ‘whisky willy’ prevailed, three drinks proved enough to tame his puppet. We were three condoms deep and none of it was in me. He did the right thing and made it up to me in other ways, I enjoyed it and was enjoying it, until I heard the words, ‘good girl’…

That was enough to kill the mood, I quickly faked it and we opted for a good old fashioned spoon. However, that was ruined too when he decided to complement my arsehole, in an unnervingly enthusiastic tone. He then asked if I was willing to try anal, but I thought that was a long shot if he couldn’t keep it up to begin with.

Unfortunately for me this story had both a bad start and a disappointing end.

and there is no judgement here, just be safe! Sex for anyone should be pain-free, enjoyable on both sides, and not scary at all.

Once I lost my virginity – which took time, failed attempts, and a lot of talking – I truly realised that there was nothing to be worried about. As much as I wasn’t fussed about actually still being a virgin at uni, I still had ideas in my head that my first time was going to be ‘getting through it.' I’m going to be honest, it’s never going to be the best sex in your life. You won’t know what works for you with intercourse even if you’ve tried every other thing under the sun; finding a position, and any techniques or toys that work for you, will take time. Don’t get frustrated at yourself or your partner if things aren’t perfect, just explore alternatives and work it out together.

And on my last point, my boyfriend and I are content if we never end up having sex again. People and libidos aren’t consistent, and there are so many different avenues nowadays to satisfy yourself. There is no shame in toys; they increase pleasure, are a brilliant option for lazy people like me, and can really help those who can’t just get off from penetrative sex or aren't comfortable with it. Though they aren’t necessary, if your intercourse partner isn’t vibing (lol) with you owning or even starting a conversation about toys, you can find someone better.

How

about 'the female gaze'

Libby Griffiths

Our existence is defined by concepts such as femininity and masculinity, but can we break free from them?

What is the ‘female gaze’ as opposed to the ‘male gaze’?

As soon as I saw this prompt I thought to myself, there is no such thing as the female gaze. Perhaps a controversial opinion, I digress. But living in a patriarchal society where I perceive my third eye through a voyeuristic lens, it is hard to believe I can exist in a world where the gaze I feel burning through every pore and fibre of my being is a female presence.

When you see or hear of other women sleeping in makeup, setting up their phones to record themselves from all angles whilst pacing around their rooms, and cultivating targeted social media posts, immediately, you think, I do that too! But this isn’t an example of the female experience, but an internalised male perception of viewing yourself.

being a woman!’ or – at the other end of the spectrum – a compilation of screaming and crying in female rage. All used to express the collective ideologies of womanhood, but even then, usually, they hold a male focus on how we are all collectively perceived.

I could say a lot on this topic, but I feel my opinion is entirely overshadowed by a quote I read from The Robber Bride. A quote from the astonishingly brilliant, well-read, raging feminist, Margaret Atwood:

“Even pretending you aren't catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you're unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman.”

To limit the existence of women for the pleasure of men is rather depressing. Instead, I choose to think about it with another incredibly famous quote of Atwood’s, nolite te bastardes

carborundum:

"Don’t let the bastards grind you down."

Sometimes you see ideas of the female gaze plastered across TikTok’s for-you-page, curating audios to express the universal experiences of being a woman. Audios like, ‘Oh, how I love

It is hard to believe I can exist in a world where the gaze I feel burning through my being is a female presence

I truly realised that there was nothing to be worried about.

I feel

Image Credit:Unsplash

Image Credit: Unsplash

The big Lifestyle ick-terview

Zahra Hanif - Lifestyle sub-editor

Your lifestyle sub-editors sit down to discuss the important stuff.

On Saturday the 4th of February at 19:09pm, I sat down with my two fellow Lifestyle sub-editors to discuss the burning question on everybody's mind: What are our biggest icks? As three of the sexy sub-editors on the sexiest team that Newcastle University has to offer, the fans have been dying to know. And today, I'm here to deliver.

ZH: Thank you for joining me tonight. You know the drill, so, Jenica Davis. Let's start with you.

JD: Well I'm gonna have to start with a certain phenomenon I've witnessed, let's call it "Formula 1 Typing". I feel like this one is a common ick amongst students, but the aggressive typers in lecture halls - those robotic students who are typing away like it's their last ever lecture, or like they're at an Aldi checkout.

I guess this is quite the campus controversy.

ZH: And what do you have to say to these people, Jenica?

JD: Just bring it down a notch. I am biased

however, because - call me old-school - I take notes with pen and paper - which I've been told by typers is a massive ick in this day and age. So I guess this is quite the campus controversy.

ZH: Thank you for sharing your story. And you, Molly?

MJ: My biggest ick is condescending men, only made worse when they're proved wrong. While bouncy walks and dressing gowns score highly for

many women, for me, there is nothing worse than "mansplaining".

ZH: And how does this make you react?

MJ: It makes me shudder when someone pretends to know more about something than they actually do, just to look better, or to get one up on you.

ZH: Wow. Well, thank you girls. I'll now wrap it up with mine - hats. I'm not talking you know, your standard cap when it's warm out.

That's fine by me. I'm talking more in a club, or being a little bit more edgy by trying out a beret. You might laugh in disbelief, but I've seen it happen. It's haunting.

*all three shudder*

ZH: Thank you for joining me for this week's paper, we'll see you next week!

Benefits of period sex Experimenting in the bedroom

Caitlin Gee

One of our writers discusses why we should be normalising, not avoiding, period sex.

Periods are arguably one of the most empowering things about being a woman. They mark the transition from girlhood to womanhood, and let us know that our bodies are ready to have children. The cycle is a totally natural, trait of the female anatomy that we cannot control. Despite this, periods are still one of the most taboo topics within society, especially when it comes to sex.

In fact, although the conversation is avoided, period sex is attached with multiple health benefits. The uncertain, avoidance around the topic is simple a double standard created by men- if women accept men’s ejaculation, then what’s wrong with them facing up to a little blood?

Of course, you may be a woman reading this who genuinely does not like period sex for her own reasons- and that’s so understandable! It can be messy and often uncomfortable, the last thing that many women desire when they’re menstruating.

If you are a woman who has sexual needs during her time of the month, but feels like society tells her this is wrong, then keep reading, as I turn your view of period sex from an unspoken taboo to a normalised, enjoyable act. Periods may be empowering, but they can also be painfulmentally and physically! The thought

of sex whilst tolerating agonizing cramps may seem like a total nightmare, but sex has actually been proven as a natural painkiller against them, as your pelvic muscles contract and release! Not only this, but it can also shorten the length of your whole period altogether! Just one orgasm can speed up the process of the uterus shedding its lining.

Kai Goulder

Have you been thinking about mixing it up in the bedroom? Look no further...

climbs up onto the bench, and the other stands and thrusts. Just make sure there’s no food underneath you, that sounds like a remedy for a UTI.

Doggy Style

And its not just women that period sex can benefit, men listen up too!

With the average price of lube increasing to around £15, it would be silly to ignore the fact that period blood acts as a natural lubricant itself! Based on its volume and consistency, the blood can be used in penetration or masturbation, and for a cheap price of £0. The blood contains no dangerous chemicals or toxins, so there’s no shame in using it to make sex more pleasurable for both parties! So in conclusion, yes, period sex can be messy. It requires laying down a towel and potentially a bit of clean-up afterwards… but that’s it! The unspoken, fearful attitudes surrounding it are preventing some women from having sex for around 80 days of the year, and in my opinion, that’s pretty wasteful when we consider all of the advantages that period sex brings. Women face enough pressures in society, so let's eliminate this one and celebrate what makes us who we are- period!

Thinking of changing it up a bit under the sheets? Or on the sofa. Even on the floor. Outside? Well, it doesn’t really matter where you’re having sex, but whether you’ve got an active, healthy sex life, or you’re just thinking about it, these are the best sex positions you should try!

The Hook

This one is a slight variation of the missionary position: where the person receiving raises their legs in the air and rests their legs over the other person’s shoulders. This is supposed to be amazing as it hits the G spot better. It also increases the chances of getting pregnant! So, remember protection if you aren’t ready to bring a baby into that 9:00am lecture on a Monday morning.

Oral Sex

Going down on someone can easily be pleasurable for all parties. As one Newcastle student put it “I just like head, because I don’t have to do anything”. However, oral doesn’t always have to be one sided, especially for those who enjoy giving it! If you feel like you’re not getting anything out of it, why not take it up a level and try 69-ing, that’s more of a win-win!

Countertop

Similar to the stairway to heaven position, this one makes use of a different corner of your home. Get yourself into the kitchen, one of you

It’s popular for a reason! One person is on all fours, and the other is behind, going to town in them. This position allows you to be a little rougher if that’s what you like. Unlike missionary, this position means you can’t really go in for a smooch as easily, but it can still be done.

Stairway to Heaven

For this one, you simply sit on a flight of stairs. One person on top of the other’s lap. Stairs are there, we might as well start making use of them instead of just walking up and down them. If you feel a little unsteady (arguably part of the thrill), you can use the banister! I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you’re in a shared flat though, just a word of advice.

I also asked some of you what your favourite position is, and here are the best responses:

“I love doggy because sometimes I just don’t want to make eye contact, at least this way I can just shut my eyes and enjoy it”

“Hanging off the edge of the bed a little

from an unspoken taboo to a normalised, enjoyable act.

Fashion & Beauty

Under-where to get your sexy staples

Chan - TV Sub-Editor

Whilst there are a myriad of lingerie brands out there for you to choose from, here are some of the sexiest brands on the market

Whether it is a personal treat, something to spice up my wardrobe, or a fun surprise for the significant other, lingerie is always something I enjoy expanding my range of. I didn’t have much before I came to uni, but it’s become something I really love. I won’t lie, my drawer is admittedly getting a little full, so I think I’m decently qualified to share my favourites.

Bluebella

Bluebella is a UK brand, with some stunning designs I couldn’t resist adding to my collection. In my opinion, they are pieces of good quality, at a decent price point as well, and I would genuinely recommend this brand. Bluebella stocks the obvious lingerie sets (underwear, bodysuits), but also does nightwear, stockings, etc., so there will surely be something to catch your eye. Their style definitely leans towards sexy and seductive, so it may not be for everyone. But Bluebella does a discount with Student Beans, so I think it's worth

As a site stocking tons of brands, you really can’t go wrong with a quick browse on ASOS - won’t lie, one of my favourite bras is from there. The benefit of getting lingerie from ASOS is that there is a big range in terms of both style and budget for absolutely anyone. I’ve also shopped both third party brands and ASOS’s own lines, and I’ve liked all of it. The last perk is that they provide free and easy returns as well, which with online shopping nowadays, makes me more reassured about

Parade

Though I haven’t personally shopped from Parade, I have only heard good things about them. I’ve seen so many gorgeous styles on their social media, and their ads have started hunting me and my wallet. They pride themselves on sustainable fabrics (lace, mesh, cotton, seamless pieces) and inclusive sizing up to 3XL, plus their Support+ design to accommodate larger bust sizes. I’ve been eyeing Parade for a while now, and I think I’m going to take the leap because they have 15% off with Student Beans.

Primark

Good old Primark, where would I be without it? Sometimes I really just feel like getting lingerie without breaking the bank, and Primark does it at surprisingly good quality. There is also a varying range of coverage and styles, from everyday items you could layer as clothing, to see-through babydolls that will not be seeing the light of day after purchase. The ability to get a whole set for the price of a single bra at another brand is just too appealing for me not to gave a few of them in my drawer.

Whichever of the above places you decide to try, or if you’ve found another brand you like, the most important thing is comfort and how you feel. I get lingerie because it makes me feel pretty and confident when I have it on. Picking out what to wear for the day or even a special occasion is now a really fun part of my routine, so I hope some of you find the same joy I do.

Being sexy and Modest: the unlikely fashion friendship

Samantha Seidu - Fashion & Beauty Sub-Editor

Sexy and modest can coexist, so here is how to balance the two!

When we think of the word ‘sexy’, we often associate that with showing skin, cleavage, wearing tight clothes, the list could go on. Whilst these are all sexy, it can be a restrictive way to define sexiness. Not everyone might feel comfortable exposing too much of their bodies due to religious or personal reasons, but that should not stop anyone from feeling sexy and confident. So, with this in mind, here are some tips to feel sexy whilst maintaining the modest look!

First and foremost, before anything else you must be confident! Being sexy doesn’t always have everything to do with what you wear but it always has something to do with how you carry yourself. Don’t be afraid to take up space and exude confidence, people that are shunned for not being conventionally attractive look amazing just by carrying themselves in a confident manner, looks always come after! So walk around like the main character you are!

When it comes to clothes and outfits, less doesn’t always have to be more. Looking sexy and wearing modest outfits can absolutely work well together! Lace is always one of the most versatile materials you can wear since it allows you to wear layers underneath. Say if you have a lace dress, wearing a plain top or dress underneath can help you to maintain the modest look whilst still looking good. Sexy clothes don’t necessarily have to be tight fitting or show a lot of skin, so in

this case, layering will really help you out! Adding a shirt or a leather jacket to any kind of outfit being a long dress or a top and bottoms can make you look effortlessly cool. Colour scheme always matters too! Try opting for bolder colours such as black or red, this will really transform your look!

Don’t be afraid to take up space and exude confidence

Makeup will also be your best friend when it comes to creating a sexy look. As mentioned before, wearing bolder colours can really change the vibe of your look, creating a more mature and powerful demeanour. Pair this with a good winged eyeliner and/or smokey eye and you’ll be good to go!

When it comes to any kind of look, sexy or not, accessories can always add to a look! When it comes to this, you never need to do too much. A simple gold necklace and earrings are sometimes all you need to spice up a look. When it comes to earrings, your safe bet will always be hoops, they go with everything and can make any outfit look much cooler. Add a couple of rings to the mix and you are set! Adding any kind of belt would also make an amazing addition to the outfit if you feel comfortable with it.

At the end of the day, when it comes to achieving a sexy and modest look, the most important thing you can do is have confidence as mentioned in point one!

Sexiness is a concept that can be one size fits, it doesn’t only apply to specific people. Have fun with it and do what makes you comfortable!

Castor

Image credit: Instagram @primark

Image credit: Lizzie Yockney

Comfortably me: What I wear to make me feel sexy

Imogen Smillie - TV Sub-Editor

Are you a more silky slip dress and chunky trainers kinda person...

It is no lie that I am not very confident in my own skin. My day to day style of an over-sized lilac hoodie and matching joggers is proof that I prefer to cover up than bare all. Yet on those rare but special days where dressing up a little more is necessary (going to the pub, socials with the lovely Courier Team), I definitely have my go-to fits that make me feel, well…sexy I guess!

I will happily call myself out and say that I don’t have the biggest chest, so attempting cleavage is a lost cause. However, this does mean that I can free the nip and feel comfy and confident all in one. I

find a silky slip dress is my current go to outfit. Recently, I acquired a burgundy, lacy dress from Urban Outfitters (in the sale of course, I am a 3rd year student after all). On its own, or over a black turtleneck, this dress has been the first outfit in a long time to give me the confidence that everyone deserves – just plain old self-respect!

I feel super confident showing off my long legs

Throughout discovering my style as a young adult, most ‘nice’ outfits that fill my wardrobe are high-necked and a little shorter round the legs. As long as I have had an ‘everything shower’ (if you know, you know…), and my legs are silky smooth, I feel super confident showing off my long legs. Pair that with some chunky trainers, and I’m ready to wander down Osborne Road for a chill night with friends.

But as always, this is all about personal preference! It has taken me years to find confidence and actually use the word sexy to describe myself – of course after cringing and throwing up in my mouth a little. But on those less self-conscious

Lizzie Yockney - Fashion & Beauty Sub-Editor

Something that I know for sure is that self-confidence is not something that comes naturally to me. Confidence is a skill that I am still learning, and it is something that I have to reinforce regularly – it comes in waves and often wanes when I’m at my lowest. So, over the years, I’ve come to use clothes and makeup as tools to make myself feel a bit better and to boost my confidence (accompanied by regular therapy appointments, of course).

Getting ready is now one of my favourite things to do, as the routine of putting on my makeup, whether that be light everyday makeup or my version of full glam, really relaxes me and calms me down. It is important that I never frame my getting ready routines as ‘improving’ myself, but as a way to enhance the features that I have. It’s not about beating myself up over what I don’t have,

finding creators such as Rachel OCool has really helped me here.

For me, one of my favourite tricks to give me an instant boost of confidence is red lipstick. It took me a while, but I finally found my perfect shade, the Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in shade “Uncensored”. I also love this product as it has a unique shaped applicator which makes it really easy to create a flawless red lip that lasts all day. Rihanna really put some magic into this product, as the shade “Uncensored” suits me perfectly and makes me feel way more confident.

...or more of a make-up and flares kinda person?

I feel confident in a more relaxed look

Doing you with a view...

Rebecca Wright - Relationships sub-editor

Sun, sea and sex... Look no further for the best places to 'do it'!

Of all the places in Europe, the Mediterranean is the undisputed ruler of romance. Complete with colourful mythology, azure waters, sprawling beaches, and quaint towns; it truly does embody the attitude of adventure, freedom, and passion. Here are some picturesque places in the Mediterranean that will definitely get you in the mood!

First of all, we have the Italian island of Stromboli. Located north of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian sea, the landscape consists of evocative volcanoes, hidden grottos, and a gorgeous array of flora. The island has an inherently sensual claim to fame in local folklore, as it is known as the ‘fertility atolls.’

It has been suggested that the isles act as a natural aphrodisiac,

for those after intense and fiery experiences. Not only this, but the island also boasts nightblooming jasmine, a flower said to exude an overpoweringly seductive scent. With eruptions from an active volcano as frequent as every fifteen minutes, this island would be perfect for those seeking sexual thrill. Perhaps more traditional, the well-known island of Mallorca is also an incredibly romantic destination that should not be overlooked. Known for its Spanish architecture, limestone mountains, and luxuriant vineyards, the island offers beautifully intimate surroundings that just radiate desire. The tales of ‘Aloja’ are enough to make anyone take a flight to Mallorca – these are feminine nymphs as dreamy as their surroundings, who enjoy staring at their beautiful reflections in the moonlit waters. As for its beaches, ‘Cala Formentor’ is renowned as one of the best in Mallorca due to its astounding setting. Fringed by fragrant pine forests and charming rolling hills, Mallorca’s astounding views are sure to put you in the mood for something more sensual. Grab a bottle of wine, pack a picnic, and see where the night takes you!

Image credit: Pixabay

Do Red lights really

Laura Kasongo

The infamous Red Light District - a debrief of what it's really

Last September, my friends and I braved the 15-hour ferry from Newcastle to visit the wondrous city of Amsterdam. My eyes lit up at the first sight of a bike and canal; suddenly the sea-sickness was worth it. We embarked on the usual student itinerary, if you catch my drift, but also felt obliged to visit the infamous Red Light District on our first night.

streets appear more vein-like and less as a colour for warning. The side streets fully immersed us as substances within a

Historically, the district is intrinsic to the city, situated in the oldest part, with the first prostitutes allegedly arriving circa 15th century and moving there from the city harbour. A sense of this can be felt walking through it even still today. In the darkness, their night-time economy illuminated in full rouge and I suddenly sobered as our taxi dropped us in its centre. Windows high and low of the apartments along the canals pulsed red, making the

Top 5 sexiest European countries

Anna Nix

Looking for destinations for your next hot girl summer?

These are the places to be!

Have you ever given any thought to what could be the sexiest country in Europe? Whether you base it on the accent, the food, the lifestyle, or the handsomeness of the people you probably have a favourite in mind. And so do I, so here goes the 5 sexiest European countries in my eyes.

5. Spain

The reason why Spain is on this list is definitely their love for life. Not many people can party like the Spanish and not many people can make it look as sexy. And of course, it is the country that invented Sangria, perhaps the sexiest drink on a hot summer day.

France is known for being the country of love, which is why it has the fourth place on this list.

3. The Netherlands

A country known for its openness to sex and sexuality. The Dutch are taught about these things

Rome. And I desperately want to be part of this cultural masterpiece. So, Italians singing, eating pasta, and 'doing nothing' is the reason why I see Italy as the second sexiest country in Europe.

The winner of the title of the sexiest European country is Greece! Having visited Greece, specifically an island in the Aegean Sea, last year the country left a lasting impression on me. I was struck by the sea, the warmth, and the unique lifestyle of the locals. Much like Italy, it is a lifestyle of living fully. The locals were never too bothered by anything, and any rules seemed to have evaporated from their culture. That meant no road signs, watermelon for lunch, transporting a drying rack on a scooter, and friends running into each other and stopping their scooters in the middle of the road. On top of that, it is the live Greek music in a restaurant, the dancing to those tunes, the waking up at 12, in time for brunch and dining at 10 in the evening, eating nothing but seafood, and going for a midnight dip in the sea, which landed this country this place. Because in the end, this

4. France

like

The district embodies human sexual desire in a way that is clinically dissected in the rest of the world.

Image credits: Pixabay, map: Unsplash

really spell danger?

in line formation up and down. The row upon row of closed curtains formed a claustrophobia from realisation, feeling an odd combination of intrusiveness and innate understanding. As uncomfortable as it felt initially watching fathers and sons walk into one, I began to question this heteronormative discomfort. Whilst you may think it another example of female objectification, I invite you to look at it as a reclamation through the modern feminist lens. Albeit not the regular ‘bring your daughter to work’ day, it’s an ownership of sexuality in our capitalist environment and physical labour.

In accordance with this re-ownership, workers have the right to respect and fines for photographs were 90 euros, or as an ignorant tourist learnt, an angry Dutch woman yelling at you with a spray water bottle; I’m very much an advocate for worker’s rights. For art and not perversion, I only took two film photos of the closed curtains and The district embodies human sexual desire in a way that is clinically dissected in the rest of the world and its something we can all learn from. One might say visiting museums is a way to enrich your education so, as students who go above and beyond, we visited a sex museum. Amongst sexual artefacts, such as dick-chairs and tongue wheels, it displayed artworks like the titillating version of the Mona Lisa (I think Da Vinci would’ve loved that). Whilst we did find it amusing, there’s certainly a lot of unlearning to be had surrounding the body and sex as a thing to be shamefully hidden. I’d encourage you to take up some Dutch courage and embrace the red side.

Sex Tourism: a phenomenon

Alexander James - Campus Comment sub-editor

Sex

tourism, bodies for sale. The industry selling a dream.

Sex tourism primarily occurs in "third world" areas like Southeast Asia and the Caribbean; while on vacation, sex tourists utilise their financial means to gain control over local, often vulnerable male or female sex workers. Sex tourist destinations are produced, advertised, and used mostly by and for western men – a trend that is characterised by the unequal power relations, shaped by the overarching forces of history and globalisation that allow male western tourists to exploit the services of often nonwestern prostitutes, often facilitated by an equally exploitative middle-man or brothel keeper.

Amsterdam, a well-known sex tourism destination, is a relevant illustration of the preference for the sex tourist. Male tourists gaze at and visually consume the bodies of such women in the city's innumerable windows

that display scantily dressed women of various kinds (which may possibly be compared to the setting of a zoo or aquarium - dehumanising women). Sex tourists thus have the financial power to select not just a destination but a ‘body’ for consumption.

Assuming that prostitution is accessible worldwide, why do people feel the need to travel across the world to find sex workers? Blame the exoticization and eroticization of ‘third world’ women, based on racial and gendered preconceptions of sex workers as submissive, docile and also free of the influence of western feminism. Sex tourists are able to “reaffirm” their masculinity through perceived sexual dominance over sex workers. Because the tourism industry sells the image, myth and dream of a destination, rather than its facts, eroticized versions of these locations and workers are created to entice men to travel there. Facilitated by the internet and pornography, the sex tourism industry has become even more prevalent, allowing affluent Western men to take advantage of their gender, class and culture and nationality. The nonWestern sex worker is designed to be consumed by male tourists in the same manner that tourists can partake in and enjoy the pleasure of viewing exotic places and people.

One-night stands abroad: how to stay safe

Charlie Reid

Tinder dates to bar encounters, romance whilst travelling can be fun, but how can you stay safe at the same time?

Whether you’re traveling on short city breaks or long-haul jaunts across the tropics, it's likely you’ll come across stories from other travellers and friends of wild one-night stands they’ve had.

If you want to get out there and get naked, do it. If you don’t, then don’t! But if you are going to go crazy whilst island hopping through Greece or studying abroad in Japan, there are things to bear in mind for you to stay safe (in more ways than

one!).

If you’re hoping to get frisky whilst in a foreign country it's important to keep yourself out of danger, especially if you haven’t quite got your bearings yet or haven’t found people you trust. Having protection is essential. Regardless of who you’re having sex with, if you’ve just met them in a hostel bar or at the club, keeping yourself protected from STIs is necessary.

From witnessing individuals treating the hostel common room as a personal game of Take Me Out, being 100% comfortable with your copulation companion is foremost. Making sure that you (and your friends) trust your one-night wonder is indispensable, and just as important as having a condom.

Going back to their place tonight? Awesome! Just make sure you know where you are going and are aware of your surroundings. If you’re abroad with friends, keeping apps like 'Life360' or 'Find My Friends' on your phone that track your location are

crucial bits of technology that modern-day globe trotters are fortunate to have at their disposal whilst bed hopping in Benidorm!

This may seem obvious, but it’s important to stay informed. If you’re hoping to have a one-night stand whilst abroad, it's wise to be up-to-date with the laws and restrictions around sex in the country you’re visiting. Countries and cultures across the planet share different regulations on getting sexy in their countries. To avoid unexpected trouble, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the rules to ensure you're safe.

Whilst travelling, alcohol and one-night stands often come hand in hand. This can seem like a brilliant idea at the time and later plunge into a state of morning-after hangxiety. It’s a familiar feeling to many people across the world I’m sure. However, despite being constantly repeated, it is crucial to stay safe whilst drinking and making sure you are not getting too deep into the tequila shots your mates are plying you with. And if you

do have one too many, keep yourself surrounded by people you trust and feel safe around (and are not someone you met on Tinder 10 minutes ago.). Navigating through my late teens and early twenties, I swiftly became aware of how one-night stands can happen anywhere (and I mean literally anywhere). Being blessed with a cohort of travelfanatic friends, I frequently find myself listening to friends recall their own one-night stands abroad.

Image credit: Unsplash

Long distance while travelling - how to make it work?

Neve Sillito

Wondering how to navigate a relationship from thousand miles apart? Our writer provides impeccable tips!

With the worst month of the year finally over, it’s the time of year where people are starting to dream about summer. Perhaps it is your long-awaited gap year, a few weeks finding yourself in Thailand or interrailing with your mates; we’re all guilty of day dreaming about what our travelling plans may be.

If there is any reservation about travel plans it is no doubt about going long distance with your partner if one of you are at home. It’s scary, and it may be lonely, but I can assure you that

you can make it work. If your partner has travel plans without you, remind yourself that it is temporary and it is natural to perhaps feel a sense of jealously for them jetting off without you. First and foremost, communication is essential. It is important that you and your partner dedicate some time for each other (even when at the other side of the world!). Schedule facetimes or phone calls to keep in touch and make sure to prioritise this. Sometimes limited contact on text allows for more meaningful conversations over the phone. No doubt you will be excited to hear all the stories from your partners travels; it certainly makes for more interesting conversation than how boring their lectures have been! Pay attention to time zone differences and schedule a time that works for both of you.

Accepting that your partner may not be available to chat with as much as usual is a great

opportunity to work on yourself. Perhaps there is a project you have been wanting to work on, getting in more hours at work or spending more time with your own friends, a long-distance relationship is great for establishing your own independence and realising that you don’t need to depend on your partner for your own happiness. Use the time that they are away to focus on aspects of your life that you may otherwise neglect. Keeping yourself busy will help when you miss your partner, and maybe you

will discover a new hobby!

As much as travelling is exciting, having a date you know you can reunite with your partner gives clarity and focus to the relationship. Even if it is in six months’ time, having a date you can work towards gives you something to look forward to. Be sure to plan something exiting for when they return. If possible, even consider visiting your partner on their travels. Flights within Europe can be reasonably priced if you keep checking Skyscanner, and then you can grab a holiday for yourself! If this can’t be justified, plan to spend some quality time together doing your favourite things. The excitement you have towards your first date night together will be unmatched- and it will be the best feeling seeing them after so long!

As much as it is a cliché, distance really does make the heart grow fonder. It may be a test for the relationship, but long distance will prove to you both how much you value spending time together.

Image credit: Pixabay

Image credit: Pixabay

Food & Drink

Is food the new sex?

With sexy chefs, dinner dates & foodgasms, could food be the new sex?...

From oysters to asparagus, we’ve all heard how food can biologically stimulate sex drive. I’d like to propose that there’s more to food than meets the nutritional label.

As someone who loves cooking, there’s nothing more attractive than watching someone you find hot light up the kitchen. Whether its chopping vegetables or shifting the frying pan, the arms are on full showcase and the attention to flavour is enough to make you swoon, especially if they let you taste the sauce in the process.

Over winter break, I watched Stanley Tucci’s travel and food show Searching for Italy (2021) on BBC iPlayer and think that that in itself supports my argument. Not only is Tucci the most suave and cultured man, seeing him cook a bowl of pasta certainly made me mamma mia. It’s certainly a step-up from pierce-packet macaroni cheese. When on the one hand restaurants are allegedly bad first dates, because eating in front of a stranger

is stressful, I’ve often heard people trying to seduce others by offering to cook them a meal. Whilst largely unsuccessful, programs like ITV’s Dinner Date (2010) take on this premise. However, Dinner Date fails to focus on the intimacy that food offers, again focussing on the stress of perfecting cooking rather than the innate sexuality it inspires. The expression ‘better than sex’ is often applied to food, with people experiencing what’s colloquially termed as ‘foodgasms’, from eating something sensational. Of course, there is also the sexual imagery symbolic in food, with popular Tik Tok accounts, like Cedrik Lorenzen’s, creating the ultimate food porn. I’ve never before seen dough be so violated.

I've never before seen dough be so violated

In an age where we’re always looking for the next best thing to spice up our sex lives, food has always been a staple to the sexual appetite, which is why I didn’t appreciate Harry Styles’ ruining of the whole meal Florence Pugh had prepared in Don’t Worry Darling (2022). Even if he did eat her instead. Food doesn’t replace sex but heightens it, so we should all switch one spooning for another from time to time and sweeten our desert.

Sometimes you need a bit of Dutch courage... or you don't!

Meg Howe - Editor-in-Chief

Do we really need a drink or two before we get 'on it' in the bedroom?

The effect alcohol has on our bodies is weird. It makes us behave in ways we probably wouldn’t when we are sober and not ‘under the influence’. Alcohol interferes with the brain's usual communication pathways, impacting the messages sent from the brain to our exterior. Personally, I become a risk taker: especially in the bedroom. As the chemical balance in my brain shifts - as a result of excessive alcohol consumption - the small pool of people I usually find attractive extends far beyond its normal diameters. I find myself ‘necking on' with someone my sober brain instantly regrets!

There are lots of myths surrounding the impact that alcohol has on our sex lives. There’s the belief that it acts as an aphrodisiac;

makes us horny. The idea is that it makes us feel more (and feel things more intensely). I do believe this to be true, but I’m not sure how much of it is related to the fact that alcohol makes me feel more intense sexual feelings; rather, it completely dismantles the usual thoughts that might go through my head when swiping on a dating app.

It seems that everyone is a solid S-teir when I've had a beer

When you consume alcohol, it causes a musclerelaxing effect. The entire nervous system slows down, with reaction times decreasing. It can often be hard to work out if I’m horny because I’m relaxed or because the alcohol has given me ‘beer vision’ (it seems that everyone is a solid S-tier when I’ve had a beer).

Alcohol makes me feel more intense sexual feelings

However, just like everything else… the influence of alcohol on sex is not constant. As with each sober sexual experience, no one is exactly the same. All of this is subjective to the amount of alcohol that has been consumed.

After one or two drinks, I definitely feel more sexy and confident.

myself quickly disappears after I’ve consumed just enough Dutch courage. However, in the words of Lucy Spraggan, after more drinks than I’d like to admit, I’m left with a little bit of ‘beer fear’.

I recently slept with someone after having 4 glasses of wine (and not a lot to eat). The sex with fine, but that’s all it was. That isn’t to say that I regret it, but it wasn’t anything special. In hindsight, alcohol consumption was definitely one of the deciding factors in choosing to sleep with this man. But, despite the ‘weird’ feeling afterwards and the thought that there was a higher chance he’d remember anything embarrassing I’d done due to the lack of alcohol in his system, I think that in this instance the alcohol gave me the confidence to make the move myself. I have slept with the man since - and was sober - and I have to say that the sex was a lot better…

Sometimes one glass of wine ‘to take the edge off’ can lead to a great sexual experience, but after having a little too much to drink I can be left with feelings of shame, guilt and regret!

Recipe of the week: Cotton Candy Spritz

Rebecca Wright - Relationships sub-editor

This drink is bound to spritz up your evening!

This fabulous cocktail is perfect for whatever you have going on this Valentine’s day. Whether you’re planning on spending the day with your significant other, having Galentine's celebrations with your friends, or just cuddling up on the sofa with your cat and a tub of Ben & Jerry's, it will certainly sweeten your day. Delicious, delightful, airy and pink - this drink can easily be made virgin, and tastes best when paired with watching ‘The Notebook’ for the 11th time!

If there's ever a time to measure with your heart, it's on Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients:

Cotton candy

Pink edible glitter

Sparkling rosé wine (or rose lemonade)

Icing sugar (and water)

Heart-shaped sprinkles

Method:

Line the rim of your favourite glass with icing and add the heart-shaped sprinkles to the rim for decoration.

Place as much cotton candy as you like into the glass, and top with a teaspoon of edible glitter.

Pour your sparkling rosé or rose lemonade over it and watch it melt!

Laura Kasongo

Seeing him cook a bowl of pasta certainly made me mamma mia

Image credit:Instagram @stanleytucci

Image credit: Pixabay

Image credit: Pixabay

Sexy Snacks: foods that will put you in the mood

Jenica Davis Lifestyle Sub-Editor

Foods that get you in the mood: sexy stuff or myth?

The relationship between food and sex are more closely connected than you may think. Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, aphrodisiacs are foods that are believed to increase your sex drive, and even your sexual performance.

Aphrodisiacs are seen by some as a myth, rather than fact – there is no scientific guarantee to whether aphrodisiacs boost sexual arousal. However, there are plenty of natural foods that raise hormone levels and increase the libido of many people. It could very well be a placebo effect – a spike in one’s sexual drive as a result of eating foods that have a suggestive shape or bear a resemblance to a particular body part – but whatever works for you, right? Whilst the libido-boosting effects of strawberries and oysters are rather common knowledge, here are some natural foods that you may not know can act as aphrodisiacs. Everyone is different, but some of these might just do the trick for you!

Asparagus

Asparagus is a key source of vitamin E – known as the ‘sex vitamin’ – and contains high levels of potassium; this can increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the genitals as well as stimulate the production of sex hormones.

Pomegranates

Known as the fruit of love, pomegranates are high in antioxidants. This allows blood to flow more easily to all of your body parts – increasing genital sensitivity. Pomegranate juice also boosts your nitric oxide levels, which reduces arterial plaque and therefore can help with erectile dysfunction.

Basil

Basil’s secret lies within its stimulating scent. Not only does the herb promote blood circulation, but the aroma of basil is said to have aphrodisiac effects. In Roman times, the plant was sacred and symbolic of love.

Celery Celery is full of androstenone, which is similar to testosterone, therefore it can increase sex drive in men. Androstenone also acts as a pheromone which some people may find attractive, increasing sexual arousal.

Valentines Day: the consumerism debate

Is the true meaning of Valentine's Day overshadowed by consumerism?

Valentine's has become a checklist of things one person has to do for their significant other: flowers, cards, chocolate, a date. Year after year I watch friends and family buy into the idea that this day is special, meaningful, that you need someone to spend it with. And from this spurns the relentless consumerism every shop, from Anne Summers, to your favourite restaurant, unashamedly leans into and exploits.

So yes, Valentine's is a consumerist holiday.The hype around the day is paramount to that of any other holiday however there’s something about Valentines that irks me, particularly the insistence that a dinner date is a must. Why not just go out for dinner any other day of the year? A day when the food will probably be cheaper, taste better – since you’re not bombarded with a thousand 'special' Valentine's options and a stressed chef dealing with twice as many customers all expecting their perfect night –you’ll likely have an all-round better experience.

I don’t think there’s any way to deny that companies benefit hugely from Valentines being a commercial holiday. However, there is still the sentiment behind the holiday itself that exists and this, if nothing else, redeems a day that encapsulates corporate greed; making it a holiday worth investing time in.

Will the florist charge you double for a bouquet of red roses? Probably. But in

the giving of gifts, or in taking someone out to a restaurant, there’s also a beautiful honesty. It’s a statement: ‘I love this person’. I don’t blame people for buying into the consumerist nature of the holiday, after all we exist in a capitalist society and there’s no escaping it.

Valentines is about both love, and consumerism. One fueling the other, without a relationship there wouldn’t be a date to go on, and without the option of somewhere to go, the date would be a lot cheaper and probably benefit from fewer international corporations trying to drain your bank dry. This doesn't mean I think it's the best idea to go out for food on Valentine's, but if you're prepared for the crowds that come along with any holiday, good luck!

Figs

Figs contain high levels of amino acids, which help to boost levels of nitric oxide – this increases sexual stamina and libido in both men and women.

Chilli peppers

Capsaicin, the chemical which makes chilli peppers spicy, stimulates the nerve endings on the tongue; this boosts testosterone as well as releases epinephrine and endorphins, increasing libido.

Avocados

Similar to asparagus, nutrient-rich avocados contain a high concentration of vitamin E which promotes sex hormone production. They also contain vitamin B6, which helps increase testosterone levels and can subdue symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, such as fatigue, for women.

Watermelon

Watermelon contains the amino acid citrulline, which increases the amount of nitric acid in the body; this increases blood flow and relaxes the blood vessels, helping to stimulate arousal.

Honey

Often seen as a symbol of fertility, honey contains the chemical boron. This assists the regulation of hormone levels and nitric oxide, which improves male erections as well as boosting clitoral erection.

Cranberry juice: does it really help with UTIs?

Will a glass of cranberry juice really be the solution to reduce your pain?

Many of us will know the painful experience of urgently needing to pee, making a dash for the toilet, only for a few burning drops to come out. Here we go again, you have a UTI.

A Urinary Tract Infection happens when bacteria enter the urinary tract via the urethra, and it is more likely to happen to women. I remember finding myself with a UTI for the first time, clueless as to why I was in so much pain. My flatmate at the time very kindly bought me a carton of cranberry juice, as she told me this helps. This is a common piece of advice given for UTIs, but the million-dollar question is: does cranberry juice actually help?

by reducing the bacteria’s ability to ‘stick’ to the lining of the urinary tract. Cranberries are also a rich source of Vitamin C, which is good for the immune system. Scientific studies about the effects of cranberry juice in preventing UTIs have overall positive results, with many women testifying that they suffered from the infection less often.

So, it seems that although cranberry juice may not help to treat a UTI, it does have other benefits that can help to prevent one. And I’m sure we’ve all been told to pee after sex as another preventative measure. If you have a UTI, a trip to the doctor isn’t always necessary, unless it’s your first time, or if it’s particularly persistent, in

Well, according to the NHS, there is no evidence that cranberry juice does anything to ease the symptoms of a UTI. However, this doesn’t mean it’s a total myth. Many studies show that the heroism of cranberry juice, or cranberry supplements, lies in its preventative qualities. Cranberries contain compounds called polyphenols which can help to reduce the chances of getting a UTI. One of the main ways they help is

which case a short round of antibiotics usually does the trick. Otherwise, make sure to drink plenty of water to flush the bacteria out, avoid sex, and you can take paracetamol for the pain. All in all, next time you find yourself needing a painful wee every 10 minutes, it’s probably too late to reach for that glass of cranberry juice…

Adelaide Dodson

Roseanna Leconte

Image credit: Pixabay

Image credit: Pixabay

Next time you find yourself needing a wee every 10 minutes, it's probably too late for that cranberry juice...

Songs to shag to: The Courier's Ultimate Sex Playlist Songs suggested by our Editors!

Enhance

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Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" (1982) is not only a double Grammy-winning single, but has also been described as "the sexiest song ever". While research suggests 119 bpm is the average tempo one should consider playing during sex, Marvin Gaye's classic is not to be discounted for its slower vibes.

"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr. (Feat. Bill Withers)

Meg Howe

- Editor-in-Chief

This song is a must for lovers of monogamous sex. The lyrics perfectly describe the mood and set the tone for the evening. The 7-minute version includes a whole lot of sexy jazz instrumentals. Not only does this create harmonic and rhythmic tensions. it also gives you a lot of time to not be distracted by the lyrics!

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The go-to classic sexy song for survivors of the BROCKHAMPTON era, with deep, sultry vocals covering transcendent instrumentals. An all-round evocative listening experience to accentuate the mood for an all-round provocative sexual experience ;)

"'Like a Tattoo" by Sade

This 1992 hit perfectly encapsulates what it means to ‘make love’. With a sensual, yet provocative look at the one you love, Sade delves into what it’s like to reveal the shame you feel closest to; an emotive ballad, symbolising an otherwise raw feeling.

"'Bangarang" by Skrillex

It has ‘Bang’ in the name. Shout to all my lost boys as electronic music is sadly almost never included in the list of good songs to have sex to, this writer hopes to rectify this. Bangarang is a dance hall classic, that should not be restricted to just the DJ booth. Imagine the hard bassline deafening your eardrums as you and your partner(s) successfully explore each other’s sexhood. Frankly, putting on Bangarang by the American DJ don ‘Skrillex’ will not only elevate your sex life – it will change it so radically that you’ll never want to go back.

"'Sex" by The 1975

Rowan Christina

- Music Sub-editor

Driver

No explanation is needed here. Literally none.

"'Streets (Disclosure Remix) " by Doja Cat

Sophie McNally - Deputy Editor

This Doja Cat song bottles the feeling of club-bound eye contact and flirtation, transporting you to a crowded dance floor as your eyes tease and melt into your crush's before you rush home with them. Trust me, next time you’re ‘getting jiggy with it’ turn this on and watch your partner’s face light up as they slowly realise what they’re about to experience.

Scan for more songs and to listen on Spotify!

"Fangs"

Matt Champion Zarha Hanif - Lifestyle Sub-editor

"Sexual Healing"

Marvin Gaye Carly Horne - Head of Culture

Olivia Crowley - TV Sub-editor

Ross Bennett - Opinion Sub-editor

Sex as a sales tool: what's the problem?

rtist’s using their bodies to sell music, such as by making a raunchy music video, or giving a provocative live performance is nothing new, and when it is done, it’s commonly

We’re living in an era where sex positivity is embraced, and the sex positive movement tells us that we should have no shame in enjoying sex and finding sexual pleasure in whatever we find attractive or seductive. So why shouldn’t artists use their sex appeal in the way that they want to? It can arguably be good for fans to help them explore their own sexuality and take pleasure

This could help fans who are discovering their own sexuality to explore it and possibly come to terms with it, if they come from a background that hasn’t allowed them to

There are always going to be artists that don’t use sex appeal to sell music, for example Joni Mitchell has made it clear that she is somewhat against artists sexualising themselves and using it to sell music. There’s also the option to just listen to an artist’s music and not interact with them otherwise, and therefore the only aspect of their sex appeal being used that you might notice is on an album

However, there tends to be a lack of diversity in the way that celebrity sex appeal is displayed. Only seeing a certain type of body sexualised can make people feel as though they aren’t sexy if they don’t look that way, but this is changing! Lizzo, for example, quite simply said “I know I’m fat. It doesn’t bother me”. There’s always the assumption that being fat is automatically un-

Can music make you orgasm?

healthy and bad. Larger bodies exist, and therefore should be able to be admired and self-sexualised in the same way. On the subject of Lizzo, a prominent black artist, there is also the issues surrounding the way that black artists tend to be over sexualised and fetishised.

Some artists may feel pressured to use sex appeal and feel it is the best way to sell their music, particularly women. There is a difference in the way that male and female artists are sexualised, and women see a lot more pressure to look and behave younger compared to male artists.

Using sex appeal to sell music is not inherently bad and can be extremely healthy and positive, and of course many of us find artists attractive and enjoy their sex appeal. However, the use of sex appeal should not be something that artists are pressured into, and only done by choice, if they feel comfortable.

Lucy Bower - Music Sub-editor

Climax, dopamine, rhythm. There is an extensive list of terms that are interchangeable between music and sex, so it makes sense that we might question whether music can cause orgasms.

The emotional effect of music produces some of the widest range of responses, and so it would be ignorant to say that music doesn’t generate extreme emotions. Sometimes, when the lyrics of a song harmoniously work around the instrumental, it can be addictive, and cause feelings similar to when we orgasm.

Science has something to say about this. The experience of listening to a powerful piece of music can sometimes bring out goosebumps across your arms. This sensation is called frissons and refers to a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear – not dissimilar to orgasm. For me, any song by Phoebe Bridgers is a gut-wrenching, goosebump producing experience.

The big question is why music can create a response as powerful as physical experiences like touch. According to science, extreme reactions such as this are created from the unpredictable. When a song heads in a direction that we weren’t expecting, it generates an intense bodily reaction that can be overwhelming.

New and emerging terms have come into play such as the ‘eargasm’ to describe an ‘emotional high caused by listening to an exceptional composition’. This idea of a natural high is a valuable one that recognises the euphoric happiness that we can experience whilst listening to music. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have that one song that has creates this response. So, if you ever feel dissatisfied in the bedroom, get your speaker out and blast music.

The influence music has on our perceptions of sex

as symbols of success; commodities to achieve the ultimate ‘rockstar’ status. This sort of ideology is made ever more dangerous by music’s constant presence within our lives; is this really the sort of representation that we want speaking directly into our ears?

everyday lives, enabling the normalisation of sexual aspects that have previously been demonised and condemned. It all depends on the choice of the artist: to reproduce society’s detrimental approaches to sex or to fight against it.

Sex and music - whilst explicit songs definitely make for awkward listening with the parents, does this have further implications for how we view sex?

Like any form of media, music can choose to present sex as and how they wish, which usually leans towards the negative. Sex is complicated to say the least, and is further complicated by the invasion of wider patriarchal and heteronormative discourse - hurtful ideologies which are often reproduced within the media, and, therefore, music. For example, a common theme in many music genres is the presentation of sex as a kind of conquest, a lifestyle wherein the more women you shag, the more successful and masculine you are. Indeed, to quote Post Malone, “I’ve been fucking hoes and popping pillies, man I feel just like a rockstar”, summarises this harmful attitude towards sex and female bodies

However, that being said, music can also be used to actively counter these harmful representations of sex that position women as passive objects, and completely sidelines non-hetero sex. There are now many artists out there breaking this stereotypical attitude towards sex, and using the medium of music to start normalising sex as an act of self-love, an expression of love of others, as well as recognising and exposing the negative and controlling stereotypes that surround sex. Whilst music can express damaging attitudes towards sex, it also has the power to counteract this and invite new outlooks of sex into our

Amelie Baker

There are now many artists out there breaking this stereotypical attitude towards sex

You are supreme. the chicks'll cream, for greased lightnin'

There is a difference in the way that male and female artists are sexualised.

look

how the ideas communicated in music can have further implications for how we view sex.

The Sex Lives of College Girls!

Ella Townson

Mindy Kaling’s 2021, gamechanging comedy The Sex Lives of College Girls revolves around the sexual endeavours of four dissimilar roommates at the fictional college of Essex. The series' fresh, female-focused perspective is bound to change the trajectory of sex-positive shows forever.

The Sex Lives of College Girls is a show that I thankfully came across in my first year at Newcastle. Any university student knows that first year can be overwhelming, especially when you factor in the likes of Hinge, Tinder, and hook-up culture… yet you will survive it and this series will surely help. Watching the central characters (Bela, Kimberly, Leighton, and Whitney) experience the craziness of freshers, studies and friendships that I had gone through only a few months prior, provided the sense of catharsis that all students could use. I’m certain many new watchers will also relate to the girls’ eagerness at having a whole new pool of people to sleep with, but what makes this show so captivating, is how it explores the diversity of sex through the perspective of four women. Each of the characters comes from a different background and they all have contrasting experiences, yet their budding friendship helps them to navigate sex in a new and intimidating place.

Bela is perhaps the most sexual of all the characters. She is an eighteen-year-old, Indian American woman that is unafraid to go after what she wants. Her desire to take part in casual sex is immediately presented as being normal, healthy

and a natural part of a young woman finding herself. It was refreshing to see her declare her wish to have casual sex loudly and proudly, with one of her earliest lines being “I am ready to smash some D’s”. Bela’s energy reminded me of the well-known Amy from Sex Education: funny, down to earth, and likeable. However, like Amy, Bela is sexually harassed, and this affects how she perceives intimacy. In the middle of season one, a male character, who holds a position of authority as an editor of the male-centric newspaper on campus, makes unwanted advances toward

Bela. Including this in her show, Kaling sheds light on important topics like consent and the abuse of power. She doesn’t pretend that interactions of a sexual nature are always positive, although, she has Bela challenge his behaviour and ultimately Bela heals by upstarting a female-only paper. In season two, Bela continues to be as passionate about sex as she always was, but when it is on her terms. She makes a few mistakes, such as cheating on her boyfriend Eric, but the essence of her character remains. Of course, Bela’s journey is not entirely reflective of all survivors of sexual harassment/

assault, however by not shying away from the truth of what can happen to a lot of young women, the show ultimately becomes more authentic. Whitney and Leighton's development throughout the two seasons is also important. Whitney abandons her toxic relationship with her coach, sending the message that girls shouldn’t continue in situations that don’t empower them. She then begins an equal relationship with Canaan, although this turns sour. The audience also gets to see some LGBTQ+ representation through Leighton’s character. Toward the end of season one, Leighton comes out as a lesbian to Kimberly. This scene was an incredibly emotional one, in which Leighton confesses her fears of not being accepted, as well as her concern that her sexuality would consume the other aspects of her identity. It is then a pleasure to see Leighton enjoy her sex life in season two. She even contracts chlamydia at one point, much to her surprise, which is another example of the show reflecting the realities of sex.

Love Island: a narrow view of "sexy" prevails

Love Island is back! Let's take a quick trip to the island of bombshells and lap dances to discover if the effects of this "one size does not fit all" model of love and sex is more damaging than good.

Whether you are a lover or a hater of the show, you can’t deny that Love Island is everywhere right now. Bombarding both our TV screens and social media with the highly anticipated new cast and presenter Maya Jama - its influence is inescapable. However, with over half of Love Island's viewers being aged 16 to 30, the show's young audience paired with its narrow portrayal of what is "sexy" makes me question the effects of its sexualisation on its viewers.

From the show's first advertisement presenting Maya Jama on a velvet bull, stating "Grab love by the horns", it is clear that this season will follow its predecessors in its sexualisation of those on screen. This is great in many senses! Sex should be something which is celebrated and empowering. TV coverage showing normal conversations about sex such as Maura Higgins' hilarious "fanny flutters" conversation in 2019 are integral in promoting open conversations about a topic which should not be off-limits or "taboo".

And lets be real, who doesn't love watching romance and flirty drama on TV? It is clear that the show's concept of sending singles to a swanky villa is part of the show's success. We need this romantic escaptism in the gloomy English months of January and February. However, while this year is new in many senses, it has followed the typical tradition of presenting a narrow view of love and sex.

Every year there is a buzz with the reveal of the new cast, and I (like many) watch in hope of seeing someone who looks a little more like me. But of course, like

every year preceding, these "sexy" singles have no diversity in body shape, leaving viewers with the dangerous message that this body type is the only one deemed desirable or worthy of love.

Raunchy challenges such as the "heart monitor challenge" where contestants perform a lap dance for the group, further sexualise the contestants, and with a more diverse cast this would be great! However, the lack of diversity, not only with body types, but also sexuality and gender, illuminate wrongly that only a pictureperfect female and a toned man are desirable in raising sexual heat- see the problem?

Until Love Island expands its presentation of what is "sexy", its sexualisation of its cast is always going to be problematic. Every type of love and body is sexy. As there is no such thing as a "bikini body", there is also no "one size fits all" model of love and sex. Shows such as Love Island need to represent the diversity of the real world more closely: watch with caution!

Ultimately, The Sex Lives of College Girls is a series that perfectly balances humour and girl power with the sometimes-harsh realities of sexual relationships. There's currently nothing quite like it.

Sex on the telly? Oh, how times change!

Jenica Davis - Lifestyle sub-editor

Sex has been a steamy and scandalous part of television for decades. Whilst initially sex was portrayed as a taboo, the last quarter of a century has showcased the topic in a more open and educational light.

In recent TV series, we’ve seen a surge of healthy representations of sexual encounters, with shows discussing important issues like sexual consent and protection, as well as including more LGBTQ+ representation. Through modern television, we can deconstruct traditional stigmas and normalise discussions surrounding sex and sexuality.

When it comes to consent in the TV world, it is rarely explicitly shown. Most scenes race into the sexual romance and the crucial part of consent gets blurred over. But it is a conversation that doesn’t have to disrupt the moment at all. In Normal People, Marianne and Connell frequently check in on each other when they are intimate, and it is portrayed in a natural way that doesn’t break the scene. Connell further reminds her that they can stop whenever, stressing how you are always allowed to change your mind. Your “no” is just as valid after consenting.

it comes to long-term relationships, consent is something often completely brushed over. There’s an incorrect conception within society that you don’t need to ask for consent in a relationship, but it is not a onetime conversation. If TV series were to incorporate more such scenes, this could help normalise

long-term couples having these discussions more frequently.

Modern TV shows have been educational not only about consensual sex but also safe sex. Watching characters openly talk about their sexual health would be a huge catalyst towards dismantling the stigmas around contraception and the societal shame surrounding STIs. For example, RuPaul’s Drag Race has brought sexual health into mainstream media, with contestants openly discussing being HIV positive.

When shows started to incorporate sexual relationships, most stories revolved around cishet characters. However, the TV world has come a long way since then, with shows like Heartstopper and Heartbreak High not only showcasing a range of sexual identities but giving audiences positive representations of LGBTQ+ relationships. It used to be very rare to find a queer character in a show whose arc didn’t centre around homophobia, transphobia, etc., or LGBTQ+ relationships that weren't tragic as a result of societal prejudices.

Sexual content in media plays a vital role in society’s reception of sex and sexuality; what we see on our screens impacts the way we perceive and approach sexual relationships in real life. Whilst representation has been extremely diverse and progressive within the recent influx of television series, there is certainly still room for

Lyndsey Sleator

Kaling sheds light on important topics like consent and the abuse of power

Image credit: Instagram @davidesancli , Twitter @LoveIsland

Image credit: @IMDB, @Pixabay

Magic Mike: Is this saucy sorcery all that enchanting anymore?

Ella Winskell -News sub-editor

Magic Mike first steamed onto our screens over a decade ago now, but how is it looked back upon today?

When my Nana first saw Magic Mike in 2012 it was bad news for Antonio Banderas, who had previously been the ‘lust of her life’, after that summer’s fateful viewing, Banderas, for all his talents as ‘the world most seductive Puss in Boots’ was declared too ‘long in the tooth’ at only 52 and replaced by the younger, much more muscular and bare-abdominal bearing Channing Tatum.

But how much did Magic Mike appeal to the female erotic gaze? Was it simply an allowance to let women ogle Hollywood’s hottest just the way men do? Or was it a movie about empowerment and the importance of embracing all our sexualities? How has it aged?

(Hopefully better than Banderas) and what do the women of our generation have to say about

Magic was a smash hit. Grossing in the millions at box office and making Channing Tatum over $60 million between the film's release and the 2015 sequel. While some say the script was lacklustre, there was praise globe round for the open, fresh, display of male nudity glorified in a Hollywood film aimed blatantly at female, and Gay male, audiences. And to great success, if you’re talking to Women like my Nana: you’re not going to be hearing any complaints; but turn your questions towards a younger demographic and you might begin to find

yourself getting more of a mixed feedback.

In fact most of the female students I talked to hadn’t even seen the film, when asked if they found the idea of a film about male strippers appealing they said they would prefer more shirts, and more feelings. “There’s no intimacy in paying for it,”. Those I spoke to who had seen it, hardly remembered the plot, and certainly didn’t feel empowered. The truth is women want empowerment from women’s stories of their own sexuality; not the struggles of a Florida Carpenter by day, ’King’ of Tampa by night.

The truth is women want empowerment from women’s stories of their own sexuality

However, Magic Mike is actually (like in most cases); about more than just the bodies and watching Matthew McConaughey out act just about anybody he shares a screen with. It’s a movie about the pressures of unbalanced power dynamics in the workplace, economic challenges facing sexworkers, and not letting your career define you: in fact I think a lot of the ladies I spoke to might find that once they gave Channing a chance, they might find some magic in him.

Fetishisation or real representation? Depictions of LGBTQ+ sex on screen

Laura Kasongo

In LGBTQ+ history month, we take a look at how society portrays the community through film

Irecently saw To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! (1995) at the independent Star and Shadow cinema here in Newcastle, who are celebrating LGBTQ+ history, and found it to be a film of pure Queer joy; surprising for it being an early Hollywood breakthrough. Whilst not in the prior mentioned, there has always been the issue of fetishisation or harmful untruths within LGBTQ+ cinema, particularly when it comes to portraying sex. After avoiding it for fear from its criticism, I watched the well-known Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) and now understood some of the backlash. The sex scenes between Adèle and Emma felt borderline pornographic to watch, especially when ‘69ing’, and whilst I’ve witnessed graphic heterosexual scenes, these felt more staged from fetishized stereotype. It felt like I was inside of the head of the teenage boy who wants to watch the lesbians make-out at a party. As well as being unrealistic, their relationship seemed to solely rely on sexual desire and focused on this idea of lesbian hunger, which heteronormatively removes weight to their connection.

Their relationship solely relied on sexual desire and focued on this idea of lesbian hunger

Yet, French LGBTQ+ cinema does redeem itself in possibly one of my all-time favourite films

- Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). Who would’ve thought that a historical drama could depict same-sex intercourse more beautifully than a modern one?

Queer sex shouldn't be

same-sex relations, yet the heterosexual counter is abortion in Portrait of a lady on fire. Perhaps this illustrates lesbian sex as one of mutual satisfaction and not the male carelessness impregnating young Sophie. In Blue is the Warmest Colour, Adèle’s sexual experiences with men are depicted as unsatisfactory, born out of loneliness and in Call Me by Your Name (2017), Elio’s are out

Tom is duty-bound as a husband in My Policeman (2022) to Marion, but their mutual dissatisfaction from such clinical sex differs entirely to the love-making between him and Patrick.

Patrick and Tom actually look into each other’s eyes when loving; something which he cannot do with his wife. Luca Guadagnino also doesn’t make the sex scene Call Me by Your focusing on the lovers’ shared vulnerability through intertwining bodies. I generally do believe it difficult to make a sex scene worthwhile in a film without it being skipped for adding very little to the plot or leaving little to the imagination and that’s further complicated by understandings of LGBTQ+ sex. Queer sex shouldn’t be made pornographic but neither should it be erased.

Image credit: Twitter- @Screenweek

Kink and BDSM in film: hot or horrific?

there is an episode called Scandal in Belgravia that includes a dominatrix. Irene Adler has leverage on her phone in the form of nude photos - definitely something that shouldn’t happen, kink or no - and although independent and unashamed, is manipulative and an extortionist. Furthermore, male submissives are , Christian thinks that his time as a submissive was a mistake and in turn, Ana, cannot stand the thought of him like that, and is disgusted by

Of course, people can identify as dominant and submissive however they like, but many people also fall in different places along the spectrum, or be switches. A large part of male submission (or even just being less dominant) not being taken seriously is harmful not just for kink play, but for all men engaging in any form of sex. That societal stigma of masculinity is a huge contributor to insecurity in the bedroom, and it is only reaffirmed by poor representation on The film industry has made leaps and bounds with the use of sex in film,

One of our writers considers the question of 'sex sells' and whether sex scenes and audience appeal are tied together

The best films reflect humanity back to us through visual storytelling, so as far as sex is a fact of life it is a fact of filmmaking and rightfully so. At its core, a film tells the story of a protagonist who desires something, therefore giving sexual desire a very credible role in an effective script. Most films, as a result, feature a romantic plotline in some form.

Screenwriter, Blake Synder, describes that even cavemen should be able to relate to a good script. He has repeatedly emphasised that the most successful films represent primal needs of humans, whether that be survival, revenge, protecting your family or, very often, sex.

In terms of Box Office success, it is widely understood that “sex sells”. Fifty Shades of Grey, for example, turned a profit of over $500 million, placing it in the top 200 highest grossing films of

all time. Consider also how the marketing of Don’t Worry Darling portrayed Harry Styles’ character as a sort of hero of female pleasure, which in my opinion somewhat downplayed the real feminist themes of the film, but no doubt contributed to the sale of cinema tickets. That being said, family films prove year on year to be the most lucrative genre. Their uncontroversial and heart-warming nature has a universal appeal that generates profit from all generations and also all sexualities, in an industry where an abundance of sex has contributed to heteronormativity and asexual erasure.

makes the smallest touch of hands so exciting for both the characters and the audience. While I do believe that those undertones are at play, Pride & Prejudice, for me, manages to capture an intimacy that is much more powerful than sex: the intimacy of being known. It turns out that the line “You bewitch me body and soul” would remain more memorable and more attractive to me than any sex scene. This reminds me why it is heralded as a film that encapsulates the female gaze. Perhaps, I am approaching the question of whether sex is necessary in film with a distinctly female bias but given the prolific history of female characters being used only as sex symbol to serve the characterisation of male leads (I’m looking at you, James Bond), it is hard to not find a film like Pride & Prejudice refreshing.

but there is still a long way to go in terms of consistent depictions of good kink relationships. If you’re wanting to explore kink, a good portrayal in film would be the But for now, I don’t think the silver screen should be

modern era, however, it is vital that sex on screen is approached with responsibility. The time for gratuitous and graphic sex is gone and we must focus on the potential of using

So, sex is not needed to make a film sell but in order to prove that it is not needed to make a film compelling, even a romance movie, I would like to use Pride & Prejudice (2005) as a case study. Pride & Prejudice is largely regarded as one of the most romantic films of all time, yet the leading couple never even kiss. It could be argued that it is the underlying possibility of sex in such a conservative and religious society as Regency England that

Overall, then, sex should and will continue to play a role on each level that constitutes a successful film. It remains in many ways a topic marked by taboo, which will continue to make seeing it and all that surrounds it on the big screen a thrilling experience. In the

Ciara Rivers

Capturing an intimacy that is much more powerful than sex: the intimacy of being known

With the amount of vacations they go on, he's got enough cash lying around for a therapist

Image credit: Twitter-@Screenweek

“Sex sells” - is it still a truth universally acknowledged?

Sub-editors: Louise Cusine, Martha Probert & Sarah Tunstall

Venues around Britain going dark: ACE funding debacle continues

Carly Horne - Head of Culture

Funding cuts across the arts sector hobble cultural institutions across the country

Oldham Coliseum is the latest arts venue to face closure following cuts to funding from Arts Council England (ACE), despite Oldham being identified as a key area in the Government's 'Levelling Up' fund.

Oldham Coliseum had previously announced that all events taking place after March will be cancelled, with a 100% cut in ACE funding meaning the venue has been left with a funding gap of £2 million. And while Arts Council England has reportedly set aside £1.8 million for the arts in Oldham alone - many creatives in the area are set to be left uncertain of what the future holds for them.

This theme of "difficult decisions" being made not only applies in the North, but has brought devastation to arts organisations across the country.

At the start of the year, Glyndebourne announced the cancellation of its annual opera tour, the Glyndebourne Tour, citing a reduction in funding as the trigger for this decision. While

Glyndebourne were successful in their funding application to ACE, they have seen their usual £1.6 million reduced to £800,000.

The Glyndebourne Tour brought world-class opera to regions who often had no major opera company of their own. Last year, the Tour took productions of La Bohème and The Marriage of Figaro around the country. Additionally, this funding reduction will leave Glyndebourne reduced in their capacity to conduct engagement and education work.

While creating more cultural opportunities outside of the South is no bad thing, the result of doing this through 'levelling up' means that important cultural institutions will be going darkeven those in areas the Government claims to want to promote opportunities in.

The English National Opera was originally to have its funding cut too, however has since been granted £11.46 million to sustain its work in London for another year. However, Arts Council England hopes it will use its reprieve to establish a base outside of London - Manchester has been suggested as an alternative.

The Royal Opera House, National Theatre and the Southbank Centre have seen a reduction in

the lowest investment increase outside of London, despite being identified as one of the Government's 'Priority Places'.

Those in Newcastle to retain National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status include: Northern Stage; Live Theatre; Seven Stories and New Writing North. Company of Others will receive NPO status for the first time in the 2023-2026 Investment Programme.

It seems as though every region has lost out in this cycle of the Investment Programme in one way or another. With the arts industry already feeling the pressure from reduced funding and navigating the industry post-pandemic, it seems

Naturally, this has led to London-based creatives and venues facing some of the same consequences as their Northern counterparts.

The Hampstead Theatre, which has supported past emerging talent such as Harold Pinter, and the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden are among London-based venues which have had Arts Council England funding removed in its entirety.

Queer Sex in Literature

Book recommendations for healthy representations of queer sex

Well-written sex in literature isn’t always easy to come by. Finding well-written queer sex is, unsurprisingly, harder still. Sarah Waters’ 2002 historical crime novel Fingersmith, however, is perhaps one of few instances which comes close.

Through narration from the dual perspectives of its protagonists, Fingersmith follows Sue, a petty thief from the Victorian slums of London, and the wealthy but solemn heiress Maud as they become entangled in an elaborate scheme to con the latter out of her own fortune. Neither, however, expect anything deeper to be thrown into the equation.

Waters never once teeters into the oversexualisation of queer women

One scene in the book – and it is just that, one scene, making it even more poignant –depicts the first sexual encounter between the two characters. It’s gentle, yet it has a somewhat clumsiness to it that encapsulates the naiveté of the young women. What begins as a seemingly innocent, euphemistic conversation regarding “what it is a wife must do on her wedding night” inadvertently becomes an intimate moment of juxtaposing tenderness and passion as the pair recognise a sudden physical layer in their relationship. Waters is vivid in her imagery, but not graphic, giving us just enough explicitly to set the scene without venturing over the blurred lines into mere smut. “You pearl”, says Sue – it is simple, yet it is beautiful, and within the narrative of Fingersmith, it does precisely what

it needs to.

The real finery of it, though, is that it isn’t just sex. In almost all her works, Waters demonstrates a knack for constructing zealously turbulent tales laced with intricate complexities, and the nature of Maud and Sue’s relationship is no different. It is an “emotional entanglement” of a “mutual tumble into love”, Waters wrote in an afterword for the novel’s 20th anniversary last year. Within a frankly quite dark neo-Victorian gothic plot of deceit, poverty and patriarchy, Waters delves into themes of illicit desire and female sexual awakening in such a wonderfully crafted manner that is rarely seen, particularly when it comes to same-sex relationships. She details simple affection between the characters while they each undergo exploration of an uncharted emotional territory, never once teetering into oversexualisation, as is often the case regarding portrayals of queer women. And even if the promise of a well-written sex scene isn’t enough, the twists and turns of the plot are nothing short of sensational. While I won’t divulge spoilers – there’s some real jaw droppers in there – it is safe to say that Fingersmith is an absolute must read.

avoidant sex education most of us are familiar with. I learnt so much from reading this, and think it is a perfect example of a book showing healthy queer sex lives. The illustrations show us so many types of queer relationships, and the book is more than inclusive for every kind of body and identity I will also give a shout-out to the honourable mention of Flo Perry’s sex education book How To Have Feminist Sex. The book is equally silly, playful and informative, and I loved going through it with Perry’s amazing illustrations.

Let's Talk About Sex, Baby

by Martha Probert - Arts Sub-Editor

goodnight

goodnight, babe what are you giggling at? I – nothing, nothing!

I can feel you grinning against my cheek! what’s so funny?

it’s just earlier, when we were – you know oh yeah?

I’m going slightly rogue for this choice in choosing a non-fiction book as my pick for the best healthy representation of queer sex. Our sex education doesn’t just end after we have left school; there is always so much more to learn when it comes to sex, and our relationship with it. My pick is Ruby Rare’s gorgeously pink book, Sex Ed: A Guide for Adults, illustrated beautifully by Sofie Birkin. Rare opens by telling us “I love having sex,” and this open, sex-positive joy is carried on through the rest of the book. The illustrations show us so many types of queer relationships, and the book is more than inclusive for every kind of body and identity that may be reading this. Something I love about Sex Ed: A Guide for Adults is that it gives actual tips about how to have good sex, which isn’t something you learn about in the pleasure-

I didn’t let on, but when you climbed, uh, atop me –you kind of … kneed me kneed you? whe – oh my god I’m so sorry!

it didn’t hurt! it was just funny, but I didn’t feel like I could laugh in the moment. we can laugh now, though we are laughing now we are you can always laugh, you know I know goodnight goodnight

Important cultural institutions will be going dark

Image credit: Flickr

Image credit: Twitter, @JudithMoritz

Rowan Christina Driver - Music Sub-Editor

Ruby Taylor

Sex in Art: Sperlich and Mapplethorpe

Marius Sperlich

When someone mentions sexy photography, my mind is instantly drawn to Marius Sperlich. Although their work isn’t necessarily overtly sexual, the suggestive intimacy of their photos is crafted beautifully. His images incorporate carefully placed miniatures of everyday objects focused around close up parts of the female body. Most frequently, the focus is on erogenous zones that are obscured by elements of the mundane. He mashes elements of lust with delicately constructed scenes, sometimes even experimenting with food.

Sperlich's photography mashes elements of lust with

Using Instagram as the main platform for their work, the shock factor of their photography often provides the perfect springboard to become viral. It was also the virality of his work that led to him photographing the cover of Playboy (a sex symbol in itself). Often offering behind-the-scenes glimpses into the construction of his images, the creativity of each image leaves little to the imagination. It is not often we see a combination of intimate body parts and the mundane to create something provocative. Sperlich’s lusty and beautiful representations of the body are a celebration of sexiness in the everyday.

Known for his black-andwhite photography, Robert Mapplethorpe became a staple artist for the LGBTQ+ community during the aids crisis.

Mapplethorpe grew up in a Catholic household before discovering the polaroid and applying to study arts at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. It was here that Mapplethorpe began to document the belly of New York City during the 70s. He was concerned with the documentation of the S&M scene within the city, causing a mass rift within the arts community. In the 1980s as Mapplethorpe's career began to flourish he was taking pictures for album covers for artists such as Patti Smith and photographing

other music legends like Iggy Pop. It was in 1986 that Mapplethorpe was diagnosed with AIDS. His art began to really conceptualize the sexuality of gay men living within this crisis. As well as photographing other people, he became very concerned with the self-portrait, often depicting the many faces of one man in the patriarchal system.

Documentation of the S&M scene within the city caused a rift within the arts community

He's quite often associated with Michelangelo in his photographic approach to his subject, taking particular notice of the body, and how the body cooperates with the world. In nearly all of his work, you can pinpoint his

expression. A close-up of fingertips, the nose, and the eyes; within such a binary colour spectrum Mapplethorpe manages to express emotion and rage for the gay community. Before he passed away in 1989, he set up the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation to promote the arts as well as fund medical research and a cure for AIDS. Though his works aren't explicitly sexual, there is a deeper conversation that you can always hear when you look at a Mapplethorpe photograph.

Smut: entertaining or damaging?

We all know that smut is less than innocent - but can it be dangerous for vulnerable readers?

Content warning: BDSM, CNC, Rape, Sexual Abuse

Smut, whether in writing or artwork, is characterised by highly sexualised content. While smut has been prevalent in literature since the 17th century, since Tumblr, Wattpad and Archive of our Own entered the internet scene in the late 2000s we saw a sharp rise in creators expressing their creativity and passion for films, books and tv shows through erotic fan fiction.

sexually inexperienced person attempts to try the practices of BDSM or ‘rough sex’ that they are reading about, it could lead to violent and dangerous outcomes.

Likewise, one of the biggest criticisms of smut is that it can normalise abusive sexual experiences.

sexual experiences depicted are inappropriate and potentially harmful to some readers.

This is indeed a necessary criticism of the websites to which smut is uploaded, who I agree ought to be doing more to prevent vulnerable readers, such as those of a young age, from reading pieces that contain potentially dangerous themes. However, this does not mean that authors are not entitled to write these pieces. Smut is, in essence, fantasy, and providing necessary content warnings are given when required, those writing these pieces should be allowed to include whatever sexual scenarios they choose.

While, as previously stated, popular sites on which smut is viewed need to do more to ensure the most provocative content is only being read by those of an appropriate age, it seems clear to me that reading about unhealthy sexual experiences at a young age is – while still potentially damaging –nowhere near as scarring as viewing pornographic videos of such scenes at the same age.

Crucially, though, for those old enough to handle engaging with both forms of erotic content, I believe that smut is by far the most ethical way to,

For the vast majority of these creators, while they often portray over-romanticised sexual relationships, their narratives are not dangerous or harmful to perceptions of safe sex. However, some do delve into the realm of BDSM and other forms sex play. And while BDSM practices are safe if conducted by someone who is experienced in that area, if a sexually inexperienced person reads these pieces as fact then it can create an unsafe perspective of what sex looks like. Significantly, if a

For example, a tag (a topic in fan fiction) known as CNC, also known as consensual non-consent, is a commonly written into online smut. When it comes to topics regarding consent and safe sex, if someone is not educated on the practices or topics that are appearing in fanfiction, like CNC, then they may feel pressure to engage in these practices. Smutty fan fiction can distort people's perception of what safe and enjoyable sex is.

Charlotte

One of the most important benefits of smut, in my opinion, is that it provides an ethical alternative to audio-visual pornography. The production of this kind of erotic material often comes at the expense of the welfare of those being photographed or filmed. In 2021, over thirty women filed a lawsuit against PornHub, alleging the site profits from content which shows rape, child pornography, and sex trafficking. The site has since deleted around 75% of its videos, which they were unable to verify; their verification processes are still widely deemed to be insufficient in preventing exploitative content being uploaded.

Smut is many things. Creative? Yes. Erotic?

Definitely. Borderline indecent? Almost always.

Arguments against smut are often formed on the basis that some of the

Smutty fan fiction can distort people's perception of what safe and enjoyable sex is

The provocative photography of a social media success and a queer icon

delicately constructed scenes

Smut provides an ethical alternative to video pornography

Gabbi de Boer - Head of Life & Style

Sarah Tunstall - Arts Sub-editor

Robert Mapplethorpe

Image credit: Marius Sperlich on Facebook

Image credit: @berzelius11 on Twitter

Lee - News Sub-editor

Sexy Crossword

Across

1. A form of sexual desire in which gratification is strongly linked to a particular object or activity (6)

4. Newcastle gay bar (6)

6. Dildo attached to a harness (4,2)

10. What people think they look like during sex (4)

12. The end of the shaft (3)

13. Goddess of Love, lust, and pleasure (9)

14. Sex noise (4)

15. Another term for kiss on the cheek (4)

17. Wednesday is what day (4)

19. Sheath shaped barrier to protect against STIs and pregnancies (6)

20. Website from adult films (4,3)

21. Male phallice (5)

Down

1. Sexual activity that precedes sex (8)

2. What does the T stand for in DTF (2)

3. Feeling of arousal (5)

5. Male reproductive fluid (5)

7. A type of lubricant (3)

8. Founder of playboy (4,6)

9. Main area of pleasure for those with a vulva (8)

11. Mother I’d Like to ____ (4)

16. Ejaculate fluid (3)

18. Golden shower (4)

19. A contraceptive diaphragm (3)

the Week:

What have a unicorn, a rhino and a narwhal all have in common? They are all horny

Issue 1437

Answers

Puzzles 33

Sexy Nonograms

Instructions

Colour in the cells in the grid according to the numbers on the sides of the grid to reveal a picture. The individual numbers in each row/ column are separated by spaces of 1 or more squares.

Notes

Word Wheel

Create as many words as you can of 3 letters or more from the wheel. Each letter can only be used once and you must use the one in the middle of the wheel. Try to find the 9 letter word that uses all the letters.

Caught in a jam: Pique and Shakira endure dramatic breakup after 12 years

Arthur Ferridge - Sport sub-editor

Footballers aren’t generally known for their fidelity. Over the years, countless stars from John Terry to Mauro Icardi have been caught being intimate with women other than their wives, and another star has recently joined their ranks in the form of Barcelona legend Gerard Pique.

The Spaniard was married to Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira since 2011 after meeting on the set of the music video for “Waka Waka,” the official song of the South Africa World Cup.

The two enjoyed a fairly placid relationship until May 2022, when his affair with Clara Chia Marti, an employee at his production company Kosmos, came to light. The affair was exposed somewhat comically as Shakira reportedly returned home to Barcelona after travelling with their children to find a half-eaten jar of strawberry jam. Knowing that her husband hated jam, she suspected the worst.

Things moved quickly from there. It transpired that the affair had lasted for months, and Spain’s most iconic couple quickly and publicly arranged for a divorce.

The drama between the two has reignited in recent weeks with the release of an eponymous diss track against her ex-husband released in collaboration with Argentine DJ Bizarrap. She mocks her ex-husband throughout the song, singing that “You swapped a Ferrari for a Twingo, You swapped a Rolex for a Casio,” and adding that “I was out of your league, which is why you’re with someone just like you.” At the time of writing, the song has garnered over 240 million views on YouTube and nearly 190 million plays on Spotify, less than three weeks after its release.

In retaliation, Pique has purchased a Renault Twingo and begun wearing a Casio G-Shock while happily posing for photos with his new girlfriend. He has also signed a multimillion Euro deal with Casio to sponsor Kings League, a semi-

professional 7-a-side league which he co-owns.

The end of Pique and Shakira’s high-profile relationship marks the end of an era, not just for the couple but also their fans, many of whom are likely still processing his shock retirement from professional football in November.

Sexiest sports to get your balls rolling

The top 10 sports ranked from ick worthy to sexy

Even the least active person understands sports’ sex appeal. Its why we watch the Olympics and the World Cup. With so many to choose from, it’s taken an effort to form a definitive list but here are my top 10 sexiest sports, in order of least to most sexy, based on my own and friends’ input. Don’t treat this list biblically, I play volleyball and I could’ve but didn’t put it first. You’re automatically sexy if you play a sport anyway.

In tenth place, we have cricket. The main argument for this sport’s place in the list posed to me was Freddie Flintoff, though I personally don’t see the allure apart from himself being attractive. Bowling well is certainly sexier than batting, that’s for sure.

Leah Williamson as much as the next person but I’m going to have to put football at number 8. It’s possibly due to my overexposure to it as a child, staring at a green field blankly until they zoomed in on a player’s face. The sport just doesn’t sexually arouse me as much as it arouses anger in me that I can’t watch anything else on the TV because ‘the match is on’.

Humbling myself,

next, though I promise if you saw me at practice you’d probably disagree. This sport is another that’s quite versatile for different sexual orientations to find attractive, even if my male friend did blatantly reason it for the women’s booty-shorts. I think an impressive spike or serve is pretty hot and it too requires total body coordination. I’ll stop here at risk of being exposed at training.

(pun-unintended) people you’ll meet and have a certain swagger that can only be achieved from their sport. Similarly for charismatic reasons, surfing is rightfully awarded bronze in the sexiest sports category. Surfers’ connection to the water like a snowboarder’s to the snow is so intuitively attractive, but where they differ is there is more of an ease about the surfer character and not necessarily

uncomfortable, a contributor told me they leave little to the imagination.

I’ll probably receive backlash for what I’ve given silver to. In second place, we have F1. At least they get their champagne spritz on the podium! The reason this sport isn’t number one is purely because there is no woman alternative yet and I hardly think that fair. I think even straight men find F1 drivers attractive and honestly don’t try to argue with me about Daniel Ricciardo, you Lewis Hamilton die-

Next up is Tennis. This is an honorary DILF mention for Roger Federer, and plus their shorts are a nice addition. Albeit an impressive sport, with full body coordination and playing for hours on end, I’m not a fan of the grunting. Especially not Maria Sharapova’s screams. They’re not pleasurable sounds.

Now, listen. I love Neymar and

And in first place, the gold sexiest sport, we have… climbing! Remember when I mentioned watching the Olympics? Tokyo 2020 introduced me to the world of bouldering and Japanese Olympian Miho Nonaka is perhaps the main reason I’d argue climbing to be no.1 on this list. It combines a lot of the skills mentioned for other sports but showcases them spectacularly and I’ve never seen a back look quite as sexy as it does when climbing.

Sub-editors: Tom Barlow, Arthur Ferridge, Elena Photiadou & Paige Rutter

It transpired that the affair had lasted for months

Laura Kasongo

This is an honorary DILF mention for Rodger Federer

Image credit: Twitter (@HelloCanada)

Image credit: Free SVG

Image credit: PxHere

You can never go wrong with strong arms and a fighting face in the ring

Don't try to argue with me about Daniel Ricciardo, you Hamilton diehards

Sub-editors: Tom Barlow, Arthur Ferridge, Elena Photiadou & Paige Rutter

Sport

The inclusion of transgender atheletes in the sporting world

Emma Hunter

Writing an article always makes me shiver with a mix of excitement and nerves, but I approached this one with much more anticipation than normal. This is partly because the people-pleaser in me doesn’t want to provoke anyone –something so easily done, given that a challenge to your identity (whether gender or sporting), as one of our most essential qualities, is so heartwrenching.

As a cisgender woman in sport I have only experienced the latter, and can only imagine how horrifying it is for something as important as your gender. It’s also because I feel trans voices are largely underrepresented around this debate – in fact, female voices in general often are – and that this space should be given to a trans person over me. But the entire fact that this article prompt was unclaimed until I picked it made me think: why isn’t there more input from trans people themselves on transgender policy in sports? Considering the answers led me to approach this debate from some slightly different angles.

The lack of transgender voices could come from an unwillingness to comment, which I reckon could be due to a (possibly unconscious) fear of retribution. After all, trans people are marginalised and discriminated against in society as it is, so nobody could blame them for taking a 'head down, keep walking' attitude. Maybe then we need to create a culture where trans athletes feel comfortable expressing their opinions, such as by giving trans people more roles in sporting bodies or even, yes, allowing people to compete in the gender category that aligns with their identity. I also have a feeling, though, that despite how polemical the issue is in the media, on-the-ground trans sportspeople don’t consider this is a top priority and therefore don’t comment –in which case it could be that current policies (mostly that athletes’ hormones must be at levels considered normal for a biological female) are enough as it is and we should concentrate on issues more important to the trans community. Another thought is that the lack of trans voices could simply be due to a lack of trans people in sport in the first place. If this is the case I think the debate should focus more on making sport accessible to the trans community.

The power that physical activity has to improve your mood is incredible – I’ve experienced it may times – making it all the more important to reduce access barriers to sport for trans people, who have lower sports participation rates but higher rates of mental illness than the general population. Surely allowing trans athletes to compete in the category they identify with will help achieve this. At a grassroots level the answer seems straightforward enough. I think it’s important for recreational athletes to take a more relaxed approach, but I recognise that at higher levels reputation and money raise the stakes considerably. It is valid to claim that having trans women compete against cis women makes the competition unfair. Even if their hormones have been at ‘acceptable’ levels for an long enough time period, the fact remains that any trans woman who transitioned after puberty will retain some physiological advantage. This is the reasoning behind separate male and female categories in the first place, and I think that the fairness they create should be preserved. There’s a reason why trans men haven’t been anywhere near as successful overall as trans women, after all. Clearly something needs to change,

No game before games: Managers who banned matchday sex

Varsha Jayaprasad

Football matches are built on the performance of the players on the pitch as well as the strategies formed by the managers on the back end. Football managers dedicate hours of their time to developing better strategies that can help their players perform better on the field. Strategies take place during the game and sometimes they happen before to prepare for an ideal result. One of the pre-game strategies putforth by some football managers is to ban engaging in sexual activity before a game. Here are five football managers that have

refraining to have sex before a match. This was put in place to ensure that the players were not distracted. Unfortunately, this did not help England progress and theywere knocked out in the round of 16.

Gomez was Panama’s coach for their first-ever World Cup at the 2018 FIFA tournament in Russia. According to defender Harold Cummings, the team was placed with set rules to follow, one of which included no sex during the tournament. This move did not seem to benefit the Panama team in any way. Panama lost all three group games, conceding 11 goals.

The old team player for Mexico took on to be the manager of the team in 2014. Herrera banned engaging in sex and forbade the players to drink or consume red meat during the tournament. If a player cannot endure a month or 20 days without having intercourse, then you are not prepared to be a professional. Let’s play a World Cup, we’re not going to a

Joachim Low

Former Germany Coach, Joachim Low put his players up to a no-sex rule during the 2018 World Cup. Germany had secured the world cup in 2014 and unfortunately could not retain their victory in 2018. Low had made sure players were not having sexual intercourse whilst in Russia and the players were not even allowed to meet their families either.

Players were not even allowed to meet their families either

The celebrated manager of Manchester City has put forth some strict rules for his team. Former Man City player Samir Nasri exposed to L’Equipe that one of Guardiola's first acts in charge was to ban players from having sex after midnight.

Image: credit: Wikimedia Commons

and different organisations have suggested various options. Both sides give valid arguments, but I feel that no solution will be satisfactory to all. By giving you my backwards-and-forwards stream of thought, I hope to have taken fairness and inclusivity into account, to look at the debate from lesserconsidered angles.

A-Z SPORTING SPOTLIGHT:

F... is for Futsal

Samuel Pinkney

I

On top of the men’s first team, the women’s team also look set to continue their achievements in the 2022/23 season. Currently at the top of the league 21/24 points and beating Northumbria twice, the women’s team look set to win the league and have a strong cup run again this year. Come along on Friday 4-6pm.

n the 2021/22 season Newcastle University Futsal Club (NU Futsal) won the BUCS North 1A division by collecting an astonishing 28 out of 30 points, to secure a spot in the playoffs for the Northern BUCS Premier league. After seeing off Warwick University futsal club comfortable and beating Edinburgh in a 17 goal thriller the club secured itself promotion to compete in the BUCS Premier North for the first time ever. The club’s success has continued into the 2022/23 season. Taking 12 points from the wellestablished teams at University of Nottingham, Leeds Beckett and Northumbria University, NU Futsal has secured its place in the 2023/24 BUCS Premier North competition and cemented itself as a competitive futsal team within the division.If you wish to read more, go online to: www.thecourieronline. co.uk

Hernan Dario Gomez

Miguel Herrera

Image: credit: Twitter (@ IDRAeduFellows)

Inside the sex lives of our sports clubs

Elena Photiadou - Sport sub-editor

Newcastle University athletes were asked to fill a survey asking all sorts of questions about sex, they anonymously had their say around their sex lives and preferences.

With 172 people taking part, 39 different clubs filled the survey with the majority being members of the Dodgeball club, following members of Women’s Rugby, Ultimate Frisbee and Ice Skating. 66 male participants and 102 female ones, 3 people preferred not to say and 1 identified as transgender, everyone had their say and determined the results that settle the sex debates around campus.

It has been established that athletes get a lot of sex, and to be honest, why wouldn’t they? Everyone would love to have an athlete in their bed, endurance, physical abilities and hidden skills that cannot go unnoticed. When athletes were asked if they think their club has a

reputation of having a lot of sex the results were pretty divided between yes and no, with 51.2% answering No and 48.8% answering Yes.

172

Rumour has it that the rugby lads are the luckiest guys on campus, not only people find them the most attractive athletes but 83 people collectively agreed that the rumour stands stronger than ever and the club that gets the most sex is Rugby (Union and League). Who doesn’t love a rugby lad?, with a mullet and a moustache, in tiny shorts walking around Jesmond even when it’s snowing, match made in heaven. The football players didn’t do too bad as other athletes think that both men and women are pretty sexy when playing football. With decent numbers, in second place, 12 votes share Football, Dodgeball and Cheerleading, in having the most sex, not the best but at least not

the worst. We get it, rugby athletes are set for life, with such reputation, there is no need to put effort when flirting. It is now confirmed that the club that students think has the least sex is Ultimate frisbee, breaking the scale and getting 29 votes, followed by Archery with 17 votes and Badminton having 15 votes. Further down the survey students had to get a little personal, when asked if they slept with another member of their sports club 59.3% said No, 38.4% said Yes and 2.3% didn’t want to answer. But when students were asked if they slept with someone from a different sport club 40 people secretly admitted that they have indeed slept with a rugby athlete, the votes were split between men and women. Quite a few people have slept with someone that’s part of the football club and further down the rankings you can find Hockey, Rowing and Water Polo.

when you feel like settling down. This or that.. If you had the chance to have sex in a sports facility which one would you choose? Well our students appear to prefer Cochrane Park with 127 people choosing the busy and popular facility and 23 choosing Longbenton which apparently needs to up its game. With such answers we had no option but to get a little dirty, and ask the naughtiest question possible, it might have never crossed your mind but it appears that 15 people had sex in the university’s sports facilities, but thankfully 157 didn’t.

Winning weekends are the new best thing and what a weekend Team Newcastle had to start February!! So here goes:

Ladies Hockey Clubs 1s only went and WON their BUCS Premier League, with a huge final fixture against a competitive side from Loughborough University, our girls came out with a 3-0 win! This is an incredible result from the club and is testament to their hard work amd dedication that they have displayed throughout this season!

Korfball 1s headed up to Edinburgh for their BUCS Regionals, where they secured 3 wins against Leeds 2s, Edinburgh 2s and Lancaster 1s with huge goal margins! They came out 4th overall and qualified for BUCS National Championships, which is a great club achievement!

But who is relationship material? Take your pick, Rugby or Football? The ultimate rivalry is finally settled, it might be tight but football people appear to be preferred when it comes to settling down, they take the win with 84 votes beating Rugby that got 81. This inside guide suggests that you should grab yourself a football girl, or boy

So to shag? To marry? Or to kill? Students were given three options. Golf, frisbee and lacrosse. If they had the chance most people would get in bed with lacrosse athletes, a few times lacrosse had to die, with someone quoting, “kill lacrosse, you know why”. We couldn’t figure why so It will remain a mystery. However when it came to marry and kill preferences floated all over the place, some people would marry golf as “ I want the money” tend to be a popular answer and similarly 80 people would also marry lacrosse “for daddy’s money”, reasonable enough. Frisbee was a hard one as it divided people, it was killed 66 times, and shagged 48 but very rarely was married.

Dance Club also headed up to Edinburgh for their first competition of the 22-23 season, which was made even more exciting by the incredible results, bringing home 7 trophies WOW! Some of the trophies included: 1st in Advanced Jazz and Intermediate Street and 2nd in Intermediate Contemporary The 7th trophy was arguably the most inspiring win as ‘Dancers Choice’ for the second year in a row –where all the other Universities voted our Dance Club as the best University Dance Club during the competition!

Wowen’s Futsal played 2 games against Northumbria back-toback due to rearrangements. I never had a doubt in my mind that our girls wouldn’t come home with the 6 points and boy did they smash it, with 10-0 and 8-0 wins!

Gymnastics had a strong first impact on BUCS this year, winning 4 bronze medals and 2 silver medals in the individual events, and 2 students winning bronze and silver overall medals in their categories! I am very proud of how well the club has developed over the year so far! Trampoline also brought medals home, bagging first place with a beautiful, synchronised performance from our duo team! Athletics and Cross-country fielded their best team results ever in the BUCS cross-country event down in Wales, which was amazing for the club!!

Top 10 Sexiest Sports

Hannah Danks - Athletic Union Officer

participants, 39 different clubs, 48.8% saying their club has a reputation for a lot of sex

ranked from ick

Image: credit: Wikimedia Commons

Katie Siddall - Head of Sport

Image: credit: Twittter (@EddieRobson)

Image credit: Katie Siddall

38.4% of participants said that they slept wth another member of their club

15 people who answered the survey said they have had sex in a sports facility

Image: credit: Instagram (@nufutsal)

Image credit: Katie Siddall