Feb 9 2023 "Student Love" edition of Student Life, Washington University in St. Louis

Q&A WITH FRESHMAN CHRIS HARVEY

Q&A WITH FRESHMAN CHRIS HARVEY

Freshman Chris Harvey was studying in Bear’s Den when the friend he was with turned his computer to show Harvey the application to be the Student Life Sex Issue cover model. “It was really late at night, and I was just slap-happy. I was like, ‘Okay!’” Harvey said. When he was accepted, Harvey was surprised but excited–– he’s working on his confidence and comfortability in his skin. “I'm really leaning into expressing myself and not being ashamed of myself and my body,” Harvey said. Harvey sat down with Student Life to talk about his journey from transitioning as a teenager to ending up unclothed on a newspaper cover.

Student Life: What aspects of your identity are

important to you?

Chris Harvey: The things that have impacted my life most have been my gender and sexuality.

SL: Can you tell me more about how they’ve affected your life?

CH: So I’ve known that I’m bisexual for a long time — probably since elementary school. Finding where that fits in with my gender was difficult for me… I’m a trans male and I got top surgery when I was 17. I guess the social transition part was also difficult with my sexuality…to express myself as more of a feminine man. And finding out where I fit into society has been a struggle for me, but I feel like I'm finally finding out who I really am.

SL: Can you walk me through a little bit growing up

— what was it like realizing those both of those identities?

CH: I finally came out as trans male to everybody in between ninth and tenth grade, but before that I came out to close friends and family. It was really difficult because obviously before I started testosterone, it was very hard for me to pass as male. And just the every day struggle of knowing that people saw me as different than I really was.

And then when I actually did start to pass, it was hard to get through my brain that you know, ‘oh, I should feel more comfortable and relaxed because people actually do see me as a man.’

And it was very difficult dealing with, obviously, transphobia and prejudice about my sexuality, especially by teachers in my middle and high school. They would call me by the wrong name or

A note from the Editor:

Welcome to Student Love, more lovingly known as the Sex Issue. This issue has been a tradition of Student Life since 2005. While some traditions are better left in the past, this is not one of those traditions. Sex is a constant of humanity and so too must be this issue. We hope that you find content that amuses (and perhaps confuses) you among these pages. Journalism is, of course, the Fourth Estate of a functioning democratic nation, and the Sex Issue (many are claiming) is the Fifth

pronouns, or put me in with the girls when there was a gendered activity.

But now that I'm in college, I feel so much more free and so much more like, people don't care if I'm trans. Like if I if I tell them I'm trans, it's just like if I just told them where I'm from. They don't really care and that's just the most wonderful thing to me.

SL: How was the experience of getting top surgery?

CH: Because I was a minor, there were a lot of hurdles to jump through. I started the process when I was 14, actually, when I finally got an endocrinologist at the Children's Center, and I started looking into surgeons.

I also had a therapist — you have to have a therapist for, I think six or eight months before they can write you a letter of approval.

And then my pediatrician

Estate. This issue was put together through the incredible work of our designers and illustrators, who have made the topic of sex even sexier. We couldn’t have done this issue without you all — the models, the survey takers, the wild ones, etc. We’re wishing you all a lovely Valentine’s season, regardless of whether you have a boo at the moment.

Sex, Julia

MAKE IT A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. MAKE IT A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.

Escape with your sweetheart to The Cheshire for a charming boutique hotel experience and romantic get-away. Enjoy the timeless elegance of our historical hotel’s luxurious accommodations, modern amenities and superb culinary pleasure with on-site dining and cocktails.

Stay the evening, stay the night, at the Cheshire.

had to mentally evaluate me and say I was mentally sound. Like say, you know, ‘I've known Chris since he was three years old, and this has been consistent and whatever.’

And then I needed to prove I've been on testosterone for a certain amount of time. And there are very few top surgeons that do operate on minors. So I found one in Ohio, which is a bit of a trek.

So I did a Zoom consultation when I was 15 and then I scheduled my top surgery when I was 16. And then I finally got it a month after I turned 17.

SL: What has your relationship with your body and how you present to people been through the journey of transitioning?

CH: Recently it’s

astounded me how much more confident I am. My mental health has improved so much, especially after top surgery two years ago I feel like I can wear whatever I want. I can wear thin clothing, or I can wear things that I was hesitant to before [Harvey gestures to his red mushroom earrings], jewelry, things like that.

SL: What does your fashion sense say about you?

CH: I don't try to like be super flashy unless I'm like, extra fabulous, or whatever. I mostly just wear what I steal from my boyfriend’s closet. And band hoodies are some of my favorites. [Harvey points to his sweatshirt] This is one of my favorites, actually, The Neighborhood, one of their album covers.

Cover models Chris Harvey and Isa Yang share a laugh during shooting.

COVER MODELS: ISA YANG, CHRIS HARVEY

PHOTO: HOLDEN HINDES PROPS AND SET: TUESDAY HADDEN, SYDNEY TRAN, RYAN DAVIS

HOLDEN HINDES | STUDENT LIFE

“Had sex with someone with a pup fetish. He made me walk him in my apartment.”

“My then-girlfriend pulled my foreskin back so far that it wouldn’t come back and then I had to ask my mom to take me to the hospital the next day.”

“The first time I used a strap on we didn’t have lube so we used olive oil. it felt like going to a nice natural spa.”

“I got my ex to get turned on to the sound of Minecraft villagers. Every time I would make a villager noise or play one from youtube, she’d want to have sex.“

“We were having penetrative sex when the condom broke just as he finished. My vagina started to burn and swell and it hurt so bad like someone lit a fire in there and anyways that’s how I found out I’m allergic to semen.”

Relationships

“My ex used to talk to my dick in a Russian accent as her little Bolshevik comrade.”

“I dumped my bf because he talked about his salary too much, and in the middle of me dumping him he did, in fact, bring up his salary.”

Kinks

“Women, big balls, any combination of the two.”

“Fulfilling a woman’s need for big dick.”

“I met a super cute lesbian at a bar (or, that was my assumption). We made out and were having a great time, then left and when we got home, I realized I was actually with a gay man. He thought I had a dick and I thought he didn't. We just ended up eating pizza and parting ways.”

“He slipped out once and said ‘Put me back in coach.’”

“I had a partner with a piss kink, and one time I was sitting on his lap and he made me laugh so hard that I peed. I was so embarrassed but he got so turned on and then we f*cked.”

“Had sex with a guy from hinge. It lasted all of 2 minutes until he giggled and said he finished. he then proceeded to teach me how to juggle (no i didnt ask for the lesson). I then left his place and he shook my hand.”

“I once gave a guy a BJ and threw up immediately afterward...didn’t realize I was a lesbian for two more years.”

Go-to Moves

“It is ok to be shy. Make sure you and your desired partner are both on the same page. Consent is sexy and should be normalized. Don’t be afraid to ask!”

“One time I was giving head and I said ligma hoping my partner at the time would say ligma balls. Instead, I was asked to stop giving head.”

“Suck on that clit like it’s a sippy cup. Also move your tongue softly but fast side to side on the clit.”

“The ‘move away.’ It’s when you’re too nervous to walk up to someone so you walk in the opposite direction. Can’t recommend.”

“I drop down on my knees, clasp my hands together, and plead "Please! Please! Pleaaaaase peg me. Just a little. My ass neeeeeds a good str*tch." Works every time :)”

“Confidence, confidence, confidence. Shoot your shot! Nothing matters, we’re all gonna die anyway.”

“The quickest way to a bitch's heart is to let her do your eyeliner. Chin up and eyes down kings.”

ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN DAVIS

Club Crew

The Amateurs Acapella

PHOTOGRAPHERS: HOLDEN HINDES, CLARA RICHARDS, IZZY SILVER, ZOE OPPENHEIMER

All major medical associations in the United States agree no amount of any type of alcohol during pregnancy is known to be safe.

Student Life Outing Club

What about wine? No

What about just one glass? No

What about in the last trimester? No

Why?

Alcohol is a drug that is known to hurt the healthy development of the baby.

As many as 1 in 20 children may be affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Please help us spread the word that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are preventable.

Find resources, get help, or request a speaker at www.thewhole9.org or call 1-877-Whole Nine.

Funding provided by:

Hack WashU

Club Photos

SHOOT YOUR SHOT: CREATE LeBABY

On Tuesday night, I was halfway into my prebedtime shower when my roommate released a guttural yelp from the safety of his bedroom — it sounded like he was mortally wounded. As anyone who has been scared in the shower can attest, I did the normal thing: I flinched and slipped, crashing into the floor.

In pain of my own, I managed to grab my phone and text my assailant, “that better have been a roach or something dude...i just slipped and fell.”

I received a reply in mere seconds: a photograph of Lebron James and an apology, “Sorry. All time scoring leader.”

“you better have a woman in there. if you dont, dont bother coming home tmrw,” I replied.

You see, I’m not a particularly religious person, but I do have strong faith in one thing: a Reddit basketball theory I saw when I was in high school.

On April 5, 1984, Kareem AbdulJabbar snatched the mantle of NBA all-time scoring leader from Wilt Chamberlain. 38.5 weeks later, LeBron James was born.

Let’s take this back a step. The typical pregnancy takes 36-40 weeks between conception and birth, making it reasonably likely that LeBron was conceived within a narrow window of time around Kareem’s

big night.

The abstraction of this is that LeBron was destined for greatness, considering the timing of his conception. As any logical and reasonable person (like myself) would tell you, the next basketball legend will be conceived sometime around when LeBron usurps the NBA all-time high scorer title from Kareem.

That night was Tuesday, Feb. 7. This is my suggestion to you, dear reader: if you believe in a god (of basketball) pray to them, and remember that the coming days are your best shot to create LeBron 2: A LeBaby of Your Own.

CLARA RICHARDS | STUDENT LIFE

VED PATEL CHIEF OF COPY

Godspeed.

VED PATEL | STUDENT LIFE

Contraband

KWUR

ILLUSTRATION BY KELLEN WANG

Sexy M&M’s: They melt in your mouth, not in your hands — but also melt poor Tucker’s heart

JORDAN SPECTOR STAFF WRITER

Fox News host Tucker

Carlson stands up for his redblooded patriots, addressing, once again, the real problem this country is facing: woke, feminist M&M's. This war against Americans is not new. One year ago, Tucker commented on M&M’s rebranding, remarking that, “M&M’s will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and totally androgynous, until you wouldn’t want to have a drink with any one of them. When you’re totally turned off, we’ve achieved equity.” Echoing this, Walter Kirn pointed out that M&M's “wanted to get the PR for going woke, so they had to invent a problem.”

This, of course, was said during an entire segment devoted to woke M&M's — a real, totally uninvented, problem.

Flash forward to January 11, and with the news of a new promotional wrapper featuring all-female M&M’s — the green and brown M&M's and a new purple peanut M&M — Tucker is fired up. “The Green M&M got her boots back,” he said on air, beginning with a small victory for his viewers. “But,” he continued, “is apparently now a lesbian, maybe?” The suggestive imagery in the new branding have led many to believe that this suspicion may be correct.

And, if that’s not enough, Tucker points out that the

purple M&M — though deceptively taller and thinner than any of the other M&M’s — represents a “plus-sized, obese” character. While many might see a joke, I see a troubled man, grappling with the fact that his sexual cartoon fantasy is not only becoming less sexy but also, apparently, not even attracted to men like himself. And now, with sudden news of M&M’s “indefinite pause” of all of their spokescandies, he’ll no longer be able to view them at all. Poor Tucker.

I sincerely hope that nobody who actually watches Fox News mistook my sympathy in those beginning paragraphs as my genuine opinion. But Fox News does actually take the rebranding of M&M’s to be a very serious concern — which is, in my opinion, hilarious. Moving past the fact that Tucker Carlson is upset that M&M’s are no longer f***able, though, there are real questions to be asked: Why have M&M’s changed their branding recently? And why have they caved to Tucker’s commentaries, releasing a statement that Maya Rudolph will be replacing the cartoon candies in the next Super Bowl commercial?

There is a history of sexualizing female M&M characters that the company seems to be breaking away from. Perhaps the initial change was for the exact reason of pissing off people like Carlson, using a culture war as a means of publicity and media attention. But even if

this is in part the case, were they also attempting to push a movement of inclusivity? Or, were they simply following consumer demands, responding to an already changing culture? And, despite their initial intentions, why go back on their actions after concerns from Fox News?

In the 2022 rebranding, the M&M’s company was not making a radical decision, trying to change its consumers; its consumers were simply changing the company. In a 2016 article, Insider reported that in the 1990s, M&M's lost their icon status and “called upon ad agency BBDO to try to revitalize the brand.” This new marketing team birthed the iconic M&M personas: “Red (the sarcastic one), Yellow (the simple one), Blue (the cool one), and Green (the sexy one) — and later, Brown and Orange, too.”

The female representation

Submission: The “P” Also Stands For Power

was reduced to one character, assigned the most sexualized stereotype.

O’Reilly of “Insider” explained that giving the green M&M go-go boots was a solution because “all the early drawings made Green look as though she had shapeless, tree trunk legs — not in-fitting with her seductress character.”

Everything about her was fit to be seductive and dainty, so men like Tucker Carlson could wet their pants. The characters were created in the 1990s, a time which, as Allison Yarrow of Time Magazine puts it,

I remember the whispers and long stares she received like a scorching hot tea she never asked for. It was 7th grade, and the school had just found out Sophie had sex. I also remember the pats on the back and the high fives he received, the boy who had sex with Sophie. Sophie was slut-shamed and called a whore to her face, while he was praised and called a “legend.” Watching this stung, but it was a pain that girls like myself would learn to get used to as this double standard was absolutely the norm. This trope of shame for women was applied to the way women dress, how many people you kiss and the way you carry yourself. It was not until I heard WAP that I realized that women can be empowered by sex too.

In August 2020, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released the song, “WAP” — wet-ass pussy. It might take a few listens to understand that the song is about more than just sex. Cardi B writes, “I don’t cook, I don’t clean,” which acknowledges women’s traditional control being limited to household chores. Instead, Cardi B says she finds her control from sex. We see this control in the line “I tell him where to put it” and “Gobble me, swallow me, drip down the side of me” where Cardi demands, (without the objectification of her partner), oral sex. WAP is not simply a raunchy song about sex — it is indeed a feminist anthem that preaches female sexual empowerment.

Unfortunately, many have criticized the song’s “blatant” expression of sexuality and framed their criticism as a “noble” way to help women see their value beyond sex.

Snoop Dogg, whose debut album was called “Doggy Style,” has taken particular issue with Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s song. In an interview on talk show Central Ave, Snoop said in response to WAP, “Lets have some privacy, some intimacy…where [a man] wants to find out as opposed to you telling him…that should be a woman’s pride and possession, your jewel of the Nile…a possession that no one gets to know about.”

Yet Snoop Dogg aggressively dehumanized women in his 1993 song “Ain’t no Fun,” with the lyrics: “I had respect for ya lady / but now I take it all back / cause you gave me all your pussy” and “And then I’m through with it, there’s nothing else to do with it / Pass it to the homie, now you hit it / Cause she ain’t nuthin but a b*tch to me.”

Many men shared (and continue to share) Snoop Dogg’s discomfort with WAP, revealing a patriarchal anxiety triggered by women embodying their sexual power. We are so used to sexuality being centered on the male gaze and

ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN DAVIS