Issuu

Woroni Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Page 37 Page 8

Issue 5, Vol. 69

The sexiest c-word

Whatâ€™s your number and why does it matter?

Caroline Hendy

Alexandra Green

Page 14

Page 40

confessions of a sugar baby

Your mind & a one night stand

Phoebe

Lewis pope

Contents

Issue 5, Vol. 69

News & COmmENT

The new school - sex, love, moose and 9am lectures

The AVCCVAFS: An Interview with dr Ivo Lovric

Ellie Greenwood

Shan Crosbie

Fifty/50 Balance in CECS

Sarah Edwards, Reporter

WOMEN IN STEM EMILY ROSE REES

SPOON WEEK TOM KESINA

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND THE FEDERAL election policy analysis working group piece #1 Alex Bridges

FAt acceptance without the fat acceptance movement Nishanth Pathy

Features Trigger Warning: Discussion of sex and consent issues

The Sexiest C-Word Caroline Hendy

He’s gotta have it - or does he? Andrew Martin

Asexual in a sexual world

6 ways to have better sex Jessy wu

Where to bang on campus in 2016

Prove it: The exhibition of work by shan crosbie SHan Crosbie

Lizzie Storor

Cultural Column: Turkey

Woroni and Sex in the Seventies

Sally muradogu & Shirzat memet

Sport

Sex edition photoshoot 34

What we text about when we text about sex

Road relay wrap-up Henry Delves

Andrew Martin

What’s good?

ANU OWLS VALIANT IN DEFEAT AGAINST CLASSY UNI ADELAIDE OUTFIT

Phillip Dae

David Bennett

men on top

ISO TERM 2 preview

Rosie heselev

Henry Delves

What’s your number and why does it matter? Alexandra Green

Dirty Little Pill Mikaela glasson

Satire 54

The Dick Pic - The most effective ‘Tool’ of modern day romance Alex elgue

victoria

A history of sex

Area man looking for casual hook-ups

Take me from behind: disability and sex, a multitude of micro-stories

jesse zondervan

Jeevan haikerwal

YOur mind & a one night stand

What your tune’s text laugh means

Anonymous

Like a virgin - Touched for the very first time Mathilda langman

Confessions of a sugar baby

Lewis pope

Unigames: Food for Thought Anonymous

Pole dancing: not Just for the strip clubs maddison godwin

Phoebe

an Angry asian man: Why is the Idea of emasculation Toxic?

ARTS & REVIEWS

Charles chu

Sunday Live @ Aviary - A warm welcome

the false communication model Ellie Greenwood

The colouring of feminist anti-rape culture Aditi Rasdan

Mark Wilson

Kendrick lamar teaches sydney why we gon’ be alright ruben seaton

Woroni Radio

Zoe saunders

Friends fear that Amy and Nick’s relationship is on the rocks due to lack of reciprocal meme tagging Michael Schmitt

Acknowledgement of Country

Woroni is published on the land of the Ngunnawal people. ‘Woroni’ translates to ‘mouthpiece’ in the Ngunnawal language.

Contact

Advertising inquiries and submissions can made at: advertising@woroni.com.au Phone: (02) 6125 9574 Shop 15, Lena Karmel Building 26 Barry Drive, Acton 2601 Woroni is printed by Capital Fine Print.

Board of Editors

Editor In Chief - Waheed Jayhoon Deputy EIC - Mitchell Scott Managing Editor - Liam Osawa News - Miguel Galsim Content - Ria Pflaum Radio - Caitlin Magee Creative - Joanne Leong Communications - Daniel McKay

Staff

Admin Assistant - Gowrie Varma Proofreader - Siobhonn Shannon Financial Controller - Brendan Greenwood

Sub-Editors

Managing Assistant - Derek Wu Marketing - Rhys Dobson News - Mark Han News - Pamela Hutchinson News - Miguel Galsim Design - Eva Krepsova Art - Shan Crosbie Comment - Nishanth Pathy Features - Bronte McHenry Arts & Reviews - Gabriele Naktinyte International - Paroksh Prasad Life & Style - Phyllida Behm Science - Allissa Li Sport - Madhuri Kibria Satire - Zoe Saunders Professional Development Charlie Austin Radio Technical Officer - Jamie Palamountain Presenter Liaison - Finn Pëdersén Music/DJ - Brendan Keller-Tuberg Events and Sports - Brittany Wallis Social - Hannah Wright Have an opinion about how Woroni should be run? ANUSM is consulting students on upcoming constitutional and electoral reform of the organisation. Email your suggestions to contact@woroni.com.au

NEWS & COMMENT

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Fifty/50 Balance in CECS Sarah Edwards, Reporter A group of students at the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) has this year created the group Fifty50 with the aim of achieving gender equity in the college, although not without criticism from some staff and students. The group has instigated a first-year mentoring program, and will be running speaker events and panel discussions throughout the year. These events will have an equal representation of male and female speakers, in an effort to establish representation and inspiration for students. “What we want is for everyone to have an equal opportunity to thrive and survive in STEM, if that’s what they want,” said co-president of Fifty50 Francesca Maclean, adding that a lack of representation in STEM currently tends to discourage women and girls from pursuing that avenue of education. “If you can’t see it, how do

you know you can be it?” she asked, highlighting that the goal of the mentoring program is to change the culture surrounding young female students in CECS. Vice-President Georgina Ims said that the group was formed by students who were dissatisfied with the state of gender equity in CECS. “We decided that there wasn’t an appropriate support network, and nothing to improve on it,” she said, explaining that the ratio of female to male students in CECS has only increased at 1% per year since 2009. At that rate, the founders of Fifty50 all agree that “it will take too long” to achieve gender equity in the college without more efforts being made to encourage more women to join, and remain in, the field. As well as a low rate of enrolment of women in CECS courses, the founders have also noticed a “problem with retention,” in that many women drop out of the field in under-

grad, or at the entry to industrial or academic careers. “In the end, it’s a male-dominated field,” said Maclean, which contributes to an unwelcoming culture for women. Maclean and co-President Emily Campbell attended a global summit of emerging leaders held in New York by Womensphere in March, which focussed on industry, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, particularly in STEM fields. Their participation was supported by the ANU, and the presentations included explanations of how gender equity is linked to all fields of development, and how “if we empower women, everyone wins.” The summit’s aim was similar to Fifty50’s- to encourage young people to pursue their ambitions. “ANU students are really impressive,” said Maclean, “it would be a shame to waste that.” So far, the founders have met with mixed responses from students and staff alike- while they’ve had “a

good response” from first years, with many students signing up to the mentoring program, they also find that “a lot of students have an aversion to it,” citing an incorrect preconceived notion of gender equity and the group’s aims as the main cause for this. There has been some support from staff, but without much real engagement- “I think part of the problem is that it’s not in anybody’s job description to care,” said Maclean, referring to CECS’ lack of a focussed gender equity officer. Ims attributes the uncertainty of male CECS students to “that whole aversion to feminism,” leading many to believe that Fifty50 is unnecessary or unsupportive of male students. “If you’re not really sure, just ask us,” says Maclean to male students in CECS, “turns out we’re on your side.”

WOMEN IN STEM Emily Rose Rees The other day I had a younger girl ask me the other day if I ever got annoyed by the push for more women in STEM. On the whole I have had a pretty positive experience; I was encouraged in my maths and science classes at school, I have a great group of friends at university who are all supportive and I probably wouldn’t be able to give you a concrete example of any discrimination that I’ve personally experienced. However, my positive experiences are too often the exception to the rule and the rarity of stories like mine are revealed by the data and statistics surrounding female experiences in STEM. While it may be true to say that overall, there is roughly equal enrolment of both males and females in STEM courses, these enrolments break down problematically insofar as specific disciplines. Enrolment data from the ANU[1] shows that courses such as chemistry, environmental science, science communication and earth and marine science enjoy an overall gender balance. Biology and psychology alone have greater female than male enrolment, potentially because of the cultural perception of these being more ‘feminine’ than a lot of other STEM courses. Maths and phys-

ics both have a significantly higher proportion of male enrolments, and this gap only increases when you look at engineering and computing/ IT courses, where the gender ratios are skewed at about 80% males, 20% females. This is considered a good ratio, and it’s a statistic that is often thrown around to show how much better the ANU is compared to other institutions. For context, the national average percentage of women enrolled in ‘Engineering and Related Technologies’ courses is below 15% [2]. It is often asked what the actual issue is at this point. Sure, there might be fewer women, but isn’t that just a reflection of the degree choices students make? Why should we care about the small proportion of women in these courses? Well, the influences of various factors on degree choices is another issue altogether, so let’s focus on the women who do choose to enrol in some of these STEM courses. This skewed gender ratio is an issue because it creates a culture where women’s experiences can be far from positive. In a survey conducted on 1014 students (95% of whom were from the ANU), almost 50% of females responded that they had at some point felt uncomfortable and

isolated in their study environment due to their gender[1]. This discomfort and isolation experienced by so many women is concerning, as it can act as a very real disincentive to continue studying in that particular area. When you walk into a lecture theatre and you’re one of less than ten women that can be genuinely daunting, this becomes even worse in smaller groups where you may be the only female in your tutorial or lab. And when you stop asking questions in class for fear of perpetuating the stereotype that you’re less intelligent than your male counterparts, your own learning can suffer. However, it’s not just feeling uncomfortable or isolated. There are plenty of instances of blatant discrimination ranging from rape jokes and sexual harassment to lecturers or tutors outright discouraging students from further studies. The basis for this discouragement was because no one would supervise them because of their gender, or that an academic career is difficult and might not be compatible with a good family life. Such a culture can only exist where the gender balance is so skewed. So yes, from the outside looking in,

the whole ‘women in STEM’ thing may seem like it’s over the top and unnecessary. But as a female in this environment, when it helps us feel comfortable in our learning environments, encourages us to pursue a path we might have been told we couldn’t and is a step towards reducing the massive discrimination often faced by women in these industries after graduation, it’s something we should not only tolerate, but actively celebrate, support and engage in. And if you still don’t care about any of it then consider this – a number of studies have shown that when women become involved with traditionally male industries creativity and innovation are maximised, there are less mistakes and better products are made. Encouraging diversity in the workforce improves the quality of products and services provided for everyone, and getting more women into STEM is a step in the right direction. A. Li, K. Ward, J. Tjandra and M. Powell, “Women in STEM,” 2015. [2] Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Education differences between men and women,” Australian Social Trends, 2012. [1]

COMMENT

Issue 4, Vol. 68

Spoon Week Tom Kesina People with disability are rarely allowed or permitted to shape the discourse around disability. Whether it’s attacks on those receiving the Disability Support Pension, or the objectification of people with disability through inspiration porn, very often we’re either portrayed as fakers or objects of pity. This is what Spoon Week is about - promoting understanding of the experiences of students with disability, taking control of the discussion, and starting conversations with the wider community. The ‘spoon’ in Spoon Week comes from ‘spoon theory’, which is used by some people with disability to describe their experience when their disability presents in a reduced amount of energy available for pro-

ductive tasks. Spoons are an intangible unit of measurement used to track how much energy a person has throughout a given day. Although the theory originated as a way to explain chronic illness, it can have a wide applicability. It’s also useful when thinking about the ways in which institutions like the ANU can help or hinder the inclusion of students with disability. When the ANU fails to implement measures like disability awareness training, or create important documents like a Disability Action Plan, this impacts on the spoon counts of students with disability. This is why we need Spoon Week, because it’s not enough to be content with the status quo - we have to have conversations

about how we can do better and take action. Spoon Week is happening during Week 10, from May 2-6, and we’re running five events. On Monday evening is our Spoon Week launch event, where we’ll be talking about how ANU can work towards worldclass inclusion of students with disability and launching our petition. On Tuesday evening we’ll be having a discussion/Q&A on myths and misconceptions about disability. On Wednesday afternoon, we’ll be talking about disclosing disability, whether that be in social situations or the workplace. On Thursday at midday, we’re running Universal Lunch Hour and a Spoon Week market day where you’ll have opportunity to fa-

miliarise yourself with all the fantastic resources available at the ANU and in the ACT. On Friday, we’re officially launching the Spoons Space (our autonomous space for students with disability) with a crafternoon, plenty of cake, and a movie night throughout the day. Whether you have a disability or not, we want you to be involved in the conversation. For more info including specific dates & times, check out anudsa.com/spoon-week/ To learn more about Spoon Theory and support for Disabilities on campus, check out the next issue of Woroni, the Spoon Week Edition, out in Week 10.

Housing Affordability and the Federal Election Policy Analysis Working Group Piece #1 Alex Bridges In recent years across Australia housing and rent prices have increased, making it harder for students to find affordable housing. The 2009 Henry Review into Australia’s tax system observed that in 2009 the ratio of rents to average weekly earnings were their highest since the 1980’s, and that the number of rent assistance households paying more than 30% of their income on rent was at its highest since 2000, breaching a commonly accepted measure for ‘housing stress’. Moreover when students do graduate and move on to gainful employment, realizing the Australian dream of home ownership will be harder than ever. Buying a home in 2011 cost 7.3 times the average income, compared to 4.7 in 2001. Two key levers that have pushed up housing demand are Negative Gearing and Capital Gains Taxes (CGT). Negative gearing allows for investors to offset rental losses against their income, reducing the tax they pay in order to try and stimulate investment in housing and increase the availability of rental homes. CGT concessions allow investors to claim a 50% discount on any capital gain, as long they’ve held the asset for 12 months. Critics argue that both schemes encourage over-investment and speculation in the Australian housing market, as any losses incurred from rental properties are made up by the capital gains earned when selling a home. This causes over-investment

and speculation in the housing market, pushing up prices and locking out first-home buyers. Presently, housing affordability and the effects of these two taxes are emerging as a Federal Election issue. While the Liberal/National coalition government has announced no formal policy, the Turnbull government has publicly considered the option of changes to negative gearing. The government is considering the idea of capping negative gearing to between $20,000-$50,000. This would limit excessive tax breaks for high-income groups, but ensures that properties can still be negatively geared up to the set cap. The Labor Party has announced a two-part housing affordability policy, reforming both negative gearing and CGT concessions. Labor would restrict negative gearing only to new housing and see all currently negatively geared investments ‘grandfathered’, i.e. currently negatively geared investments would experience no tax changes and still be able to reduce their taxable incomes without limit. The second component would reduce CGT concessions available to investors from 50% to 25%, reducing the capital gains investors can make from selling any asset and reducing the incentive to invest in housing. Like Labor, The Greens would grandfather currently negatively geared investments. However they would end negative gearing for

all future investments including new housing and completely remove the CGT discount. Part of the increased revenue from these two reforms would fund construction of 7000 homes for the homeless and 7500 social housing dwellings. These differences raise three issues regarding housing affordability. Firstly, in the short term no single party policy will significantly increase rent prices. Each parties’ policy protects currently negatively geared investments to varying extents, meaning landlords won’t have to shift increased costs onto renters. Secondly, curbing surging house prices and market speculation requires CGT concession reform. Housing prices across Australia have increased at an annual rate of 8.4% since 1980. In this environment CGT concessions encourage speculation on the expectation that housing prices will increase, further driving price pressures. Lastly, no policy adequately addresses supply-side issues relating to housing. In 2012 the National Housing Supply Council reported that there was a shortage of 228,000 dwellings in Australia, with this figure expected to grow each year. Publicly Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison have indicated that they perceive housing affordability as predominantly supply driven. However, presently no official policy within the government’s Cities portfolio has been announced to address it. Labor’s policy of limiting

negative gearing to newly built homes is significant but likely won’t address the full extent of the issue. Currently only 5% of negatively geared properties are new homes. It is unlikely that the other 95% of investors will immediately choose to invest in new-housing and raise supply, as it would remain a riskier investment than purchasing existing property. Moreover state and territory-level barriers to development inhibit investment in new housing, even if encouraged by federal negative gearing policies. Similarly, on balance the Greens policy would help to address homelessness and accessing affordable accommodation for low SES groups, but would not redress the specific problem of increasing housing supply to increase affordability for everyone in the market. Instead what is required to address housing affordability is a policy approach which addresses not only the demand-side effects of Negative Gearing and CGT, but also works with states and territories who hold most supply-side policy levers to increase the supply of available housing. Tackling housing affordability remains an outstanding issue for government that requires a comprehensive policy solution that involves all levels of government. Alex Bridges is a member of ‘The Australian Greens’

Week 6, Semester 1, 2016

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COMMENT

Issue 5, Vol. 69

FAT ACCEPTANCE WITHOUT THE FAT ACCEPTANCE MOVEMENT Nishanth Pathy Here’s a question. Assume there are a group of alcoholics where we know that their drinking does not damage others. Furthermore, let’s say this group wants to stop being stigmatised. They want autonomy to make their own choices without judgement. That seems reasonable, right? Let’s add one final assumption. Let’s say this group suddenly claims their drinking is without any cost. They claim that their bodies “can take it”, and that there are no health detriments. We know that this is false. As feminists, we could look at that group and say “we respect your right to choose what you’re doing with your body, but your facts are wrong. Your arguments are wrong. Therefore, we won’t be associating with you.” This is obviously true of this hypothetical group of alcoholics. So why then does feminism associate with the Fat Acceptance Movement? Let’s consider prima facie what a first-principles grassroots feminist response to fat. Firstly, there’s individual autonomy. Public health costs aside for a minute, it’s important to note that fat is a health issue where effectively the only victim is the person themselves. In cases where the costs and benefits have almost exclusively fallen on the individual, feminism has always been a strong advocate of autonomy. Allowing women to wear what they want, do what they want with their bodies, and not be constrained by “we know better” paternalistic attitudes are all key tenets of the movement. Moreover, society currently accepts activities like drinking to excessive levels, overwork, sugar consumption, and smoking, so long as they are conducted in ways that only damage the one conducting the action. Therefore, fat seems to just be a trade-off between benefits now (lower requirement for exercise, more enjoyable food) and health costs in the near-to-distant future, just as with the above examples – there is no obvious reason to demonise fat to the exclusion of all others. The above hypocrisy would be enough for feminism to decry fat shaming, but the reasons behind the inconsistency are where the brunt of the argument lies. Fat shaming is, in essence, the expectation that someone should satisfy you sexually. It is the understanding that when you look at someone, you expect them to please you, and if they don’t, they deserve condemnation in the form of shaming. Fat shaming is mutually exclusive with the feminism – it says that regardless of desires you have as an individual for yourself, you should have to satisfy the (often male) gaze that falls upon you. In this light, fat shaming becomes beyond indefensible – it literally takes away all sexual

autonomy and demands that individuals make (generally substantial) sacrifices to accord with arbitrary norms. The above two paragraphs are a strong, feminist, first-principles response against fat shaming. Let’s contrast this with what the Fat Acceptance Movement (FAM) says. One major FAM site, Everyday Feminism, thinks that “weight-related diagnoses” in medicine (such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and so on) are not in fact examples of medical best practise, but are instead “thin privilege”. The desire to diet in any way, shape, or form – is inherently tied to capitalism and therefore evil. To look at different institutions, Healthy at Every Size (HAES) claims that the status of one’s health occurs totally irrespective of size. There’s an issue here. These statements are factually wrong. We know that obesity and overweightness cause health damages. We know, equivalently, that being extremely underweight causes health damages. We also know that in the vast majority of cases, behaviours lead to these weights. Claiming otherwise is false. There are a number of problems with these FAM responses to fat shaming and body attitudes. Firstly, they are incredibly easy to rebut. It’s really hard to argue that being overweight is fundamentally different than binge drinking such that we can shame one but not the

other. It’s very easy to rebut that fat is fundamentally unrelated to health. The consensus is (and has been for some time) that being overweight has substantial health costs. There are increasingly interesting academic rebuttals of this consensus, but it’s worth noting that they still don’t even come close to defeating the hundreds of studies prior showing links between fat and poor health. Moreover, even separately to whether the argument is academically valid (which cherry picking studies most certainly isn’t), the majority of individuals simply won’t accept that fat can be healthy. That line of argumentation inherently turns people away from movements which decry fat shaming. Secondly, it forces a false dichotomy between being pro-fat shaming and accepting of the medical consensus. Doctors are regularly rated as one of the most trusted professions. Therefore, decrying doctors as establishment goons hell-bent on propagating thin privilege (as Everyday Feminism tried to do earlier) is unlikely to go down well. Many left-leaning, progressive people try their utmost to side with medical consensus and science. Therefore, when the consensus still lies with fat being unhealthy, positioning fat-shaming as part of that consensus means that you create a situation where people must choose between sincerely-held scientific beliefs and not fat-shaming. By contrast,

as the consent movement gains more and more influence, not fat shaming just makes intuitive sense when you frame it as a sexual expectations issue. Using FAM arguments against fat shaming not only defies scientific consensus – it actively creates less compelling and falsely dichotomous arguments. None of this is to condemn the Fat Acceptance Movement. They are right in saying that being fat is often not a choice in the easy sense of the word – in many instances, it is a confluence of mental health, low socio-economic status, natural genetic disposition and any myriad of other categories. They are right in saying that people should have the autonomy to choose for themselves how many of the substantial costs of losing weight they wish to adopt. They are right in saying that fat shaming, regardless of all else, actively contributes to weight gain. And they are right in claiming that the world exists under a paradigm of thin privilege – as a naturally thin person, I can attest. But the most effective weapons against this discrimination isn’t clutching at non-consensus studies and defying the medical establishment. Basic, grassroots feminist arguments against fat shaming still hold true. They are almost impossible to rebut. If we really want to end discrimination against fat people, we need to stop pretending that fat isn’t a health issue, and instead, recognise it as only a health issue. Those such as parents, partners, or medical professionals with a right to be concerned about your health are not fat shaming you if they encourage you to lose weight. But equivalently, just like with drinking or overwork, you have the autonomy to refuse their advice. And if we think about it as only a health issue, then we can talk about healthy behaviours in the same way that the FAM wants us to without needing to shame fat bodies. Just like with other aspects of our health, seeing fat as a health issue can let us love our bodies – losing weight stops being about fighting the endless barrage of societal discrimination, and just becomes about improving your health. The Fat Acceptance Movement has the right aims. It wants to protect one of the last groups against whom discrimination is still wholly acceptable. But if it wants to win this battle, it needs to go back to basics. FAM doesn’t need to prove that fat is healthy. It only needs grassroots feminism.

Artwork by Ed Condon

Content Warning: The following pages contain discussion of sex and consent issues. Individual warnings will be applied to relevant articles.

Features

Issue 5, Vol. 69

The Sexiest C-Word Caroline Hendy Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

good ole Thrusty-Thrust? There’s a couple of options:

You can’t spell ‘sex’ without ‘consent’.

A You’re at your parents’ place and you’re trying to get some private time without them finding out. B You’re unconscious. C You’re asleep. D You’re not having fun.

Oh hang on, that’s not right. You can’t have ‘sex’ without ‘consent’. There we go. You can’t have sex without consent, because non-consensual sex is rape. So what is this so-called ‘consent’ and why can’t you get all hot and steamy without it? Legally, consent is the “free and voluntary agreement” to a sexual act. There are three key parts to giving or obtaining consent: it has to be knowing, voluntary and active. This means that you have to know what you’re agreeing to before you can agree to it, no-one can hold you at knifepoint and force you to agree, and you have to express your agreement with a resounding “Yes!”, “Fuck yeah!”, “ M m m h m m ”, “Harder, baby, harder!” or any variation on the theme in order for it to count. Consent is one of those things that you’d think is pretty black and white – “no” means “no”, and anything else means “screw me”, right? Not so much. To start with, you don’t actually have to say “no” to mean “no” – and it’s the meaning that matters, not the words. Phrases such as “not right now”, “I’m not really feeling it”, “I’d rather we wait” and “let’s just cuddle” all mean “no” too. So does silence: if your partner isn’t making a sound then that means they’re not giving consent. You might be thinking “well, if they don’t actually say anything then I can’t really be blamed for not realising they don’t want to do it.” Sorry Friend, you can be. Remember, consent has to be active, which silence definitely isn’t. Consider this: why wouldn’t you be moaning with pleasure if you’re having the time of your life doing the

If you’re getting it on with someone and they’re completely silent then you need to stop and check why. Are they unconscious? STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND SEEK MEDICAL HELP! Are they asleep? STOP

WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND PUT THEM TO BED! Not sure if they’re having fun? ASK! Consent can be super easy to get, and won’t kill the mood if you use some of these highly recommended phrases (best served with a gravelly sex-voice and suggestive eyebrow raising): “Having fun?” “Does that feel good?” “I’ve always wanted to try [sexy sex thing], want to try with me?” “Wanna bang?” The thing with consent is that it has to be obtained every single time you have sex. Not only that, but it also has to be obtained every time the sexual situation escalates. So, what if you’re getting hot and heavy with someone and they agree to come back to your room but then

decide they don’t want to do anything more than play tongue-hockey? Sorry Friend, that’s all you’ve got consent for, and trying to make them do anything more than what they’ve consented to is assault. What if you’ve had sex with them heaps of times before but they seem not really into it right now? Again, no dice. No matter how many times you’ve done the Moan and Groan together, if they’re not in the mood then they’re not giving consent. What if you’re in the middle of the action and they suddenly say “let’s just go back to kissing”, “that hurts”, or “let’s stop”? Even

though they consented to start with, they’ve now taken away that consent and you have to stop, not matter how much your genitals disagree. Something else to be super careful of is that drunk and drugged-up people can’t give consent. So how drunk is drunk? There’s no hard and fast law, but a good rule of thumb is if they’d be too drunk to drive as a fully licenced driver, then they’re too drunk to give consent. I’m going to write that one more time: drunk people can’t give consent. “But that’s not fair – how come drunk people are still responsible for drink driving but they’re not responsible if they make the poor decision to sleep with someone?” is the common ‘oh-shit’ response. The answer is: that right there is a false comparison. The equivalent poor decision in this scenario would be if you

sexually assaulted someone whilst drunk. If you sexually assault someone when you’re drunk, then yes, you’re liable for your actions in the same way as drink-drivers are. If, on the other hand, a drunk person has sex with someone who is sober, the sober person has the advantage of clear-headed thought and therefore has power over the drunk person – and when there’s a power-imbalance like that in sex, it’s called rape. Okay, so if you’re sober then don’t have sex with drunk people. Got it. But what if you’re a drunk person having sex with another drunk person? What happens then? This gets a bit trickier. If you’re both too drunk to give consent, then the person who initiated the escalation in sexual interaction is the one at fault (remember: you’re still liable for sexual assault when you’re drunk). So if you took your clothes off first, then you might be in a spot of trouble. But what if neither of you can remember? What if you both escalated it at the same time? What if there were numerous escalations initiated by both of you at different times? Well in that case there’s nothing much that the courts or anyone else can do. Essentially, if there’s any doubt in your mind about someone’s level of sobriety, don’t have sex with them – no matter if you yourself are sober or not. It’s the only way you can be certain you’re not committing a crime. Ask their name and find them on Tinder later. To reiterate: make sure you always get consent from your partner, and make sure it’s knowing, active and voluntary. It doesn’t matter what kind of sex you’re into, what your sexual orientation is or how many sexual partners you like to have, the one thing that’s common to every positive sexual interaction is consent. It’s the sexiest c-word around.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

He’s gotta have it - or does he? Andrew Martin

Trigger Warning: Mention of Sexual Assault

comes “fucking”. To “fuck” is a term denoting both sex and violence.

Sex terrifies me. Thinking about sex makes me feel confused and ashamed, yet I long for it, unsatisfied.

In our patriarchal culture men still hold the lion’s share of power, yet individual men do not feel powerful. In the eyes of most men it is women who hold the power, the sexual power, the power to arouse and give or withhold sex. Angry at being betrayed by the patriarchal promise of domination, men resort to rape, manipulation, coercion, or just “fucking” women in an attempt to regain it.

As a boy I was taught that my heart’s desire should be for sex and more sex. Sex is seen as a natural male desire, a vital need, something men have to have. Ultimately is it this “he’s gotta have it” mentality that leads us to we accept male-on-male sexual violence in prison, and to qualify rape. Sex has become the ultimate proving ground for men’s patriarchal masculinity. To not have or want sex, to not get an erection, to not be in control sexually, is to not be a man. Sex for men becomes not about pleasure or a connection, but about proving our identity as men, and then we wonder why it often leaves us, and women, so unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Sex be-

Countless people have been hurt unspeakably by sex. Many people are dead because of sex, both directly and indirectly as the result of the action itself. I am not a prude, nor am I asexual, but I am afraid of domination, violence, cruelty, and death, so yes, sex terrifies me. How could it not?

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Issue 5, Vol. 69

Asexual in A sexual world Victoria Trigger Warning: CONSENT ISSUES 7 years old… A mate and I are in the back of a class, mucking around in a picture dictionary instead of listening to the teacher. We find the page dedicated to adult male and female anatomy, and tease each other about what the other will look like in the future. My mate Jack continues looking at the female drawing for hours afterwards, and I can’t understand why. 11 years old… Everyone in my year has a crush, and those who don’t, are simply in denial. I don’t have a crush, but I am not in denial either. 14 years old… Every sleepover with my friends inevitably brings the up question “who’s your crush?” Confused, but also slightly concerned about how much interest my friends have in the matter, I fake having a crush on a guy named George. George works at Crust Pizza with me and we talked about Pokémon for 5 minutes last week. My friends seem relieved that I finally have a crush, and tell me that I’m “growing up at last”. 16 years old… Nothing prepares me for the disappointment that is sex. Movies, books, the people around me, have all communicated that this will be one of the best moments of my young life. The boy underneath me, who has been waiting for this moment for months, is certainly feeling it. He gives a light laugh and asks me how I found it, to which I respond something vague, understanding already that I mustn’t say how I truly feel. To myself, I wonder if I’ll grow into it in time.

16 years old… That same boy asks me about my fantasies, things I privately dream about doing with him in the deep hours of the night. I have none, and tell him so, but he doesn’t believe me. We act out some of his fantasies, though I’m not very good at being the highly dominant, sex-hungry minx he dreams of. 17 years old… I have discovered the fourth sexual orientation, asexuality,

and now identify with it. As the boy and I stroll through Paris late one night and he’s starting to get frisky for the girlfriend he hasn’t seen in months. I come out to him under the influence of a bottle of good French wine and in response to my inability to bear sex any more. Dumbfounded, he tells me we’ll find someone who can fix me. 17 years old… Just one night later, we’re having sex again. I turn my face away, unable to look at him, and he grabs it, turning it roughly back towards him. I can feel the rising horror and distress at what I’m making myself do reach the level where I can’t

hold it back, but I manage to restrain it long enough for him to finish, and for me to turn away from him. The tears spill out and over my cheeks, and I make no move to wipe them away. 18 years old… One quick but bitter break-up and a few months later, I’m in a parked car with a youth from the north of England, kissing him. Curious to see if my asexuality has

shifted, I move his hand to my chest. When nothing has changed within me and the touch makes me recoil, I shove his arm away, both shuddering at what I’d done and frustrated at my inability to be ‘normal’. 20 years old… I understand why Jack spent hours looking at the drawing of the naked woman in the dictionary. I understand why everyone was so excited about their crushes, and assumed I had one too. I understand why the boy was so excited to have sex, and sought it out almost every time we were alone, and I understand why he was so shocked when

I revealed that I was asexual. And I understand why fooling around with someone new elicited the same response in me as it had with him. But I still do not feel it, and am at peace with that fact - despite what the rest of the world may think. Asexuality is a sexual orientation in which someone experiences no sexual desire for people of any gender. Usually present for most/all of a person’s puberty and adult life (although occasionally induced through abuse or trauma), asexuality is as real a sexual orientation as heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and p a n s e x u a l it y. Due to its relatively low (est. 1-3%) frequency in the population, however, very little research has been conducted into the secrets of asexuality, and as such not many people know that it exists, or if they do, many assume it is a phase or a result of past experiences. Asexual people may or may not masturbate, may or may not be party animals, may or may not seek out a platonic or romantic life partner, may or may not have sex (as I did for a year), and may or may not be repulsed by sex and sexual things. Asexuality is worthy of recognition, and deserves a place in the sex-ed programs that take place between years 6 and 10. Asexual people coming out deserve to be free from assumptions that they are broken, that they are somehow ‘wrong’, or even inhuman. Like other Queer identities, asexuality deserves representative portrayals in the media and in fiction, not caricatures that provide titillating stories or an opportunity to gawk at someone as though they were in a zoo.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

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Take Me From Behind: Disability and Sex, a Multitude of Micro-Stories Anonymous

The HandJOB It doesn’t take me long, you’re speaking soothing words of wonderment, hands wandering my body. Both of us naked in bed. This relationship is only just beginning, full of possibility and excitement. Your hands traverse across my scars, you call them brave and beautiful. You make me roll my eyes with your words, giggle along with me. When I orgasm the shuddering force induces me to convulse for a second or two, enough to make you smile. I start breathing heavy and realise this has tired me out, faster than I could have ever imagined. You smile at me and guide my hand towards you. I swallow when I realise you want something in return. The chronic pain I feel has returned in my lower back, my eyes are dropping from tiredness, but you insist on continuing. I’m too tired to explain how exhausted I am, you only know of my condition from my scars, what you think are markers of the past tense. I start working slowly on you, you penis grows, but I am silent. You ask for dirty talk but I cannot give it to you. My ability to stay awake is slipping away and soon I drift into tepid sleep. When I wake, I can sense you’re angry and soon you depart - me tired and in tears. Pubic Hair and OCD

My group of friends sit in a circle, all women, all talking. They are trading stories of how patriarchy keeps them down, feeling tired and shit from the drudgery of their daily lives. One

outwardly you appear to be a functional woman, but internally your distress is calmed. It’s easier to keep in line the annoying habits of external genitalia. You don’t fear menstruation

cackles with excitement at her release from torturous beauty standards as she lifts her shirt, displaying the small tuft of hair on her underarm. Another friend explains she restricts herself, she has decided her pubic hair should not be gone, but her underarms are another issue... They expectantly look at you and I, hoping we agree with their sentiments. We nod our heads and go back to our food. When we are alone, I see you look upset. I ask what is wrong and you explain how you have to continue to shave. You explain that in a desperate attempt to keep this new man you adhere to a strict beauty regime, anything to keep the illusion of normality. You wax lyrical about waxing pubic hair, and how such procedures help with your OCD. Not only do you

anymore, the dirtiest aspects don’t fill you with dread. The removal of hair makes you feel normal, but I know you wish it didn’t have to be this way. TAKE ME FROM BEHIND I’m always tired. That’s the first thing I explain to him. I explain to him everything, my life, my history and my conditions. He is initially supportive. He holds me through my pain, my crying, my moments of dismay. It’s late evening. After talking about it all day we decide to reach another level of intimacy. It doesn’t take us as long to undress. I never expected us to reach this stage so quickly. I stop us for a second, scramble up to the headboard of the bed. The look

on your face is one of concern. You ask if I want to continue, I nod, I ask you to give me a minute. You ask what will make me comfortable, placing pillows under my body, or under the middle of my back? I shake my head and explain it’s not what I want. You ask me what it is, what is wrong? I swallow my pride. I explain that I know it’s the first time we’ve done this together, I want it to be special and you want it to be special, but I want you to take me from behind. The request confuses him, his eyes light up for one second. I can see all the thoughts filtering through your brain - combined experiences, porn and fantasies. I anticipated this reaction. I am not surprised. You sit me down, brush the hair from my face, and tell me it is not going to happen, that you respect me too much. I try explaining to you why I want to do it, how doing so is comfortable for me. When men are on top of me, it hurts, when I’m on top of men, it hurts. You question me about this, you who have been so supportive of all my disorders thus far. I explain to you how I like to lean on the rails, how I don’t have to work myself to exhaustion, how it makes it easier for my joints, and limits the soreness of my body. But you won’t listen. I kick you out, wishing I never had to deal with this again.

Features

Issue 5, Vol. 69

LIke a Virgin Touched for the Very First Time Mathilda Langman

When I was in Year 12, I remember being utterly shocked that a girl in our year was apparently

exclusively having anal sex so that she could remain a virgin until she got married.

It seemed to me such a bizarre concept: penis goes in one hole instead of another and she gets to hold on to her V-plates. But the whole story really got me thinking – what is a virgin and do we really care about virginity? My first sexual experience happened with my best friend at the time. Neither of us knew what we were doing, but somehow we fumbled, blushed and giggled our way through it all. We were both hopelessly romantic and, as much as I hate to admit it now, our ‘first time’ was exactly like that scene in the Notebook – you know the one I’m talking about – except that, you

know, it was two girls getting it on. We eventually broke up, she thanked me for helping her practice for “the real thing” (subtext here: a penis), and a few months later I overheard her telling her friends that she had finally “lost it” in the back of a car with her new boyfriend. More than anything I was confused – was it possible that she was still a virgin before she slept with her boyfriend while I was no longer so after she had slept with me? I later slept with a guy friend, the whole shebang lasted less than five seconds, was awkward as fuck, and I will be damned if I ever tell that as my first time story.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

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It’s obvious then, that the definition of virginity differs greatly from person to person. Ask Google and it will tell you that a virgin is “a person who has never had sexual intercourse”. Simple enough, right? Except that Google must be a man in a heterosexual, missionary-only kind of relationship because it defines sexual intercourse as “sexual contact between individuals involving penetration, especially the insertion of a man’s erect penis into a woman’s vagina, typically culminating in…the ejaculation of semen”. To be honest, I was surprised it didn’t mention the hymen. When I asked forty or so people to tell me what the word ‘virgin’ meant to them, the definitions ranged from someone who has not had penetrative vaginal/penis

every second day and yet still be classified as “virgins” by society. I used the term ‘de-virginising’ above not because I am an absolute wanker, but because I do not think that you can ever “lose” your virginity. I mean, it’s not like my virginity is hiding under the couch cushions wedged between a five cent coin and a five-day-old tic tac. It frustrates me that women are often said to lose something the first time they have sex (their purity or self-respect or some shit – don’t ask me), while their male partners gain respect and numerous pats on the back from da boyz. Also why do people even say shit like “they took my virginity” as if virginity is some prize that can be taken from you? Your sexuality is always yours to give

about the awkward head bumping, the secret “is that its?” and the weird noises you’ll inevitably make while you’re trying to sound sexy. We are made to feel guilty and ashamed if our first times are anything but “perfect” – yeah because everyone nails it first go, right? In addition to this, society puts so much pressure on us to have sex by a certain age. You can’t be “too young” but you definitely can’t be “too old”. Apparently, there’s some magical sex age that no one knows about. It’s as if you don’t quite qualify for adulthood until you’ve had sex. It’s as if you can’t be in a meaningful relationship unless you’re banging on the regular. Many people I spoke to rushed into sex in order to “get it over and done with”. Of course, it should

though they couldn’t possibly have sex until their bodies align with their gender identity. Others still, are saving themselves for marriage in line with religious or cultural beliefs.

sex, to someone who has not touched someone’s genitals with their tongue/ mouth/fingers or own genitals. The only consensus seems to be that at least two consenting people need to be involved in the performance of the sexual act in order for de-virginising to take place.

when, and if, you choose to do so. You remain a virgin even if sex has been forced onto you because consent is everything. Your virginity, then, is whatever you want it to be. Hey, you can even have multiple virginities depending on the particular sex act if that’s what gets you off (pun intended).

be up to every individual to choose when and how they first experience sex but, surely, it should never be seen as a chore (no matter how boring your sexual partner is).

face it, it doesn’t actually mean anything. Instead, we need to ditch the concept altogether and focus more on making sure that we are all comfortable with our own sex lives. But if you’re nosy, like me, make like a doctor and asks your friends if they’re sexually active and be prepared to accept, without judgment, whatever answer they give you!

What is wildly clear, however, is that the concept of “virginity” is nothing but a societal construct, and a highly problematic one at that. The term is ridiculously heteronormative. It is often taken to include only penetrative penis/vagina sex – as if two men or two women could have frantic sex

Our society places far too much emphasis on “first times”. We are conned into thinking that it’s going to be all roses, candles and simultaneous orgasms. The myth is that as soon as you have sex your life will suddenly be forever changed. No one tells us

We’ve established that “virginity” is a social construct designed to exclude rather than include. So that leaves the question of whether people really care about their virginity status? Apparently, they do. The overwhelming majority of people I spoke to who had not yet had sex for whatever reason, felt as though they were “missing out” on intimacy and that they were “judged as immature”. Others feel as

In a world where sex can be arranged on Tinder with a swipe to the right, people who choose not to engage in sexual activity are seen as out of step with the times and with everyone else. Choosing not to have sex is not always as simple as keeping your legs closed, and everyone has more than enough going on in their own heads without society judging the fuck out of them. We need to stop being so obsessed with the “virgin” label because, let’s

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Issue 5, Vol. 69

Confessions of a Sugar Baby PHoeBE

Trigger Warning: GENDERED LANGUAGE. CONSENT ISSUES From an upper-middle class family in Sydney, I fit the bill for the average university sugar baby. Having just moved out of home for the first time and worried about the kind of lifestyle I’d have to lead, having a sugar daddy seemed an enticing solution. I mean how else would I afford my Serrano, Jarlsberg and rocket focaccias? Initially I thought my chances at grabbing sugar daddy attention on the website SeekingArrangement were limited. They advertise twelve women per man and over 82 000 Australian female university students are registered on the site. This perception was proven false, however, as numerous messages and favourites later, I realised many of the other women are fake ‘bots’ planted by the website to up their numbers.

It was also the modern dating scene that prompted me to look at more mature, financially independent suitors. There are only so many tinder fuckboys a girl can take. Clearly not all men grow out of their dickishness I realised when one father offered me $10 000 to be a ‘friend’ to his son. ‘How old?’ I asked. ‘14.’ He replied. I declined for legal reasons, but when the man then asked if I would sleep with him for $10 000, I said yes. With money like that on the table I had to ask myself how far I was willing to go, because for me, being a sugar baby wasn’t about being a prostitute. I had to think about how much it was worth to them compared to its worth to me. I wanted my sugar relationships to be more meaningful than just sex. I wanted the men to want me - not just a vagina with a

paypalme account. I wanted the romantic pretence, the fancy dinners and philosophical conversations over good wine. And that is exactly why I turned down the young man who offered to pay me $1000 per affair. Why I said no to the very attractive young English man who offered me $6000 per month for 5 meetings per month. And even why I declined an offer to be tutored in PPE - the “oxford” way – one-on-one. These men all expected sex, and I realised I wasn’t prepared to give it to them, even for the money. At this point I was beginning to feel like this sugar baby thing wasn’t for me - I just wasn’t prepared to have sex for money. Then I found myself on my first sugar date. This guy seemed harmless enough: an overweight, nerdy public servant. He didn’t put sex on the table initially and didn’t seem like a serial sugar daddy.

Although the less-than-glamorous dinner and drinks at PJ O’Reilly’s, followed by cocktails at the Highball Express, then more cocktails and Cards Against Humanity at Reload wasn’t exactly what I expected, I really enjoyed myself and found we had a good conversational connection. Honestly, if a guy who wasn’t paying me had taken me on that date, I would’ve been pretty damn impressed. When the alcohol kicked in he told me about a sugar baby in Canada who sent one man pictures of her shoes for $50 each. No feet, just shoes. Which brings me to the monetary side of things, and trust me it’s as good as you think it is. My sugar daddy is more like my splenda daddy. He’s not one of the mega rich but he has a certain amount of disposable income that is pretty much my income. Our arrangement is $250 per date. It’s paid into my paypal account just before we meet. A date

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Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

consists of dinner, drinks and my undivided appreciation and attention on whatever he wants to talk about. Then there are the gifts. $100 to spend on drinks for O-Week, a huge bouquet of flowers on Valentine’s Day, a tiffany bracelet, $500 so I could go shopping. All I had to say was two little words: “Thank you Daddy”. But naturally, to get a lot I had to give a little. One night he asked for a selfie for $70 and I really couldn’t be bothered so I just ignored him. I checked my messages an hour later and the offer had risen to $250. So there I was, outside Uni Pub taking a selfie with one friend while another pushed my boobs up to give me extra cleavage. I can only imagine what he did with that selfie, but I know exactly what I did with that $250, and let me tell you, it was a great night in Canberra. I had convinced myself this was all harmless because I didn’t actually need the money. I would be safe and wouldn’t do anything I was uncomfortable with because the money wasn’t that important to me. But one offhand check of my bank account balance changed that… and I took

our arrangement up a notch. I had gotten $250 for a selfie with a little cleavage. For nudes I got $500. So I earned a nice little grand for myself in less than 5 minutes from the safety of my bedroom for something lots of girls give for free. If a picture of my body is worth $500 to one man, then the guy I met at a club one Thursday who snapchats me relentless dickpics expecting me to return with some titty can burn in a special part of hell with Satan’s veiny red penis waggling in front of their face for eternity. Ultimately, what surprised me the most was the balance of power in the relationship. I went into it fully prepared to be very submissive but my SD preferred me as the dominant one. I knew his budget so whatever I asked for I would get, and God did he love giving. Eventually I couldn’t put it off any longer and I knew I would have to have sex with him to keep up the lifestyle. What’s that they say about greed being a mortal sin? So I slept with him. And although

I’m glad I’ve done it - ticked it off the bucket list and all - at the time I felt disgusted with myself. It wasn’t enjoyable. I mean, you’d think it would be amazing, all the experience of one man appreciating your 18 year old body. But as soon as the clothes come off it isn’t a relationship for mutual pleasure anymore, it’s “I’m paying you for sex so do what I want bitch”. Although he still wanted me to be the dominant one, there was this unquestionable underlying control he had over me. Because he had already paid me, I felt obligated to do what he wanted. My skin crawled when he touched me and I was doing everything I could to get it over. When it finally was - and it didn’t take long - I practically ran out of there. I went home and showered, scrubbing every inch of myself over and over.

tionships, in that I now find it hard to say no to guys because I feel like they have this power over me. I conform to their expectations of the kind of girl I’ll be, because I feel this need to please them. I still have a sugar daddy but it’s moved to a mostly online relationship, we chat every now and then and he sends me money to buy lingerie for photos. I have to say I like this relationship so much more. I can’t see him so I can imagine whatever I want. It’s less about the person you are and more the person you want to be - and want each other to be. It’s easier to fake it online. And it’s so much more fun. It’s hot to take pictures of myself in lingerie he bought for me, knowing how badly he wants them. The baby-daddy dirty talk is such a turn on. So maybe this means being a cam girl is more my thing?

I have realised that I’m so young to be doing this, and I probably don’t have enough self-esteem to cope with the cheap feeling that accompanies creepy old men want to pay for control of my body. More than this, it has also affected my personal rela-

ANUSA

WEEK DIRECTORS WANTED anusa.com.au/sex

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Issue 5, Vol. 69

An Angry Asian Man: Why is the idea of emasculation toxic? Charles Chu

The idea of emasculation is usually associated with Asian guys, predominantly eastern Asians guys, and it is most evident on dating websites or in real-life experiences. Many of us attempt to resist this stereotype and try to be “masculine”, however, I argue that emasculation is a toxic idea in itself, and what is most problematic is when Asian men look at themselves in such way. I want to point out that my opinion does not represent all Asian cis-men, and I fully understand that differing family and socio-economical backgrounds significantly influence on the way a man defines masculinity in his own social context. As such, my opinion is grounded in my own observations and experiences. The commonly held definition of masculinity is absolutely anglo-centric, and therefore inaccessible for Asian men. Masculinity can be understood as a highly apparent expression of male gender in different social contexts. When we imagine masculinity, the figure that comes to mind will usually be a white cisman with a full-on but well-trimmed beard, muscular build and a relatively aggressive manner. Let’s take Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth for example, both of them play sexually or physically aggressive roles in their movies, and coincidentally, they fit the Western idea of masculinity. I am not trying to analyze racial politics in Hollywood, rather what I am trying to say is that the conception of Western masculinity is very much biased towards white cis-men who have an ability to grow a beard and are born with a relatively bigger bone structure. The adoption of this stereotype in the media plays an important role in than perpetuating the idea into the public space, consolidating the privileged position of white cis-men. On the contrary, the idea of emasculation is targeted at Asian men to encourage them to believe that the single, Western and Anglo interpretation of masculinity is not compatible with their ethnicity. Ultimately, we are doomed - we are not white enough to fit the stereotype. To achieve “masculinity”, Asian men are urged to excessively adopt the qualities that come with it, such as sexual aggressiveness, heterosexuality and strong physical strength. Why excessive? It is because they are seen as not having been born with masculine traits, and therefore have to “work on it” to hold up the Anglo-centric standard. The erasure of queer Asian

sexuality that comes with perpetuating heterosexuality in the discourse of masculinity, increases general homophobia and enhances the marginalization of queer Asian men. This is often evident in high schools when Asian males are bullied because they are queer, or just because people think they are. More than this, queer Asian men also find it difficult to talk about their sexuality within the queer community. The emasculation model assumes that Asian men are less masculine, and encourages people to jumps straight to the conclusion that they are inherently sexual submissive in bed. There are two consequences of this stereotype; firstly, it totally erases and marginalizes the sexualities of the queer Asian men who desire to take control in the bedroom, regardless of the race of their partners, and secondly, certain groups within queer Asian communities marginalized in the pursuit of masculinity. Asian queer men are relatively

more judgmental of the body shapes of other Asian men. There are different components to these views, and I am not saying that all Asian queer men hold the same standards, however, it is interesting to see how many Asian queer men talk about masculinity, especially their excessive fetish over muscles (not necessary physical strength) and facial hair (there are even beard-growing medicines in Asian countries). Many of them work their butt off to be more “masculine”. Therefore, heterosexualisation takes place when “straight-acting” or “traditionally masculine traits” are praised and perpetuated within the community. This Anglo-centric ideal defines what is sexually attractive within the Asian queer community. Since the conception of emasculation applies whether you are masculine or not, those queer Asian men who do not hold up the standard are usually ignored, and their sexualities are not discussed because they are broadly

considered to not have sexual attractive bodies. Excessively resisting the emasculation framework, however, can also result in misogyny and in the worst case, sexual abuse. Emasculation becomes an insult for Asian men. The use of language such as “man up” and “don’t be a pussy” suggest that having feminine traits is degrading. This is problematic because femininity is not held up to the same scrutiny as masculinity – what is wrong with being feminine? The notion of emasculation has stigmatized femininity. Let’s push the argument further: because Asian men are presumed to be born with emasculated bodies, they need to act masculine and reject all feminine traits. Since the emasculation framework encourages the gender binary, where femininity is opposite to masculinity, heterosexual Asian men who believe in such framework will see their partner as more feminine than them. But since the quality of feminism is unvalued, their opinion of their partners will be lesser than their opinion of themselves. As such, the gender relation will not be equal. An aggressive manner is also encouraged in the discourse of masculinity. Let’s have a hypothetical situation; an Asian man has a fight with his female partner because she does not want to practice anal sex. If he believes in the emasculation framework, he will see his body as emasculated and will want to “man up” in the situation. He only has two options, a) do it, and that’s rape, or b) beat her, which is domestic abuse. Neither are the best options. As such, the emasculation framework is misogynic and leads to detrimental effects. To conclude, emasculation is a framework that urges Asian men to be more masculine. Asian men who adhere to such framework assume their body has been emasculated and therefore perform the qualities of masculinity so that they can resist the discourse of emasculation. However, the method of doing it can be problematic; firstly because it marginalizes queer Asian men, and secondly, because it encourages misogyny and may result in sexual abuse because such a framework is patriarchal in essence. In my opinion, love who you are and be who you are. Masculinity is too fragile for us.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Features

The False Miscommunication Model Ellie Greenwood

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault Sex is happening all around us - in Daley Road colleges, in share houses in Turner and Lyneham, probably in the bathrooms of Mooseheads, and, if urban legend is to be believed, on the bench of the High Court at law ball. Sexual assault is also happening all around us. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimate that over 1 in 6 women, and 1 in 25 men, are sexually assaulted from the age of 15 onwards. Given the high level of child sexual abuse and the fact that such surveys exclude many vulnerable groups, the actual number of people who have been sexually assaulted is likely to be much higher. It’s tempting to see this behaviour as on the same continuum as the fun, flirty, pleasurable sex we all talk and joke about. When it is not carried out in dark alleys by strangers (which it overwhelmingly is not) and when it’s perpetrated by friends and acquaintances, it’s tempting to view sexual assault as a misunderstanding. A grave misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding nonetheless. Surely the man (because perpetrators are most often men) has just misread the situation? Surely they thought consent had been given when it wasn’t? Surely they weren’t actively engaging in sex knowing the other person didn’t consent? Given the amount of trauma and horror unleashed by sexual assault, it is uncomfortable to believe that men we know, men who may be friends and whom we may trust, are knowing perpetrators. But this ‘miscommunication model’ is false. Linguists have used conversation analysis to point out that as human beings, with many years of social engagement and conditioning, we are adept at recognising refusals, whether or not they include the word ‘no’, or whether they are an explicit refusal at all. Despite the fact that anti-rape campaigns frequently use the slogan ‘no means no’, studies demonstrate that in both sexual and non-sexual contexts, the word ‘no’ is

rarely used to express a refusal. Rather, refusals are delivered, and recognised, through micro pauses, prefacing words (such as ‘well’ or ‘um’), palliative remarks, and/or excuses or justifications that soften the refusal, in comparison to ‘just saying no’. It has been proven that people gener-

tions in and of themselves. Kitzinger and Frith write: “men who claim not to have understood an indirect refusal (as in, ‘she didn’t actually say no’) are claiming to be cultural dopes, and playing rather disingenuously on how refusals are usually done and understood to be done. They are claiming

ally ‘hear’ refusals without the word ‘no’. In fact, we often understand that a two-tenths pause in response to an invitation indicates that the invitation will be rejected. Furthermore, statements which do not overtly demonstrate refusal, such as ‘well, I do like you’, ‘it’s flattering’, or even weak agreements, are understood as rejec-

not to understand perfectly normal conversational interaction, and to be ignorant of ways of expressing refusal which they themselves routinely use in other areas of their lives.” When studying the conversation of a group of young Australian men, Rachel O’Byrne identified participants as having a complex un-

derstanding of sexual and non-sexual refusals through body language, nonverbal communication and indirect language. However, these same men simultaneously contradicted this by building up messages about their inability to understand when women refuse sexual consent. They used statements like, “if a girl doesn’t look you in the eye and say ‘no’ anything else can be sort of miscommunicated” and “so unless each is clear then, you know, it will continue”. In so doing, they openly contradicted their previous demonstration of an ability to understand normal communication without difficulty. This rhetoric allows men to sidestep accountability for rape. Simultaneously, women are given the responsibility of controlling sexual encounters and for being sexually defensive, rather than being able to fully express their sexual desires in a safe environment where parties are receptive to each other’s needs. This, in turn, is tied to larger gender norms - those ones we are all so used to hearing and have therefore internalized. That men have aggressive and insatiable sexual desires, while women are sexually passive and don’t desire sex like men do. These stereotypes are harmful for everyone. They enforce sexual standards that may not reflect our individual wants and needs. It is important to recognize how these standards also feed into how we expect sexual consent or lack of consent to be delivered and received. So we need to be asking: why do we think that all our nuanced understandings of communication, and our ability to read both physical and verbal cues, go out the door as soon as a situation moves into the sexual realm? We need to stop excusing sexually violent behavior as innocent ‘miscommunication’ or ‘misunderstanding’. Let’s promote a higher standard. One where we do not merely listen for refusals, but we actively seek to understand whether our partners (whether they be casual or long term) are having a good time.

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Issue 5, Vol. 69

The colouring of feminist anti-rape culture Aditi Razdan

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, Racism We are bombarded with subtle and downright uninventive imagery of racism daily. From examples of the “dangerous, dark (in both skin and intentions) foreign man” trope, to the trope of a “submissive Asian woman” this is demeaning, whether it be in a micro-aggressive form, or tangibly aggressive.

only belong to white, cis, heterosexual men in every society. Given, this is likely the group that will be universal and timeless recipients of power (unless you’re an unfortunate $1 payer in the UQ bake sale). But, assuming that the oppression of groups within

sumptions, blind spots and residually oppressive tendencies. We give space to those who have actively had it taken from them. Right? It is a precarious line to walk, criticizing rape culture without being colo-

Yet, as a woman of colour, I can count on an added layer of intersectional oppression: the tangible threat that rape culture poses on my life. The seemingly constant use of the term ‘Intersectionality’ as a means of analysis mirrors the conceptual foundation of the principle itself, which necessitates a consideration of all oppressive institutions intersect with any ethos, doctrine or culture. It allows us to articulate why our circumstances are what they are, in what way the anglo-centric, heteronormative, patriarchal paradigm pervades the structures and strictures we are bound by, and most significantly, it directs discourse away from the dominant framework in which we conceptualize everyday happenings.

We don’t want to add to the “dangerous brown man” stereotype. We don’t want to depict those who face racism daily as any different to the white man we tend to automatically to hold as the norm. This sort of compensation, when considering the struggles of women everywhere, which obviously includes women of colour, works against intersectionality and excludes the voices of those most marginalized in any society: women. What must be understood is that power is not monolithic. It does not

Undoubtedly, oppression does not exist in a vacuum. That is why intersectionality is key for how we view issues of racism and sexism. That lingering tendency to collectivise “others”, based on their skin colour, rather than regard them as an individual, is something white people, and especially white men, will never experience. Yet in attempting to avoid racializing men of colour who traumatize both women of colour and white women, we are in fact focusing our lens more on one issue in a way our political correctness and intersectionality intended to avoid. We are helping NOBODY by doing this. Men of colour will continue to be “pitied”, held to a lower standard than white men- a form of internalized racism being externalized through our attempts to avoid “racism”. Paradoxical, I know. Women, whether of colour or not, will have the internal and external barriers to speaking publicly or reporting sexual assault compounded. I can say from experience I have hesitated, and continue to, speak out against my experiences of sexual assault by men of colour. I do not want to add to racist stereotypes, I do not want to contribute to the “collectivisation” of people of colour, and I do not want to deflect attention from the pervasive rape culture that also exists in my own white majority society.

Yet when the oppression of two groups intersects, we - myself included - tend to find ourselves uneasy with focusing the lens on either side, in fear we may neglect the other. We may question whether the focus on one over the other is the very phenomenon intersectionality seeks to counteract. Unfortunately, this attempt at inclusivity and constant ‘contextualization’ can actively exclude those who do not benefit from any power structure in the given context. I am talking about rape culture perpetuated by men of colour.

that just bolstering rape culture in societies other than our own? This extends to not only non-white majority societies, but to multicultural, western circles as well.

a white-majority paradigm is comparable to other ones is reductive and at times, dangerous. Rape culture exists in all cultures and societies and is perpetuated by people of all colours. We are conditioned to perpetuate both racism and rape culture, no matter what our ethnicity, upbringing or place of birth is. Both racism and rape culture underpin the pedestals that privilege one gender-usually cis-men, and one skin tone-usually white. Thus as intersectional feminists, we strive to constantly deconstruct our own as-

nialist-y. Pointing out oppression of women of colour by their male counterparts can make it seem like we are simply deflecting the sexist flaws within white majority communities. But reacting any differently to it than we would in regards to white men is equally degrading, it reinforces the hierarchy whereby men of colour sit below white men, who can be chastised because they have the capacity and should know better. This is never overt- most of us do not justify the actions of men of colour BECAUSE of their colour. But that equivocation, that moment of hesitance- isn’t

I get it, and I appreciate it. White people don’t want to co-opt, distort or take space from the struggles of people of colour. But by having to constantly navigate this precarious line that exists at the intersection of racism and sexism, all women suffer. In particular, for women of colour, our struggles are overlooked or distanced from in an attempt to avoid engaging in racial, or possibly racist discourse. Ironically, this is exactly what intersectional feminism seeks to counteract: the silencing of women who do not look or act like the traditionally dominant (white) voices of western feminism.

Features

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

The New School – Sex, Love, Moose and 9am Lectures Anonymous

A lot of things come with growing up, moving out and starting fresh. For me, it was only 6 months ago that I was walking into my school common room every morning, passing the same familiar faces I had been seeing for 6 years. My best friends waited for me at the locker bays, my study buddies saved me a seat in the best study room, and by the drink taps my slightly wilder friends would fill me in on their epic weekends while we waited for the bell. And, all the while, I was able to keep a relatively close eye on the boy that I had hooked up with last Friday – and by hook-up, I mean that awkward dance floor style kiss that is watched by all of your friends who were so expertly smooth in setting up the whole thing.

nities, like galaxies in the universe, form so quickly here, and make locating your future soul mate so much harder. Take the gorgeous, strong yet silent blonde haired boy in my Torts Tutorial for instance; try as I might to make conversation with him, the days are ticking by and I am yet to ask for his number. Sure, I’ve added him on Facebook, but what good does that really do when I’m adding every

snapchatting of course, getting the unrealised sexual tension flowing, before sneaking off into the bushes to the wild applause of our friends. Actually having sex with one of these said boys only came into my mind in Year 11, after falling into the arms of a boy who would be my boyfriend up until around one month ago. Since then, however, my ‘body count’

For the most part, that’s where the love story ended – you resume your life, perhaps you see them at the toaster when you heat up your leftovers, they might ask you if you finished your homework, or if the test was hard. Inevitably you both move on to the next cute boy or girl, exhausting the finite amount of young teenage love to be found within the 200 or so kids in your year level. So, over the last two or so months that I have lived on my own here at ANU – specifically at Lodge, which is in itself a maze of eligible and not so eligible contenders for my heart – I have endeavoured to pinpoint what exactly it is that is different about dating, sex, ‘tuning’, flirting, hook-ups, crushes and all that fun stuff at Uni, compared to the now seemingly less complicated days of high school. There are two main things that I’ve noticed… For starters, the saying ‘there are lots more fish in the sea’ is more true here than anywhere else. One could literally see their future husband walking through Union Court one day, and then literally NEVER see them again. Where did they go? What did they do with their lives? It fascinates me the way in which small commu-

second person I meet on Facebook? I can’t very well say 2 months after Torts is over, “Hey, would you like to catch up for coffee?” because it is very likely by that time that he will have forgotten me, and that I too will have moved on to the next star in my own small galaxy. That is a sad truth. The next thing I’ve noticed is the new sense of empowerment and liberation I feel here. Before moving to ANU, I had had a relatively classic dating experience, that consisted of well, very little actual dates. When I first started seeing boys as more than just a pile of germs, in about Year 9, the extent of my boy/girl interactions started and ended with a classic party hook-up. His friend would have told my friend that I was a 10/10 about a week earlier, we would have started

has gone from 1 to 3. While I am not against a consensual pick-up at Moose on a Thursday night, my first new romance included a bit more of just that – romance. This was probably due to the fact it was an older boy with an actual job, who had more that the $150 that I had in my account to take me out for drinks first, and then for dinner. He was invited into the privacy of my room, one thing lead to another, and all of a sudden I find myself with a box of condoms in my hand and the question on my mind – am I ready for this? I know, just as anyone mature enough to cook their own dinner and do their own washing does, that sex in this place can mean a lot of different things, and all of them are different to what it meant in high school – at

least for me anyway. My attitude towards sex has suddenly shifted from, “what will they think?” (“they” being his and my group of friends who would undoubtedly find out and grill me on the experience the next day) to: “what do I think?” and “what does he think?”. I can’t speak for everyone here, and I’m not trying to, but I think for most people it is gone with the days when both parties were virgins and don’t know the difference between good and bad sex. Gone are the days where we, or at least I, feel embarrassed of my body and of my right to be pleased. A year and a half relationship taught me a lot, one thing being that I enjoy good sex, and being here and newly single, I have the right to choose; who I allow to be with me in such an intimate way, who I want to know about it in the morning, and who I remove from my life if they refuse to recognise that right. So when I asked myself if I was ready, I don’t think I was asking if I was purely ready for the act, but rather for the fact that with that act, I was officially entering the new world of sex and dating, a new phase of my life that has me feeling slightly like a bewildered Carrie Bradshaw (though with less fabulous hair). My answer to both of those questions was yes, but they came with a few promises to myself; first, to try my best not to fake it; second, to never look at the new men with the same eyes as I would the old ones who have hurt me; and third, leaving Moose with a different guy every Thursday will probably never be a good idea for me; fourth, to continue to love my body no matter what any boy may say about it; and finally, fifth, to try to make it to my 9am lecture on a Friday morning.

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Issue 5, Vol. 69

6 Ways to Have Better Sex Jessy Wu

Disclaimer I write only from my own experiences, and I have blindspots and biases which prevent me from writing an anywhere-near authoritative guide. However, I have thought a lot about issues I discuss in this article, and I hope you find some of these thoughts helpful and instructive.

Anatomy is confusing, and it is easy to get lost down there! So help your partner out with some navigational instructions. Take the second exit at the roundabout, and continue along Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at your final destination.

4. Try new things together! When there is a gap in experience, the inexperienced partner may feel like the experienced partner has done it all before, and that they pro-

In the lead up to a sexual act, create opportunities where both you and your partner can indicate what you are comfortable with, and what you enjoy. During foreplay, take time to explore each other’s bodies, while asking questions such as ‘does this feel good?’, ‘can I touch you here?’, and ‘are you enjoying this?’.

To avoid these feelings of frustration and inadequacy, remind each other that the orgasm is not the only enjoyable part of sex. You can also reenact this belief with the sex that you have - don’t allow the orgasm to determine the point at which you stop! In discourse, we could stop using the euphemism ‘finish’ to describe the orgasm, as this reinforces the notion that sex is incomplete without it.

Sometimes I feel a little absurd saying these words - I worry I sound like a pornstar from the nineties, or worse a doctor addressing a patient. In these times, I remind myself to be natural. Sex is not about performing a certain role (unless it is, but that is a different article), it is about being comfortable in your own skin.

2. Respond to your partner Respond verbally and physically to your partner’s ministrations - there are few things in life more nerve wracking than stony silence when you are going down on someone. Respond particularly enthusiastically when they hit upon something that feels really good. Positive reinforcement is the gift that keeps on giving!

3. Provide guidance

5. Remember that sex is not just about achieving an orgasm It is hard to shake the notion that sex is a build up to an orgasm - and to avoid the conclusion that sex which does not end in an orgasm is failed sex. Even though I understand this on an intellectual level, I still feel disheartened when my partner doesn’t orgasm (for whatever reason). Moreover, as a woman who struggles to orgasm from penetrative sex, I know my partners have shared this frustration.

1. Learn your partner’s boundaries

It is also important to create ‘outs’ moments where you and your partner both feel like you can de-escalate the situation, without feeling like you have completely killed the mood. Do this by taking a break from foreplay to light some candles, or put on some music - these ‘interruptions’ create opportunities for either person to change their mind about how far they are willing to go, without literally having to push the other person away. Respect your partner’s wishes if they change their mind about having sex, and feel comfortable letting your partner know the same.

has shown that people who have new and challenging experiences together develop a stronger bond.

6. Have open conversations about sex

It is important to frame your suggestions as things you personally enjoy, rather than imply there is a ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ way to do things. This will help your partner feel at ease, and feel as though they are learning to be with you, rather than struggling to meet an objective standard - particularly because so called ‘objective’ standards are typically informed by heteronormative, patriarchal nonsense. It is also good to comment on improvement! Holy shit, you have gotten really good at that.

vide only a pale imitation of something their partner has already experienced. In these situations, here are some things the experienced person can do to ease their partner’s anxiety. For example, you can exclaim ‘Oh I know, what if we tried this!’ as though it were a totally novel idea that has only just occurred to you. But it is even better to genuinely attempt to explore uncharted territory together. So embark on a road trip to Fyshwick! Experiment with toys, positions, roleplay scenarios, or exotic locations! (I personally recommend Bhutan - it’s carbon negative). After all, research

Talking about sex in a frank and open manner with your partner can be pretty awkward, but these conversations can also be enlightening and valuable. To broach the conversation, you can low key send some articles their way, report on something you were discussing with a friend, or saw in a movie. These conversations normalise talking about sex in an unobtrusive way, and can pave the way to more in depth conversations. When you are comfortable, you can begin to broach conversations about what you have been enjoying, what hasn’t been going so well, and what you would like to try. Having these conversations can not only troubleshoot problems in the bedroom - but may also help to prevent resentment and bitterness from hanging over the relationship in general.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Features

Where to bang on campus in 2016* Lizzie Storor

As SEXperts exclusively reveal to Cosmo readers every month, spicing up your relationship can make it SPICY and FIERY (while hopefully not inducing diarrhea). If your love life has mellowed from an extra hot beef vindaloo to a painfully mild butter chicken, it’s time to revisit the days of schoolies and pop a cruiser, or twelve, before engaging in some good ol’ public fornication. ANU bar’s smoking section With pleasant river views, omnipresent durry haze and a benign atmosphere induced by its close proximity to alcohol, the designated smoko spot at ANU bar creates a charming spot for couples looking to spice it up. Whether it’s a hack proselytizing about the Union Court redevelopment proposal to turn the Arts Centre into a massive pool filled with the demolished bar’s cider, or just Phil out

on ciggie break, you can always count on an audience. Furthermore, there’s no need to worry about public obscenity charges. If the cops rock up, they’ll probably be more concerned by a very different kind of public blowing. The Courtyard of Hancock Library While the Hancock basement is well known as an alleged hook up spot, it is also known as being a totally wimpy place for adult intercourse. For the truly adventurous, why not try going at it in the much more spacious and well-lit courtyard? The spot provides the perfect setting for those with a love for the feel of hard concrete and a fetish for voyeurism, while the trickle of the weird bone fountain may just mask the sound of laughter/disgust potentially being heckled from the social section on level 3.

The Chancellery While in 2014 the entrance to the Chancellery was the site of a readin, 2016 could be the year to stage a BANG-in. Though back in the day Ian Young appeared little moved by student displays of willpower in the name of education, it could be worth questioning your partner’s performance if Brian Schmidt appears totally unmoved when he catches you in the act. The only downside to this option is that Schmidt may invoke your encounter to board members to justify scrapping all college dorm rooms. Union Court lawns on a Thursday If you’re going to fuck in Union Court, it might as well be on Thursday. For starters, people will barely notice due to the distraction of some super cute ANUSA petting zoo, where they can take pics of the adorable baby sheep, followed by the barbeque afterwards where they can tuck into a yummy

lamb burger! So get down to it on the grassy lawns, and if you feel like a bit of modesty is required, grab a jacket from one of the stalls: it’s highly likely that the seller has priced them at an 800% mark-up so stealing in this case is highly justified! PSA: Hitting up the Brian Kenyon Student Space for free condoms is highly recommended unless you want to fully integrate into the ACT community by contracting Chlamydia. *The author fully accepts responsibility for any children born out of circumstances leading from these suggestions, and would suggest calling them names that are also fruits!

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Issue 5, Vol. 69

Woroni AND SEX IN THE Seventies Articles from 1972

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Features

Issue 5, Vol. 69

What We Text About When We Text About Sex Edited by Molly McLaughlin Trigger Warning: Gendered Language Thanks to Tinder and other technology, having casual sex has never been easier. We are constantly connected and constantly available, so why is our relationship with sex so complicated? As a woman, negotiating the social expectations about gender and sexuality is like the worst one night stand ever: confusing, messy and involving much more conversation than

is strictly necessary. Sex is sending us mixed messages, from slut shaming to sex positivity, exploitation to empowerment. Here are four actual conversations with my female friends where we try to figure out how to fall in love with sex.

S, 22 + L, 22 R, 22 + M, 22

G, 20 + K, 22

C, 20 + B, 22

Features

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

What’s Good? Phillip Dae

Writing about sex sounds a lot more exciting than the actual process has proven to be. It’s full of weird pitfalls, self-conscious qualifications and awkward generalisations. ‘Good sex’ is even worse – take a subject that is deeply personal, where your preferences are largely unconscious, and introduce the deeply problematic concept of ‘good’. It doesn’t take long for the thought to occur, for instance, that Michael Hutchence’s idea of good sex might have differed substantially from my own. So if ‘good sex’ is just sex that’s good, why is it ever bad?

used the term performativity to talk about sex and gender in the 80’s – but I think it explains a lot about sex, and what makes it good and what keeps it from being good. It also explains why the standard Mind Blowing Sex-listi-

body) that makes both performer and observer vulnerable. So how does knowing this help us have better sex? None of this changes the universal physical requirements –

Addressing the performative aspects of sex as the partner seems more complicated, and I’m not really sure that a neat listicle would do the subject justice. The closest you can get to an ‘answer’ is the broader social project of de-coupling problematic ideas about male-ness/female-ness from sex and sexuality. More useful advice might just be to try and remain conscious of this dynamic, and of your own participation in it. For most of the men I’ve talked to, Good Sex requires both physical satisfaction and a sense of having in some way performed their role correctly. In one sense this is an internal process, but it’s an internal process that’s focused on the experience of the other. Great partners were partners who made them feel like better performers – in a genuine, non-porno kind of way.

The male (consensual) sexual experience seems to exist along a relatively short physical spectrum. Compared to the female equivalent, it’s truncated on both ends. At one end you have the bad sex - shouldn’t-have-bothered, uncomfortable, deeply dissatisfying sex. On the female spectrum this keeps going well past dissatisfying and, unfortunately, into serious anhedonia and discomfort. The reverse is also true though, heading north from the female zero gets you to the entry-level orgasm, then great sex, excellent sex, and finally, on to the spine-tingling, multi-everything sex that seems to mainline directly into the darkest, most reptilian parts of the Limbic system. For men, however, the spectrum ends abruptly somewhere after excellent sex, where the biological fuse-breaker that is the only thing between us and total Dopamine exhaustion kicks in and leaves us limp dick in hand until the batteries are recharged.

None of this is meant to imply a ‘role’ for anyone who has sex with men. It’s not about pushing your voice up an octave and moaning like Meg Ryan in Katz’s Deli. But neither is great sex about just hitting the right buttons, getting to the Money Shot and calling it a day. When something feels great, tell them. Make as much noise as is situationally appropriate. Be conscious of your partner’s insecurities and uncertainties. All of these things contribute to better sex, and eventually, with practice and luck, to Good Sex. We should all be aiming higher than two Popsicle sticks and a rubber band.

Perhaps it’s partly this difference – alongside, no doubt, other social forces that minimise female sexual pleasure – that accounts for the orgasm gap. This ratio, of about 1:3 orgasms, might suggest that good male sex is like the water in the joke about the fish: we can’t see it because we’re swimming in it. Here, though, we’re struck by one of those moments where sex-logic is deeply counter-intuitive – if orgasms make sex ‘good’ (for men), then how can they be ‘premature’, and dysfunctional? Maybe part of it is that sex is not totally about the self. When men are evaluating their sex lives (against the standard of ‘good sex’), one of the metrics they’re tacitly applying is the quality of their performance. And it’s that metric that explains why men are having three times as many orgasms as women, and still having bad sex. The idea is not a new one – the philosopher Judith Butler first

proach anything involving teeth with caution. During whatever passes for ‘actual sex’ for your chosen combination of people, be an active partner etc. etc. For men, this seems to be a straightforward process – there are very few places for the male anatomy to hide. As Seth Rogen says in Zack and Miri Make a Porno: “I’m a Guy. Give me two Popsicle sticks and a rubber band and I’ll find a way to fuck it”.

cle is so inadequate. Communicating well, respecting each other and foreplay are all necessary for great sex, but they’re not sufficient. For men (and probably everyone), sex is also the process of acting out some very diffuse concepts about masculinity/ femininity in a forum (your partner’s

1. Know what feels good, 2. Do that. If you don’t know, in the most epistemologically thorough way, that you’re incredible at foreplay then you can get better. The best way to do this is covered pretty well by the internet, but it doesn’t get much more complicated than asking your partner. Ap-

Features

Issue 5, Vol. 69

Men on Top Rosie Heselev

NB: This article focuses on cisgender, heterosexual relationships. I knew I was going to lose my virginity via text. ‘Is there a place near your house where I can buy condoms tonight?’ Despite the lack of romanticism I had envisioned for my ‘deflowering’, I couldn’t help but feel that excited anticipation. I was excited to finally experience what everyone was so obsessed about. I was excited to feel a part of an exclusive club, to become a ‘woman’. Yet, despite all this, the main reason for having sex was there: I wanted to do it for him. My virginity was a ‘gift’ for the man to enjoy. And there began my struggle with recognising that my sexuality was not my own. Sex, from the get go, is not designed for women. Losing your virginity is supposed to hurt - and don’t expect to enjoy it. We’re taught that our vaginas are complex and mysterious, that orgasms are difficult to achieve. It’s biological, ladies, and we got to accept it. Yet, let’s look at the facts. Statistically, cis women orgasm half as much as their partners, but it takes under 4 minutes on average for a woman to masturbate to orgasm. Our parts can’t be that complicated then, right? So what else is going on? The definition of sex benefits men Sex seems to have a popular definition. When mentioned it conjures up images of heterosexual, penis-vagina intercourse, beginning from penetration and ending when the man ejaculates. When someone loses their virginity, we presume it’s the first time they’ve had this definition of sex. This is the definition we’re taught in our limited high school sex-ed classes. We put on a condom, the man finishes, we remove the condom, and bananas back to the front please. While recognising the exclusionary effects this definition has on LGBTI people, this definition is missing another integral part: the clitoris. While women can orgasm through

vaginal intercourse, clitoral stimulation can be more successful. The clitoris, ladies and gentlemen, has over 8,000 nerve endings, three times the amount of a penis. It is the only organ in the human body in which the purpose is only for pleasure. The norm however, is that clitoris stimulation is ‘foreplay’. Looking at it in this way is putting female pleasure outside the realm of ‘sex’. As such, women’s pleasure is deprioritised. Women’s sexuality is objectified For the objectification of women’s bodies and sexuality, we can go no

further than porn. Porn is mostly aimed at men. There’s no shortage of material of women moaning through deepthroat, making ‘sexy’ facial expressions while manipulated into various positions. Most scenes contain blow jobs, while a woman receiving head is less common. Women are mostly used as props and tools for the man. And it’s accepted that most men watch porn, while not so for women. A woman watching porn is so stigmatised that even I would blush to admit it. Our sexuality is placed on a screen to be looked at, objectified. And here’s the rub: while sexualised images of women are everywhere, is it not accepted for a woman to be sexual. We doubt ourselves In our heads, the focus is on the man’s pleasure. During sex, some-

thing always nags at my mind as to what my partner’s thinking. Am I satisfying him, is he ok, is he bored, am I talking too much, am I talking not enough, do I look fat, am I too hairy? All these thoughts culminate into raging self-evaluative, performance anxiety that ultimately prevents me from finishing. And I’m not alone in this: one Cosmo Sex Survey (I know, not exactly an academically source but a voice of the people nonetheless), stated the 32% of women fail to orgasm due to overthinking. We become outside our bodies because our bodies are what define us as sexual beings. To understand the

situation we’re in, we default to the place where sex is emphasised – as bodies to be viewed. Our bodies are therefore no longer our own. We sculpt them, tan them, shave them, wax them until they become a sexual body a man would desire. We then picture ourselves as our bodies, and police our own actions. We’re anxious and aware of how we’re supposed to look, supposed to behave, what we’re supposed to say and do. And while we’re outside looking in, we can’t experience what’s happening within us. In my opinion, women are attracted to the bondage in 50 Shades of Grey, not because they like being dominated in the literal sense, but sex is truly focused on them only when they are strapped down. They cannot think about how they’re acting, how they’re moving and speaking if they literally can’t. It’s a relaxing experience that

can lead to a higher climax. And I will not accept that situation as the only time women can relax sexually. We’re encouraged not to ask Women are taught many things about ourselves that affect our sexualities. Women are taught to be passive, think of others, be caring and kind. We are deemed bossy or nagging if we speak up, express our opinions or demand something. This is present is all areas of life - such as work, the classroom, meetings - and is definitely present during sex. As sex is the man’s domain, we’re given less agency and voice. Women often feel they do not have the right to ask for certain things in bed, that an orgasm is too much to demand from our partners. Women often unnecessarily apologise for taking ‘too long’, whereby ‘guilt’ is a big cause towards faking orgasms. Guilt also pushes women to return pleasure as soon as possible after receiving. And I know from experiences, be personal or from friends, that this is not reciprocated by most men. So while we must bite the bullet and ask, it is also up to wider society to accept women have a voice on these matters, and our partners want to hear and accommodate to our desires. We can own our sexuality, only when we can ask for what we want in comfort and without fear of opposition. Sex is therefore set up to be a man’s game. When we are taught that our vaginas are complex, that sex is in missionary, that our bodies are objects – we accept that sex isn’t for our enjoyment. The accepted misunderstanding that women ‘can’t orgasm’ is emblematic of how sex is dominated and controlled by men. As a culture, we need to understand that women like sex just as much as men. We need to acknowledge that women may want sex for the enjoyment alone. Until we can do that, women’s pleasure will be side lined. If a woman wants to orgasm during sex, she has the right to demand one. She even has the right to be ‘given’ one. She has the right to her sexuality.

Features

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

What’s your number and why does it matter? Alexandra Green A popular British dating site IllicitEncounters.com conducted an online survey with over 1,000 people and asked the age-old question, “What’s the perfect number?” The study suggested that the ideal number was 10, with 38% of women and 37% of men choosing between 8-12 as the ideal range. At the ripe age of 21 I have slept with 12 partners, so you can only imagine my concern when I read this article. I had a million questions running through my head. Does this mean I’ve reached my maximum? Will I have to stay with my my current partner forever or, even worse, just start recycling through old partners as not to increase my number? Or do I just have to live with the fact that my past promiscuity will hinder my potential to be in a healthy loving relationship? The answer to all of the above questions are obviously, no. After a millisecond I quickly realised that we are in 2015, not 1912, so surely no one cares about how many people you’ve slept with anymore? Perhaps in our parents’ generations, where birth control and condoms were scarce and there was limited education concerning their use, it made sense to ask, because sex does come at a risk. Yet, now we live in an age of sexual liberation where condoms are provided for free throughout the ANU, and birth control options are widely available for outstandingly affordable prices. We are finally able to enjoy safe sex freely without judgment and focus solely on the pleasure it brings. At least that’s what I thought, but the numbers question still pops up in my everyday conversations, and high or low numbers are still met with some judgment. On numerous occasions I have heard comments similar to, “well I’ve only actually slept with 8 people, because those two one night stands in Europe don’t count” or “if they’ve had sex with over 20 people, I wouldn’t touch them”. It seems that even today your number of sexual

didn’t count. I even justified cutting one off the list because the guy didn’t cum.

partners affects how people view you in the bedroom. Too little and you have no experience and won’t know what you’re doing in the bedroom, too many and you run the risk of being considered promiscuous or “a turn off”. Further, the ‘perfect number’ seems to change for women and men. It’s no secret that men often get away with having more sexual partners than women. There is this idea that when men have sex they’ve earned it, they’ve worked hard, bought the girl a drink, wooed her and achieved the ultimate goal. Every sexual encounter is a victory of some kind, a challenge completed. Contrary for women, the perception is that in order to have sex ‘you just have to say yes’, and there’s nothing special about saying yes. If you say yes too many times that’s not impressive, that just means you’re easy to please or that you don’t have the self-control to say no. Despite the advances we have made in equality there is still a distinction relating to the number of partners that is ok to have had, and it is intrinsically linked to the idea of the passive women and the pro-active working man. But why is this so? How come we haven’t been able to move on from caring? And why is it still different for men and women? Firstly, it’s ingrained in our pop culture. Remember in Gossip Girl when Lily and Rufus wrote lists of each other’s sexual partners? Lily saw Ru-

fus’ list prior to the planned ‘sharing time’ and got so stressed that hers was two pages, as opposed to Rufus’ one, that she threw out the second page. The worst part was that when Lily showed her reduced list to Rufus he was relieved. This is a show that was widely popular during its time and was essentially telling its young viewers that it does matter how many people you’ve slept with, and that it’s bad if you’ve slept with too many. Secondly, more sexual partners is still considered to bring increased health risks, and yes, to a certain extent this remains true today. However, if you are healthy in the sexual choices you are taking - that is always wearing a condom, getting regular STD checks, etc. - then you should be able to go sleep with as many people as you want. Yet this way of thinking isn’t adopted by the vast amount of medical professionals. When I go to the doctor and they ask me if I’m sexually active, they always ask me how many people I’ve slept with when I reply “yes”. About two years ago, after having this intimate conversation with a random GP, I was confronted with a 20 minute conversation about the perils of sexual promiscuity. He urged me to take pap smear, pregnancy and chlamydia tests, even though I told him I had received all of them very recently, actually at this very same clinic. I left feeling terrible about my choices, looking back on my sexual partners and trying to debate with myself which ones I could decide

This is a ridiculous way to think however, and my new GP at SHFTPACT agrees, referring to that random GP’s behaviour as “widely inappropriate and unprofessional, thought not uncommon.” I came to see that she was right when a friend recently called me up, distressed because she went to the doctor to get a prescription for the pill and the doctor immediately asked, “so how long have you been dating your current partner?” When she replied that she was in fact single, he then proceeded to ask her how many sexual partners she’d had, and when she replied with a number above 10, he told her that she should reconsider her life choices because they could have adverse health effects. Whilst it is true that the more sexually active you are and the more partners you have, the more you are putting yourself at risk of STD’s - if you are conscious and safe then you shouldn’t be at any further risk than anyone else. A friend recently told me that if she slept with a guy who had only slept with one person she probably wouldn’t bother using a condom. If there is one thing I learnt from sexed in high school it’s that it only takes one sexual partner with an STD to transmit that STD. Someone’s promiscuity should not be a determining factor in the use of condoms. The bottom line is that we are in an age where it makes no sense to ask how many sexual partners someone has had, because if you are being safe then it is irrelevant. It’s considered rude to ask someone how much money they earn, or who they voted for in the last election, because these are personal issues. So why, given that having sex is one of the most personal things two people can do together, doesn’t asking someone how many people they’ve slept with fall into the same category?

Features

Issue 5, Vol. 69

Dirty Little Pill Mikaela Glasson

Something that pops into my head at exactly 11:00am, every day, is sex. More than that though, it is preventing the product of the ever so great act of sex - a baby. If you are having sex and are at university right now, I am about 99% sure that some form of contraception is a part of your life. So why does contraception still have a stigma around it? At 11:00am every day, my ‘take pill’ alarm goes off. I can be in all sorts of places at the time. In line for coffee, in a lecture, studying, making my way to my next class, walking into my tutorial. 11:00am on Saturdays and Sundays bring a whole new range of potential locations into play. In any of these places, however, the familiar sound of cracking open the blister seal of the correct pill and pulling out my water bottle to ease the pill down is never really comfortable. Why is that? Why does one feel judged or self conscious by actively taking care of their future? By being proactive alongside the 99% of people who are also using contraception? I would like to acknowledge that there is a portion of women who comfortably take the pill wherever they are without thinking twice. I have friends like this that I admire. However, I also know people that very discreetly take their pill as if it is a secret mission. These days I try to be like the former. I am a woman that takes the pill publicly, and even go as far as to make a bit of a statement about it. So much so, in fact, that recently a male friend of mine saw me take it and was slightly shocked. He made a remark about me doing such a thing right in front of everyone. This is when it really hit me, that it wasn’t all in my imagination, people really aren’t comfortable with open contraception. Honestly this is hard to understand. Sex is all around us, every day we are confronted with it, especially in media. Society in general is becoming increasingly sexually explicit. People are able to deal with this, yet they still see the pill as something dirty that

should be taken in private. What is so disturbing about the pill that makes us feel self conscious about taking it? Is it the idea that we are admitting to having sex? Are we advertising that we are having sex? Does the half naked woman advertising something ludicrously unrelated to sex advertise it anyway? What about Tinder? Is that not a forum where sex is advertised daily? E.g. “Here for a good time not a long time.” It’s odd that we can deal with Tinder comments that are all about sex, but aren’t comfortable grabbing 3 handfuls of condoms from the safe sex promoters that are giving them out for free. Honestly, condoms aren’t super cheap. We are all university students here, budgeting our way through, and really, we should be able to grab 3 handfuls of condoms. (Then we should give ourselves permission to go buy a $10 bottle of red because we just saved money, right?) Condoms are handy. The pill is successful. Contraception is great. Let’s be proud that we live in a day and age where contraception is so easily accessible. Let’s celebrate that my 11:00am pill alarm keeps me from getting pregnant, so I can potentially finish university without having to be responsible for another human’s needs. If you’re a female reader, next time your pill alarm goes off I encourage you to crackle open that blister seal with no shame, and comfortably promote that you are actively taking contraception. When your girlfriend’s alarm is going off, remind her that she can take it without a second thought. If a friend snoozes her pill alarm so she can discreetly take it later, encourage her to take it now, because the potential consequences of then forgetting are enormous compared to any little reason for refraining. If it’s 11:00am, know that I’ve got your back and that somewhere I am doing the same thing. You’ll see me in the coffee line waving my pill packet around.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Features

A History of Sex Jesse Zondervan

As a geologist and avid reader I’ve always been fascinated by historical stories, whether natural or human. There are many surprising lessons to be learned from geology, archaeology and history, many of which question our conventional views of sex. From the origins of copulation we can explore the meaning of sex for our prehistorical ancestors, how these views evolved through time, and finally take a peek into the future - this article is a History of Sex. Not every organism has sex, that is, in the sense of copulation. Think about fishes for example, which spawn their sperm and eggs into the water, trusting that fertilization will occur in some percentage. It is a very easy and primitive way of reproduction, and it therefore will likely surprise you that copulation evolved from fish! In 2014, Australian palaeontologist John Long and his team published their astonishing findings in Nature. 400 million year old fossils of bony fish from Scotland and China show L-shaped sexual organs, which were used by the males to copulate (sideways) with the females. Not only does this give us insight into the awkward square-dance style of sex, the authors also suggest that, contrary to traditional theories, spawning in fish evolved from internal fertilization. From here you can go on to the whole evolutionary story of the penis, but to be honest, the biological analysis of sex can be rather boring. Sex is so much more than just reproduction. Sex plays important roles in social relationships, including romance, partnership, politics, stress relief and even bartering. In 1975, Dr. James Prescott, recognising the importance of sex in society, analysed physical affection in different cultures during child rearing phases, and the toleration of preand extramarital sex. He found that deprivation of physical pleasurable touch leads people to violence. So, by extension, to explore the history of sex is also to explore the social and behavioural history of sex. To explore the origins of our sexual behaviour evolutionary theories can be quite helpful. We all know monogamy and jealousy are evolutionary constructs to ensure the individual’s

genes are passed on. It is a race, a competition in which we outcompete each other to be the most reproductive. Take lions, who kill the cubs of their newly acquired pack for evolutionary gain. Simple, right? Not really. Evolutionary biology has long been dominated by white male biologists, but with an increase in female input since the 90s a new balance has created critical questions. Why can women get multiple orgasms and men only one? Does this mean men are in some sense sexually incompatible with women? Why is adultery such a temptation?

One of my most memorable visits to the British Museum was guided by director Neil MacGregor’s podcast ‘A History of the World in 100 objects’. Guided by his voice I walked through the wooden gallery with cabinets full of iron shields, helmets, to the objects from our prehistory. Here I found a Venus sculpture of white ivory, the plumpness of fertility gloriously basking in the museum’s spotlight, extremely detailed in pubic hair and navel. Why did Palaeolithic men produce these elaborate depictions of pregnancy? It seems likely that they “did not comprehend the biological function of sex,” as believed by Jill Cook of the British Museum in London. This could have great implications for sex, as is explored by the Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel, a book series about a prehistoric woman. In this story, characters share ongoing erotic, caring relationships with a mix of selected members of their close-knit tribe. After all, paternity and possessiveness (in a world

of hunting and gathering) were no issues. Who knew who the father was? Men simply cared for their chosen mates and their children.

ing a new era of sex. The grave sins of cheating and infidelity were born, which carried and arguably still carry punishment, especially for women.

Is it just fantasy or did Auel’s stories contain a grain of truth? In their book ‘Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality’ Drs. Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá address these issues, gathering research into our sexual evolution from multiple disciplines. Indeed, the system that Auel describes in her book is given a name by the authors: ‘promiscuity’. Studies of our bodies (such

There is a wealth of interesting material about sex from history, such as the openly gay sexuality of ancient Greeks and amazingly sophisticated sexual textbooks such as the Kamasutra from ancient India. But for now, let’s conclude with a vision of the future of sex. The clues to this future may well lie in ‘sexting’, the sending of sexual imagery through social media. It is primarily a phenomenon of horror for much of society, but it can’t be denied that it is becoming more popular with the present teen generation. Tentative studies conclude low numbers of criminal sexting cases, with the largest problem of sexting being receiving an unwanted sext. The majority of sexters report having experienced no problems after sexting. Studies like this raise questions about cyber-security campaigns, opening up the discussion towards cyber-maturity instead. Sexting education may soon be a major topic in sex education. It is an important discussion, as if done responsibly, sexting provides a safe environment without risks of STI and pregnancy and the power for both parties to start, stop and direct the interaction.

as the sexual incompatibility I noted before), our close evolutionary cousins the primates and our psycho-sexuality (fantasies and pathologies) as well as archaeological evidence (such as the figurines and wall paintings) provide insight into how sex evolved in us. It seems that we have a promiscuous nature… So how did we come to the monogamous, ‘family’ centred society? The answer is the Agricultural evolution. The Ain Sakhri lovers figurine is one of the many artworks that show the shift of interest from fertility to the sexual act and genitals. The Natufians were among the first people to domesticate sheep and goats. To breed they would have needed to know something about conception and this, together with a new culture of possession and aggression fuelled a shift in the perception of sexual relationships. Since the agricultural revolution at about 13,000 years ago ownership of land and cattle extended to ownership of sexual partners, herald-

From copulating bony fish, to sexual evolution in humans, through cultural evolution, to digital evolution: it is a story of sexual drive, values, knowledge, repression and invention. Our cultural and digital evolution has changed our evolutionary perception of sex, for the better or the worse. What we need to keep aware of is that it is not static and current sexual practices cannot simply be extrapolated into history or into the future. We’ll have to keep thinking about and discussing sex in our society and what we want out of it. After all, unlike our pet fish, we have the privilege of experiencing sex.

SCIENCE

Issue 5, Vol. 69

YOUR MIND & A ONE-NIGHT STAND Lewis Pope

We tend to think of ourselves as invincible, especially when we’re making our own choices and we’re not losing limbs, it’s fairly reasonable not to fret too much about your wellbeing. When it comes to one night stands, I’m not going to tell you how to live your life: I don’t know what the best decisions are, and I also don’t think you should always make the right decision. Those things aside, let’s talk about what the right decisions might be. A lot of articles in the wider media focus on the feminist approach to the issue, which makes sense. Males typically have, both culturally and biologically, more sexual freedom. From an evolutionary perspective this makes sense, given that (generally) women are the ones saddled with both pregnancy and reduced ability to abdicate parenthood. This leads to what science people call sexual antagonism: your evolutionary success as a man involves the greatest extent of (pun intended) dissemination of your genetic material, even at the expense of other concerns; as a woman, your offspring are likely to be more successful if you are nurturing and can successfully have another human being to help protect them. Therefore, the sexes, when viewed as

a binary, have competing interests, especially in the form of their psychological approach to sex. Of course, today we realise that there are significant and widespread reasons not to regard such presumptions as assumptions we can actually make. The existence of the LGBT community clearly designates such presumptions as significantly flawed, and we are quite aware of the widespread nature of contraception. So, what effect can these evolutionary relics still visit upon us? More traditional and conservative articles and studies often suggest that women are disproportionately harmed, with some feeling of regret, perhaps even resulting in depression. These assertions are based on the elevation of oxytocin in women after a sexual encounter, a hormone promoting attachment. In men, the spike in testosterone may cause a desire to pull away. Many of us who have had casual sex can probably attest to the fact that these are just tendencies that may be felt to differing extents, ranging from compulsive to not at all. Some would argue that these feelings are natural, and their suppression can only be harmful. This also cannot be viewed without a social context. There are times

when strict common sense can still be a contentious path to tread. For instance, when AIDS was beginning to pervade the gay community. Just after the movement had just achieved a place where gay men had some level of comfort and permissibility about finally being able to fulfil sexual and romantic goals, perhaps the strictest medical advice was to steer clear of sex for fear of communicating AIDS, but this was unacceptable to the social movement. In similar veins, it is clear that attitudes which support the sexual repression of women can often be harmful, in terms of consequences socially, mentally and physically. So even if we accepted the dubious claim that women are more attached after sex, and casual sex is an anathema to that natural tendency, is it worth the social consequences? It is probably more useful to examine something a little more objective. According to the Journal of Sex Research, after sex, it is quite common to feel regret or some pang of unfulfilled emotion – across all genders. Furthermore, all genders who engaged in more frequent one-off sexual activity experienced higher rates of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and substance misuse. However, there has been no absolutely definitive link saying that the

sexual activity causes these things. It similarly plausible that such things may be the cause of the sexual activity. Then again, the linkage may be superficial and meaningless. The journal Human Nature suggests that women tend to have more negative feelings in the period after a one night stand, so perhaps there is some credibility to the theory about denying natural instincts. However we have come a long way from the situations in which those instincts evolve, and we have a remarkable ability to make our own choices and guide our paths the way we want them to turn. So yes, be careful, but it probably isn’t worth allowing dubious natural tendencies to import some sort of dictum as to how we should live our lives. Be aware that you may have some emotional turbulence as a result of having a one-night stand, and your risk is likely higher if you are female. Your psychology is not governed, however, by risk factors alone. So just be on the lookout for yourself and your friends and with some conscious monitoring, don’t restrict your genitals’ adventures any more than you want (or legally and socially should).

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

SPort

UNIGAMES: FOOD FOR THOUGHT Anonymous Trigger Warning Sexual Assault Uni games is a wild time, there’s no doubt about it. As a first year attending unigames, I thought I had adequately prepared myself for the drinking-fest that was in store, but alas I was truly underprepared. The drinking culture was so intense each evening that very

few of the team were able to compete during the day. The team was led by a few veteran unigamers who drove the drinking culture. One thing to keep in mind is that this was definitely not the kind of week that provided sober reps. Rather than the week being about competing strongly in your designated sport, the culture promoted competition around alcohol consumption and sexual en-

deavours. I literally overheard people saying, “Well if I can’t pick up at unigames, what hope do I have?” I loved the trip for the first couple of days, I met some great people who were out to have a good time. Midweek though, one of my new friends was sexually assaulted, and I was raped. The culture surrounding this week was not supportive; it was not safe.

I don’t want to deter people from attending, but I hope that student leaders can be better role models in the future and better support the students they take with them. We need to ensure that consent is embedded in every conversation and environment that promotes sex, and most certainly at Unigames.

POLE DANCING: NOT JUST FOR THE STRIP CLUBS Maddison Godwin Pole dancing as a fitness activity and sport has grown significantly in popularity over the past few decades. So why is there is still this aura of sexual stigmatisation around it? Even in our modern world why do everyday women, such as myself, who embark on pole dancing as a form of fitness and fun still receive looks of judgement from most men when I tell them about the exercise? And on the other hand, why am I rewarded with all manner of compliments and congratulatory remarks from other females? This sexual perception of pole dancing indisputably comes from its origins. Pole dancing continues to be associated with strippers and strip clubs, but the fitness equivalent is more than all of this. Instead of turning up to what people imagine to be a dirty strip club with women in booty shorts and short tops, the pole fitness industry seeks to reclaim the activity that has become a source of their objectification. It returns the power back to women by placing it in a comfortable female only environment, twisting the context to give empowerment back to women. This is not a place for me to critique the place of strip clubs in society but to admire how women have derived confidence from this. I do believe a lot of the stigmatisation associated with people who take pole classes does originate from women being seen in the same capacity as sexual objects, and this is a really hard burden to shift.

However, a lot of this is attached to the underlying female nature of the sport. There really isn’t a male equivalent. Stripping itself has become something that men now do in the same position as women, but this isn’t the same. While there is much more to pole dancing than just this, it is additionally clear that the activity itself is inherently disempowering due to its connection and origin. However, the work of feminists in challenging the stigma of objectification isn’t the only reason why this activity needs to be appreciated. The pole dancing fitness industry is more than its perceptions. It’s important to consider the everyday women that participate in this activity and sport. It’s not just women absentmindedly gyrating at a pole in a studio, but something which involves real physical technique just like any physical activity, such as aerobics, gymnastics or competitive dance. When comparing it to one of these supports, the similarities are self-evident. Dance has always been a form in which people are able to express themselves, and pole fitness is just another branch. The benefits that accumulate from partaking in a pole class are numerous. The first and most obvious one is the clear health pay offs. This is, after all, a form of exercise, which utilises strength and muscles in the whole body. The skills that are required to progress and be able to do many of the tricks required use muscles all over the body, including (but not limited to) quads, abs, biceps and back

muscles. These all help to maintain better posture, leading to an overall increased confidence. Additionally, there is a clear increase in coordination skills. Not only with an increase in my flexibility and joint mobility, owing to the constant strengthening of hand muscles from needing to grip onto the pole, but also through the need to contort your body in certain ways so that you do not fall off the pole and land on your ass. By virtue of being a physical activity this leads to an increase in endorphins, which in turn leads to one feeling calmer and happier. While a lot of women seem to find pole dancing a ‘sexually liberating’ experience where they are able to feel sexy and to build their confidence in this area, pole dancing gives more than this - the confidence that comes out of pole comes out of any physical activity. It’s body confidence. It’s a skill that develops the ability to be able to learn to trust your body, and to be aware of your body’s placement in the surrounding areas. This is evidently important to ensure that once again, you don’t end up on your ass or your head when inverting your body upside down. Furthermore, the confidence comes in another form, and that’s the pride that is clear on everyone’s face when they’re able to do something that looked impossible. Especially when you’re trying to fight off the dizziness from spinning around in circles. When I started pole I didn’t ever think that I would be able to climb up the pole to the roof of the

studio, about one and a quarter stories vertically up, but after four weeks I did. And, as one of my instructors like to earnestly remind me, “pole’s a life skill, you never know when you’ll need to climb away quickly and effectively from a rogue bear or dog!”. Additionally, the fact that pole dancing has developed into a serious sport with international championships, such as the Pole Championship Series, speaks to the fact that a high degree of fitness and skill is required to complete some of the activities. Just like any other sport, all pole activities take place in supervised environments and there can be all sorts of injuries. I can personally attest to this, having torn a ligament in my left knee. But even after needing to go to emergency for this clearly serious injury, I still received a look of judgment from the doctor on duty when I told him how it happened. This does not seem right. So, while I acknowledge that pole dancing does have associations with strip clubs and that these stereotypes can be hard to shift, this doesn’t change the fact that this activity is a sport, and that these women are worthy of the respect of any athlete who has put themselves through any form of training. If you’d like to find out more or see some of these incredible skills, head to the showcase performance held at FitSistas Studio Braddon on the 6th of May at 7:30pm.

ARTS & REVIEWS

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

SUNDAY LIVE @ AVIARY A WARM WELCOME Photography and Article by Mark Wilson Autumn is finally underway, with those lovely late afternoon sunny glows through the brown, falling leaves with a cool breeze ruffling through your hair. Unfortunately, this also means we’re leaving summer; days are getting shorter and colder, workloads are picking up, summer festivals and flings are long gone. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t look forward to rugging up and embracing winter’s wild weather with warm hearts, and Aviary’s first Sunday Live session was the perfect way to both say goodbye to those warm, long, lazy days; and give a little motivation and anticipation for the year to come. Organised in collaboration with U-Party (a party planner originally aimed at colleges at ANU, yet now branching out into the wider Canberra community) and Aviary Bar, the Sunday Live sessions are a new initiative, aiming to get the afternoon jam sessions up and running in Canberra. With the uninterrupted views from the top of Westside, over the lake, looking onto the Brindabellas, allowing for not only the best

views but also the most breath-taking sunsets in Canberra, there couldn’t be a better location for a sunset jam in the city. The Sunday Live organisers knew this too well and took full advantage for the first session. The crowd were out in force, not only for the $5 afternoon drinks, a welcome

relief for the intense heat of the day, but also some of the best local bands on offer. Along with soothing acoustic sets from Oly Sherman, Amy Jenkins and James Kelly to help cool the crowd off from the late summer sun, Room set themselves up as the next big thing on the Canberra music scene, with their live looping set per-

fectly sculpted to show off the pair’s amazing vocal range. Azim Zain and his Lovely Bones played their beautiful hearts out to the crowd, the sunset over the museum providing the perfect backdrop for their mix of eclectic yet heart-breaking songs. A fitting band to end proceedings, and despite some sound issues early on, the warming but melancholic set was the perfect way to see out summer and welcome autumn and the rest of the year that lay ahead. Aviary Bar and the Sunday Live crew have laid the path for a welcome relief to the lack of Sunday activity in Canberra. Sunday Live is a great new event for both the local music scene (with the organiser’s intentions at bringing more nationally renowned bands a new local venue) and anyone who wants something new to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon. While it may not be so hot anymore, Sunday Live at Aviary looks to warmly welcome all who come to check out the music and enjoy Canberra’s wild yet wonderful new scene in style.

KENDRICK LAMAR TEACHES SYDNEY WHY WE GON’ BE ALRIGHT Ruben Seaton At this point in time – and considering Drake’s current hibernation – the two biggest rappers in the world are Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. In many ways they are similar: both are icons for black Americans, are incredibly wealthy, along with both having critically acclaimed albums under their belt. They even shared a bustling and braggadocios track on the former’s latest album. But while Kanye considers himself a God, Lamar takes pride in the fact that he is nothing more than a mortal man. Seeing Kendrick live, therefore, has merits that a Kanye show could never provide: the sense of awe in knowing that he has reached the level of human excellence that we are all striving towards. In a word, Kendrick’s show in Sydney – one of three Australian fixtures alongside Melbourne and Bluesfest – could only be described as vivid. With a full backing band, each

song picked up a buzzing energy that added a new level of authenticity to tracks from his three studio albums. Indeed, the diversity of Lamar’s catalogue is part of the intrigue: his set-list jumped from ferocious verses detailing graphic gang violence to guitar-driven choruses proclaiming self-worth. The 18,000 faces inside Allphones Arena were under a spell for the best part of two hours as Lamar’s verbosity became hypnotic. Although Kendrick hails from Compton, California, his support act picked up inspiration through hip-hop much closer to our home. Sampa the Great hails from Sydney, but her luscious afro and baggy beige clothing shows how she draws from her roots in Zambia and Botswana. Even through watching her short set, quite a few comparisons can be drawn between her and Kendrick, making her a perfect precursor. Her spluttering delivery, enigmatic personality

and off-the-wall production ticked all the boxes and ensured that anticipation was reaching boiling point by the time Lamar joined his band on stage. Kendrick’s mile-a-minute flow was on the table straight away: the boisterous and giddy ‘For Free’ features Kendrick at his bewildering best, while 2012’s ‘Backseat Freestyle’ saw the crowd lose whatever shit that had not already been lost. Unsurprisingly and unforgivingly, the quintessential “Yawk Yawk Yawk Yawk” from ‘m.A.A.d city’ caused the stadium to go into raptures, as did the rags-toriches glory of radio favourite ‘King Kunta’. However strange it is to say, what Kendrick’s set-list didn’t include is almost as important as what it did. I say this because Lamar chose to omit certain songs – for example, the huge racial anthem ‘The Blacker the Berry’ – presumably because he didn’t think the narratives of police violence

would resonate with our white Aussie context. Instead, he approached racial diversity through songs such as ‘Complexion’. “I look here in Sydney, and I see black, white, yellow, brown, even green and purple,” he chuckled, “But if you’re here with me, complexion don’t mean a thing.” It was a tailor-made experience which only added to Kendrick’s merits. Which brings me to return to the comparison with Kanye West. Because when I saw Kanye, it was like watching a deity; he was on this self-proclaimed ‘God Level’ where no mere mortal could be like him. However, with Kendrick, his grasp of reality is rooted in optimism and the mission to make the world stronger through music. That’s why when I hear a stadium full of people chanting, “We gon’ be alright,” I feel like I have reason to believe it.

Issue 5, Vol. 69

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

WORONI PLAYLISTS: SEX By Brendan Keller-Tuberg, Hayden Fritzlaff, Molly McLaughlin and Annelise Corey Songs about sex are pretty much their own genre, and have been approached in a countless number of ways through song. Whether graphically explicit (Run The Jewels), a little bit more subtle (Bjork), or even critical, (Neutral Milk Hotel), our playlists attempt to span as many different attitudes and artistic approaches to sex as possible. This week we discovered that the Cyndi Lauper classic She Bop is about masturbation, and that attitudes to sex in the 70s and 80s were more progressive than we realised (see: The Runaways and Grace Jones). Lyrical highlights include alt-j’s “turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet” and Childish Gambino having “good problems, right? Wrong.” Enjoy, and look out for our ‘Spoon Week’ playlists next issue!

PLAYLIST 1

1. Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On 2. Wet Dreamz – J. Cole 3. Feel Like Makin’ Love – D’Angelo 4. Ariel Pink – Sexual Athletics 5. Solange Knowles ft Kendrick Lamar – Looks Good With Trouble 6. Isley Brothers – Between the Sheets 7. Esparanza Spalding – Good Lava 8. R. Kelly – Down Low (Nobody Has To Know) 9. Father John Misty – Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins) 10. Shaggy – Luv Me Luv Me 11. Bjork - Cocoon 12. Run The Jewels – Love Again 13. Leon Bridges – Coming Home 14. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Suck My Kiss 15. Jamiroquai – Dynamite 16. OutKast – The Way You Move 17. Neutral Milk Hotel – Song Against Sex 18. Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop (That Thing) 19. Crave You – Flight Facilities 20. Mac Demarco – Still Together

PLAYLIST 2 1. Chastity Belt – Cool Slut 2. The Jezabels – Pleasure Drive 3. Jamie xx (ft. Romy) – Loud Places 4. Alt-J – Every Other Freckle 5. Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You 6. Junglepussy – Somebody 7. Hopium – Right Now 8. Childish Gambino – Heartbeat 9. Alison Wonderland – I Want U 10. Nelly Furtado (ft Timbaland) – Promiscuous 11. Santana – She’s Not There 12. Beyonce (ft Jay-Z) – Drunk In Love 13. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink – Lady Marmalade 14. Grace Jones – Pull Up To The Bumper 15. Cyndi Lauper – She Bop 16. Salt-N-Pepa – Shoop 17. Missy Elliott – Work It 18. Goldfrapp – Ooh La La 19. The Runaways – Cherry Bomb 20. Hockey Dad – So Tired

Arts & Reviews

Issue 5, Vol. 69

THE ANU VICE-CHANCELLORâ€™S COLLEGE VISITING ARTIST FELLOWS SCHEME: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR IVO LOVRIC SHAN CROSBIE

Silence, Dr Ivo Lovric

The ANU Vice-Chancellor’s College Visiting Artist Fellows Scheme (VCCAFS) is an interdisciplinary 5-year project to encourage collaborative engagement between artists and researchers at the ANU. 5 artists participated in the VCCAFS and worked with a wide range of researchers from across the ANU. The diversity of those involved ranged from woodland ecologists from the Fenner School to professors from the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences to fellows from the College of Law. The work produced during the VCCAFS by the artists was exhibited in a show opened by Professor Brian Schmidt on 16 February at the ANU School of Art Foyer Gallery. The Vice Chancellor stressed the value of the visual arts within the ANU and wider Australian culture, as well as emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary engagement within the ANU academic community.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

For a year prior to the delivery of the aforementioned petition I was making a documentary video (yet to be completed) about ANU student activists, who organised a number of protests, occupations and interventions to prevent cuts to tutorials and to lobby the administration to resist successive government efforts to cut university funding and introduce the deregula-

ret Thornton and how do you think you both influenced each other’s work? While I had some preliminary discussions with Margaret about the development and outcomes of our planned collaboration, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work together. Margaret’s enthusi-

an effective means of communicating sometimes complex ideas in a witty and succinct way. To quote from Margaret’s catalogue essay for the VCCAFS exhibition: “While scholarly books and articles are compelled to pay attention to methodology and argument, the economy of style of the poster genre allows such matters to be sloughed off and for the artist to move immediately to the heart of the matter. Scholarly books and articles also tend to appeal to a narrow academic readership, whereas the poster genre has the potential to appeal to a much wider generalist audience.” What do you and Professor Thornton hope to communicate through your work? Utilising humour and/or satire as well as more serious or informational approaches, the posters confront themes which include: student debt; increased staff workloads; precarious employment; poor morale; a toxic workplace culture encouraging obedient acquiescence; commercial and instrumental forms of training versus humanistic and critical education; collegial versus corporate management styles and, in broader terms, the idea that university education is a public good; and is not solely for individual gain. By using the poster form we hope to popularise or raise awareness about the foregoing issues. In this respect, posters can assist in reaching a wider audience by using a combination of visual and textual strategies that deliver a message in an immediate and easily understood manner. By keeping the foregoing issues “alive” in the public mind it is hoped that popular opposition to fee deregulation and the corporatisation of universities will be maintained.

I was fortunate enough to talk with one of the participating artists in the 2015 VCCAFS, Dr Ivo Lovric about his experience working with Margaret Thornton from the ANU College of Law. Shan Crosbie: How did you become involved with the VCCAFS? Dr Lovric: I’d been to see exhibitions of work by other people who participated in the VCCAFS in previous years. My own collaboration with Margaret Thornton, who is Professor of Law and ANU Public Policy Fellow at the ANU College of Law, resulted from our shared interest in education and the corporatisation of universities. I first met Margaret in July 2014 when she and a few postgraduate students delivered a petition to ANU Vice Chancellor Ian Young requesting that he withdraw his support for the government’s plan to deregulate university fees. The petition was signed by academic and professional staff (including myself) as well as by postgraduate students and while the petition failed to persuade the VC to change his views, it represented one of many protests around Australia to prevent the introduction of fee deregulation – what might arguably be the most significant change in the history of Australia’s higher education sector.

Arts & Reviews

The Precariat, Dr Ivo Lovric tion of university fees. Coincidentally, in late 2014 while I was working as a Publishing Officer with ANU Press, I formatted a book edited by Margaret Thornton titled, Through a Glass Darkly: The Social Sciences Look at the Neoliberal University. Preparing the text and images for this book led me to approach Margaret and to our subsequent collaboration as part of the Vice Chancellor’s Colleges Artist Fellowship Scheme. What surprised you about your experience working with Professor Marga-

asm for the project and her depth of knowledge about the rising influence of neoliberalism within the university sector made for lively and informative discussions, which in turn resulted in various poster ideas, some of which are yet to be made. Margaret’s extensive research and writing about the corporatisation of universities continues to influence my understanding of these issues, which I hope will result in the production of more satirical and or informational posters which address the aforementioned themes. In terms of my influence on Margaret’s work I think that posters provide

From your point of view, what are the benefit of interdisciplinary collaboration of this kind within the university? The benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration include opportunities to learn from the perspective/s of researchers, who work in other fields. Also, this kind of collaboration fosters imaginative insights, analytical thinking and creative approaches to understanding and even changing our society in the interests of social justice.

Issue 5, Vol. 69

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

PROVE IT: THE EXHIBITION OF WORK BY SHAN CROSBIE Shan Crosbie In 2014, news stations all over the world followed the plight of the pig that risked jumping out of her truck bound for the slaughterhouse. She was rewarded for her desire for life by being adopted by the Guangxi police station in the usual place of the station’s police dog. This story is repeated over and over again throughout media all over the world. I am interested in the psychology of why people suddenly feel empathetically connected to an animal only once it has actively shown an interest in surviving. Why is this empathy limited to the individual and not extended to the pigs at the bottom of the truck or on their dinner plates? My exhibition ‘Prove it’ looks at the phenomenon of escaped livestock being saved from the slaughterhouse by the media. Playing on the relationship between print and painting, copy and original, this mass installation of works aims to shed light on our selective empathy towards animals that have ‘proved’ their will to live. I’m a Canberra-based artist currently completing my honours year at the ANU School of Art in Art History. My interest in the lives of animals arose when I began to learn more about the reality behind what I was putting in my stomach. My work aims to question in a creative and non-threatening way the industrialised practice of farming, slaughtering and consuming animals and their products. I want to question the social conditioning surrounding meat consumption and the cognitive dissonance that is surely felt by seeing oneself as an animal lover whilst at the same time valuing an animal’s life as nothing more than the price of a packet of bacon. Find more information about the show and read the full catalogue at: shan-crosbie.com/prove-it/ Exhibition runs 14 April - 1 May M16 Artspace 21 Blaxland Crescent Griffith ACT 2603 Gallery hours Wednesday to Sunday 12 - 5pm

Arts & Reviews

INTERNATIONAL

Issue 5, Vol. 69

CUltural Column: Turkey

Sally Muradoğlu Turkey, the bridge between Europe and Asia, offers a puzzle piece in the cultural gradient between the far west to the east. When we are presented with a world map, learn a little bit about some of the countries, it is often hard to understand the connections between how one culture relates to another. The geographical location alone gives rise to a city like Istanbul, wherein you find a church turned into a mosque (Haifa Sofya) or a mixed skyline with columns from its former Constantinople days (Çemberlitaş), the Galata tower of the Genoese, minarets and palaces (e.g. Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Dolmabahçe Sarayi) of the Ottoman empire. The Turkish language itself entails historical fossils in the lexicography and structure, with various loan words from neighbouring countries and grammatical foundations dating back to Mongolia. During the Ottoman ruling, a large amount of loan words from Arabic and Persian (accounting for up to 88% of the vocabulary) became embedded in Ottoman Turkish. Ottoman Turkish was a language of the court, used primarily by the Sultans and people of the palace. As a result, the language itself is poetic in nature, albeit cumbersome at times. Rural, lowerclass citizens of the empire used ‘kaba Türkçe (rough Turkish)’ which used fewer foreign words and is the basis of modern Turkish. In the early 20th century a language reform took place; changing scripts from persoarabic to latin and banning usage of foreign words in media. In today’s Turkish, other language loan words are prominent; ananas (pineapple) from French, akut (acute) from German or natural (natural) from English. The diverse historical structures are not only present in the Istanbul skyline but also in the Turkish language itself, making it a

dynamic museum of heritage. To experience a slice of Turkey here in Canberra, I would recommend visiting the Gözleme cafe on london circuit for a Turkish coffee where they always greet you with a günaydın (good morning) or merhaba (hello).

Shirzat Memet

“The most logical way in order to communicate with them, to side with them and to win their friendship and to be protected from being their target, is to learn their language.” - Mahmud Kashgarion Turksin, 1074 The historical development of Turkish and other Turkic languages is very complex, influenced and shaped by continuous political, military and cultural turbulence by various kingdoms, dynasties and confederations, some nomadic and others not, throughout Central Asia.Throughout history, Central Asia also saw dramatic religious transformations involving Shamanism, Tengrism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity and Islam. Therefore the religious impact on various Turkic languages is also significant. Among many, the Uyghur language is one of primary examples which have a great historical and linguistic significance.

The modern Uyghur language is now spoken by Uyghurs, ethnic Turkic minorities living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in the People’s Republic of China, the land historically known as East Turkistan. Although this language does not necessary have a direct structural continuation from the old Uyghur language which was spoken in Central Asia between the 8thand the 13th Century, it is still very important and also helpful to look at the history of this medieval period. During this period, the linguistic development of Turkic languages was at its peak, being exposed to complex power dynamics under the Uyghur Khaganate (744– 840),the Uyghur Kingdom of Qocho (856–1335), the Kara-Khanid Khanate (840–1212), the Gansu Uyghur Kingdom (848–1036) and the Chagatai Khanate (1225–1340).The Uyghur script was later inherited by Mongols and Manchus to develop their respective scripts. During this period, Mahmud Kashgari, a Uyghur scholar born in Kashgar in the Kara-Khanid Khanatein

the 11th Century, played a vital role through completing the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages in history: Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk (Arabic: “Compendium of the languages of the Turks”) which includes over 200 poems and 2 proverbs and the valuable geographic information on Turkic settlers in Arabic and Turkic languages. His birthplace Kashgar, a 2000-year old oasis city in the Silk Road with significant political,strategic,commercial/trade and cultural importance,was one of primary capitals of the Kara-Khanid Khanate back then.Today it is part ofthe Xinjiang (XUAR) province in China with the population similar to Canberra’s. Shirzat Memet is the Founder & President of ANU Turkic and Turkish Association (ATTA).

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

Sports

ROAD RELAY WRAP-UP Henry Delves

1. B&G: 1.00.24.87 2. Johns: 1.01.58.93 3. Bruce: 1.04.18.34 4. Burgmann: 1.06.07.50 5. Ursies: 1.08.10.01 6. Unilodge: 1.08.11.63 7. Griffin: 1.09.18.05 8. Fenner: 1.13.46.04 Road relay 2016 has come and gone (quite appropriately) in the blink of an eye. The re-occurring theme for

the afternoon was one of intensity and fast paced action. The runners thought they had it bad but the quick turnovers between runners meant spectators were left with a lot of time early on twiddling thumbs, asking “what on earth is going on?” or “what place are we coming?”. The afternoon was complemented by the fantastically oily smells of BBQ’s (Griffin’s hash browns were brilliantly dirty) and the hearty cheer of many laughs. Special mention must go to Oliver

Hoare, the starters gun. Rumours are flying that his co-ordination of the start of the race were shakier than his efforts with the ladies. Despite the beginning of the race being hampered by the sheer noise supporters were making, rendering the runners unable to hear the starters gun, it was adrenaline thrilled rush! Johns and B&G naturally took the lead round the first corner and as

they crossed the bridge out of vision. Comments such as Max Winterbottom’s “surely they can’t bloody keep that pace” were heard! Coming into the second and third legs, B&G much to everyone’s surprise had fallen away slightly. Johns had broken away to a substantial lead with UnILodge and Burgmann hot on their heels. It was here in legs 3 and 4 that B&G made their move. The first of B&G 3km girl duo Sasha Lee was released and ran a leg to go down in ISO

Road Relay history. Supporters from all sides were left shocked to see the black and red charge down the hill in first place after mowing down such a significant deficit. This was followed by Matty Teasdale’s blitzing effort fresh of the back of 45 touches in Canberra Div 1 footy the day before. From here on in, the race was B&G’s to win! Johns toiled in second with some

seriously amazing running power, Sam Wen again proved he is the most competitively fierce bloke getting campus with a stellar 3k last leg. Bruce mowed Burgmann down in the final laps of the race to grab third, but it was the drama that surrounded UniLodge and Ursies’ finish that had everyone’s jaws drop! With Unilodge having a 20-30m or so lead coming around the bend, they all but presumed they had 5th locked away. Ursies had other ideas and stormed home while Lodge seemed to sidle up to the finish line to produce

a photo finish. Shock took hold and confusion buzzed while Johns, the organising college, deliberated and came to the conclusion that Ursies had in fact pipped lodge at the line! Griffin rolled in at 7th and Fenner rounded the race out in 8th. Credit to Johns who organised a fabulous event, not sure I saw Sharpey do anything but his presence was noted. It’s a wonderfully unique event the

ISO has to enjoy and I feel Johns provided a fantastic afternoon! Thanks again must go to the supporters - you dodged speeding cars and cheered everyone on with much bravado! It was a snapshot into how swell the ISO community truly is.

Issue 5, Vol. 69

ANU OWLS VALIANT IN DEFEAT AGAINST CLASSY UNI ADELAIDE OUTFIT David Bennett

Following the inaugural Intervarsity AFL fixture between The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Melbourne in 2015, the Owls lined up against The University of Adelaide on Thursday 24 March at South Oval. Coached by former Carlton player and Eastlake NEAFL Coach, Anthony Bourke, the team put in 6 weeks of quality training in the lead up to the fixture. The University of Adelaide came into

the game off the back of a very impressive 118-30 home win against the University of Melbourne two weeks ago. The Owls got off to a great start thanks some determined footy around the stoppages and second efforts from the on ballers. James Mount and Henry Delves kicked goals early in the first term to give the home side plenty of confidence. It was clear from the opening bounce this team was vastly improved on the 2015 and were up for the challenge. Surprised by the accurate kicking and contested possessions of the ANU Owls, Adelaide fought hard to get back into the match. The score at quarter time was 19-13 to ANU. Full of confidence the team came

into the second quarter looking to grow the lead. However, the Adelaide University Blacks regathered their composure and put ANU under significant pressure. At times ANU struggled to clear their own 50 but dogged play from backs Matt Teasdale and Lachlan Cormick ensured no easy scores for their opponents. Eventually the sustained pressure paid off for the visitors scoring 3 successive goals in the final 5 minutes of the 2nd period. Goals to Ryan Bradley and Thomas Larkin ensured ANU remained in the contest. At

However, it was the visitors whose composure shone through scoring off the first possession of the period before mounting further pressure with another two unanswered goals. Experience and conditioning played into the visitors hands as ANU struggled to mount any pressure and the game opened up for the Adelaide University Blacks. In the end Adelaide ran away with it 84-46.

boys train over the past 5 weeks and it’s only going to grow.”

Adelaide University Blacks captain Edward Dadds had this to say about the match, “You guys [ANU] defi-

Intervarsity Sport is growing in popularity around Australian Universities and ANU is no different. It’s a great

half time ANU trailed 46-31.

nitely gave us a massive wake-up call when you came out kicking 2 of the first 3 goals – it had us on the back foot. It was a high quality match right up to the final siren. Definitely looking forward to the return fixture on home soil.”

opportunity for students to play high level sport and represent their university in a student only contest, something not readily available at present. ANU Captain Scott Lancaster had this to say about representing the ANU.

ANU Coach Anthony Bourke summed up the match well “It was about getting into a contest early. Given they are from a ‘footy state’ we knew they would have pretty good skills.” “Things we were aiming to achieve out of the game– making contested ball, no free entries into the forward line and try and stay with them on the scoreboard. We ticked most of those boxes.” “There is plenty of buy-in with Intervarsity footy. We had more than 40

“Students are getting excited by the Intervarsity concept so there’s a lot more quality football players trying to get into this side,” he commented.

After conceding just before half time, the Owls were facing a 2 goal deficit going into the ‘premiership quarter’. It could easily have blown out but the ANU team were up for the fight against the fancied Adelaide opposition. Some tough work around the stoppages from midfielders Scott Lancaster, Harry Bryant and Lachie Carter helped get the ball into ANU’s attacking 50 throughout the quarter. Meanwhile Henry Kellet was immense in the ruck, tapping the ball to the advantage of his teammates. The Owls managed to decrease the deficit to just 3 points by the end of the 3rd term, leaving a grandstand finish. At 52-43 the Owls needed to keep their heads and build some pressure.

The players have certainly responded to Anthony Bourke’s style of coaching with Captain Scott Lancaster adding that “He’s exactly what this program needs. He’s inviting, he’s friendly and he doesn’t give the boys a spray. He just creates a great atmosphere among the team.”

Dadds added; “This is the best thing I’ve done as a footballer. Competitive on the field but friendly off it! I would like to see us play as many of these fixtures as we can.”

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

ISO TERM 2 PREVIEW Henry Delves

College

Male Volleyball (3)

Female Volleyball (3)

Tennis (2)

Road Relay (3)

Female Basketball (2)

Male Basketball (2)

Term 1 Rankings

Burgmann

1 (1)

7 (8)

16 (24)

4 (28)

10 (38)

8 (46)

John’s

4 (4)

4 (8)

12 (20)

7 (27)

6 (33)

10 (43)

Unilodge

10 (10)

5 (15)

10 (25)

2 (27)

4 (31)

12 (43)

B&G

7 (7)

1 (8)

4 (12)

10 (22)

16 (38)

2 (40)

Griffin

3 (3)

10 (13)

6 (19)

1 (20)

2 (22)

16 (38)

Bruce

0 (0)

2 (2)

2 (4)

5 (9)

12 (21)

6 (27)

Ursula

2 (2)

3 (5)

8 (15)

3 (16)

1 (17)

1 (18)

Fenner

5 (5)

0 (5)

1 (6)

0 (6)

8 (14)

4 (18)

Term 1 of ISO sport is done and dusted! It was a term that really didn’t prove to be a surprise except for the rise of UniLodge into equal 2nd place with Johns! They have official shaken off the tag of underdogs and have stamped their mark on the ISO competition. However with the closure of Term 1 more questions have arisen than answers. Can Burgmann continue its hold on 1st spot going into its traditionally weakest term? Can Johns or UniLodge take top spot of Burgmann with both being strong hockey colleges? Can Griffin live up to the pre-season hype and climb the ladder? Will Fenner and Ursies climb their way out of the bottom? Attempting to predict ISO sport is tricky business. However, in the fear of inciting controversy and revolt from some, ISO will have a crack at doing just that! The term 2 sports that await us are as follows: Female Hockey Many believe this is where Griffin could really slide down the ladder. However this would only excite B&G as they would look to extend the gap between Griffin and themselves as

rumours out of the B&G camp are positive. Johns also could be on the move but as per usual, it’s anyone’s guess as to if that is up or down. Male Hockey It is of wide belief that hockey will have a defining factor on the top end of the sports shield come the end of the year, notably Men’s hockey, purely due to the differing skill levels between Burgmann and Johns. Differing from the females, both of these traditionally strong teams for the overall sports shield are quite evenly matched, there has tended to be quite a gap between Johns and Burgmann men. It is without doubt Johns will be as strong as ever and surely be top 2 again, however if Burgmann can perform above previous year’s standards and finish top 4 than the odds on them taking the sports shield will be surely shortening. Griffin could come out of the bottom half of the standings as well with their traditionally strong men’s hockey outfit. Will they take out the title for the 6th year running? This could well be a year defining sport, watch this space. Rugby 7’s Now this is really anyone’s guess. Ev-

eryone seems to be pretty happy to declare the 4 rugby league playing colleges will make up the top 4 in 7’s. However many seem to be dismissing the vast difference in the two sports, opening up one of Ursies, Bruce, Fenner and Griffin to slide under the radar. Fenner and Griffin look to be the pick of this bunch purely on their recent dominance in touch. Johns and Burgmann will traditionally slug it out but could their rivalry develop a bit of tunnel vision allowing perhaps UniLodge or B&G to sweep the title, both believing it is rightfully theirs, out of from under their feet? Rugby League 18 years. The first thing out of any Johns resident when ISO rugby league is mentioned. Credit it to them, they held off a first class Burgmann outfit after previously losing to them in the round robin to win their 18th consecutive title. A bit like 7’s, Burgmann and Johns arrogance could see them dismiss the dangers that UniLodge and B&G pose. If this is to happen and each college doesn’t approach every opponent with the respect they deserve, anything could happen. However in saying that, don’t expect too many upsets. Johns want the title too much to lapse in concentration and Burgmann will learn from

its scare last year from B&G. (Oly Durose. Never forget.). Ultimate Disc Fenner, Ursies, Griffin and B&G all serious contenders here. If one these four don’t win then it is very safe to say all will see a rise on the sports shield from top 4-6 finishes. Expect strong games from Fenner and B&G. Johns expected to slide here and could be a shot for a wooden spoon finish (who would have thought?) Disc is looking to a pretty tight contest but expect big things from those 4. End of Term 2 Sport Shield predictions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Burgmann Johns B&G UniLodge Bruce Griffin Ursies Fenner

Issue 5, Vol. 69

The Dick Pic – The Most Effective ‘Tool’ of Modern Day Romance Alex Elgue

It started out like any other evening. I dumped my study on my desk, lay down on my bed for a 10-80 minute break and opened up my Facebook newsfeed to catch up on the latest Donald Trump memes. Then, suddenly, it appeared. Just one glimpse from my text alert: the unsolicited dick pic.

ning.’ And even if she’s not thinking that, she’s probably just playing hard to get. You know what would turn her around? A sudden eyeful of a guy’s junk popping up with absolutely no warning. Just look at the glowing testimonials. Annabel Brown, a resident at Burgmann College, describes her feelings after her now boyfriend first imessaged her a picture of his junk. “The first time Harry sent me a picture of his penis, followed by the standard “u up? ;)”, I knew he was the one. This is the man I want to father my kids.”

How to express the beauty of such a moment? After all, we all know nothing rouses a girl’s red-hot passion quite like a dimly lit picture of what looks vaguely like a veined thumb. All the excitement of some dude grabbing your butt from behind on the Mooseheads dance floor, but without the profound intimacy that comes from such a moment… what girl could resist? It was all I could do to keep my clothes on and stop myself from marching over to my prince charming (a guy I had been on the tune with for approximately two weeks) that very moment.

Forget e-harmony. That’s the modern fairy tale ending. Years from now, when I’m telling my kids how I first got together with their dick pic daddy, I can only imagine how their eyes will widen in wonder. Maybe I’ll show them my screenshots of the first grainy snapchats, just to let them know how a girl deserves to be spoken to.

Like all real men, this guy knew the way to get the girl. I mean, there’s no bad time for a dick pic. We all know that every girl spends a large majority of the day clinging to her Iphone in the hope that she will be selected as the lucky recipient. Look at the nearest girl; I’ll bet she’s thinking ‘You know what I need? An up close and personal photo of some dude’s pecker. That would really get my motor run-

AREA MAN LOOKING FOR CASUAL HOOK-UPS Jeevan Haikerwal According to exclusive data obtained by Woroni from acclaimed website OK-Cupid, area man John Cunningham is “looking for casual hook-ups”.

A biographical profile about Mr Cunningham published by the website states “22/Male/Belconnen East”. This use of language implies a flow of causality from either of those attributes, or, as it is termed, the Age/Sex/ Location, and attraction.

contrary, is a causal link only due to Mr Cunningham’s primary sin: sloth. Though the biography further states Cunningham as a sinner, through his lust, Woroni is investigating whether hook ups are the effect or the cause in this chain.

Presumably the conditions desired for hook ups, where the cause of the hook up can be age or sex, are largely stricter, in part because of the law and in part because of subjective sexual preferences. Location, on the

If hook-ups were the cause for Mr Cunningham, then the man is looking for causal casual hookups to cause casual relationships. If hook-ups were the effect, Cunningham caused casual hook-ups casually created for

OK-Cupid. However, if Mr Cunningham sought causal hook-ups to launch into a casual relationship then OK-Cupid caused casual causal hookups, causing casual relationships. In other breaking news, Mrs Joanne Cunningham is filing for divorce.

Week 8, Semester 1, 2016

What your tune’s text laugh means Zoe Saunders

haha – I can see that you think you’re funny, but in real life I would never laugh at this.

hahahaha – you’re either really funny, OR I really want to have sex with you.

haha. – you’re trying to joke with me, and I want you to appreciate that I’m smart enough to recognize that, but am also annoyed at you for reasons you should inherently know and that I don’t want to specify at this stage in our relationship.

HAHAHAHA – you’re really, really funny. I audibly laughed at this on a public bus and now I feel awkward. OR I REALLY, really want to have sex with you.

lmao – I’m texting 4 other people right now, 3 of whom I would bang before I ever looked at you. lmfao – I learnt to text in 2005 while this was still appropriate. I’m probably way older than it says on my tinder profile.

lol – life is a meaningless and doomed search for fragile and transient connections. I feel nothing for you or for anyone. I want you to know how little I care about what you just said. lol. – I hate you. Please don’t speak to me ever again. LOL – I want you to know that I don’t think you’re as funny as me, but I will

also repeat this joke to my friends tomorrow because it’s hilarious and I’m too crippled by insecurity to validate you.

small talk.

mwahaha – I probably wore a fedora for a few months before I realized how much of an MRA stereotype it was.

Tee Hee – I’m into some fucked up kinky shit which I am deeply repressing. It’ll probably come out 6 months into our relationship, at which point you’ll feel obligated to try it. You won’t be able to look me in the eye for 3-6 days after. Then you’ll probably ghost me for long enough so it looks like you’re not dumping me because of it, and then dump me because of it.

rofl – whether or not you liked fall out boy in 2009 will be a make or break moment in our relationship. hahahaha damn autocorrect! – I deliberately made that mistake to seem cute and nonthreatening, OR to poorly excuse a suggestive comment I just made that you didn’t reciprocate. 5 months after this incident I will start dating one of your close friends and we will have incredibly awkward

hehe – I think I’m pretty adorable and I expect validation on this regularly.

Friends fear that Amy and Nick’s relationship is on the rocks due to lack of reciprocal meme tagging Michael Schmitt

College couple Amy, 20, and Nick, 21, have attracted much concern from their peers following a recent decline in mutual meme tagging. Referring their suspicions to an SR, the matter was immediately escalated to the Deputy Head, who has been speaking to College of Science representatives. In a press conference on the matter, Professor J. Kioloa (PhD Psych) said the behaviour was, on the whole, worrying but inconclusive. “Young university couples in which this behaviour is observed can be at one of two stages in their relationship. Either they are on the verge of engagement; at which point they will feign maturity by tagging each other in interior design posts, or they are seriously reconsidering compatibility following one of them tagging the other in a picture of the wrong breed of puppy.”

Kioloa refused to take any questions. Leaving the conference, close friend Natalia tweeted her support for the relationship, starting the now trending hashtag #memeleaders. Asked what her vision was for the hashtag, she gave the following response: “So like #solidarity and stuff, but more than that I think if we let Nick and Amy know that their relationship is about something bigger than just them as part of the university’s community, they can be inspired to push on.” In a surprise move, Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt broke silence on the matter on Thursday, announcing ANU would lease maintenance for the relationship to a third party for the next thirty years, with any progeny to become property of the investor to sweeten the deal.