sexual expression

The many hues of connections
A photograph of a mosaic pattern in hues of red and one streak of green. At the centre of the pattern is a circle surrounded by a semi circle.

Connection, to my mind, is one of those profoundly entrenched concepts manifesting itself throughout our lives. It is difficult to let go of.

By Adsa Fatima
October 17, 2022
The many hues of connections
Refusing the weight in waiting
Multicoloured psychedelic circles of varying sizes with tiny bubbles inside

As a girl, I was made to believe that pleasure was something that existed outside my body, something that I had to seek out, something that was necessarily a product of a partnered experience. I don’t think I was even allowed to want pleasure, especially in its sexual forms.

By Aathira Gopi
March 15, 2022
Refusing the weight in waiting
Editorial – Play and Sexuality
An image of vibrant and colourful watercolour cakes with a palette attached.

Coupled with the tendency to approach sexuality with seriousness, play often remains absent in discussions of sexuality. Sexuality shares the elements of fun, pleasure and spontaneity that are found in play.

By TARSHI
December 15, 2021
Editorial – Play and Sexuality
Public. Autonomous. Anonymous. Group. Sexting. At AWID 2016. Oh yeah!
A close-up image of a text message. At the top is the number of the sender, which is half hidden. Below that is the date the text messages were sent and it reads “Sat, 10 Sep 2016.” The sender’s message is below the date in a blue text bubble and the text says, “If I am close to you I want to press all your keys!! SMS 18:58.” The receiver’s message appears below in a yellow text bubble and says, “Press the Enter Key! SMS 19:00.”

Sexting is ALL about consent. Consent to RECEIVE a sext, consent to portray yourself in one. Keep this in mind, because one of the reasons sexting receives such a bad rap is because of what might happen after – dissemination of intimate images and content WITHOUT CONSENT.

By Curated Content
December 15, 2021
Public. Autonomous. Anonymous. Group. Sexting. At AWID 2016. Oh yeah!
The Birds and the Bees: On Play and Sexuality
A screengrab from the Hindi movie Padosan showing a man holding a pillow.

How would we see the world really, if we were open to the idea that it is not purpose but play that drives us to seek companionship, be it an orchid seeking a pollinator or a human seeking another?

By Shweta Krishnan
December 1, 2021
The Birds and the Bees: On Play and Sexuality
Of “unapologetically flawed” women and feminism-lite: A review of Four More Shots Please!
The poster of Four More Shots Please, featuring four women in Western clothing, posing, laughing, dancing and having fun.

Four More Shots Please! moves in the right direction when it comes to women (of a particular social stratum), their lives, and feminism at large – even if it takes small, stumbling, baby steps towards it.

By Srishti Gupta
December 1, 2021
Of “unapologetically flawed” women and feminism-lite: A review of Four More Shots Please!
It’s not ‘just’ play!
An illustration of handcuffs in dull shades.

Play is not only about cocks, balls, vaginas, paddles, or anything that happens between two consenting adults in the bedroom. It’s also about what goes on in a masochist’s mind before they submit to a cane, or a whip, and before they orgasm from the pain.

By Asmi
December 1, 2021
It’s not ‘just’ play!
I will meet you post quarantine
An impression of red lips on a white surface.

A kiss for the side of your neck One for the last of your back For a year that we…

By Aishwarya Shrivastav
December 1, 2021
I will meet you post quarantine
Review: Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Fangirl’, and Everything it Gets Wrong About Fandom
उपन्यास 'फैनगर्ल' का पुस्तक आवरण

With the shifting nature of perceptions around fandom, the discourse around Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl has witnessed an interesting shift. While earlier, the book found almost unanimous acceptance, in recent times, it has completely faded into irrelevance.

By Rohini Banerjee
November 1, 2021
Review: Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Fangirl’, and Everything it Gets Wrong About Fandom
Brushstrokes: Who We’re Leaving Out of Sex Positivity – And How to Make It More Inclusive
On a white background, various black outlined chat bubbles from a range of people coloured in pink.

Everyday Feminism’s comic illustrates the complexity and diversity of sexuality, revealing how sex can sometimes be pleasure-affirming and sometimes not, and asks us to talk about ALL KINDS of sex – the good, the bad, and the hilarious.

By Curated Content
August 2, 2021
Brushstrokes: Who We’re Leaving Out of Sex Positivity – And How to Make It More Inclusive
Review: What Does Clothing Have to do with Sexuality in the Media?
A screenshot of an advertisement. It depicts a woman in a red saree with a dark blue blouse. She is wearing necklaces. She is squatting and seemingly washing clothes. Beside her, to the left, is a steel bucket.

Attire and sexuality in the common imagination and approach as represented (and also as received) by the mainstream media tell us a lot about prevailing attitudes to both. Advertisements bombard us with all kinds of representations, negative and positive, of human sexuality, sexual expression and desire. In the creation and marketing of attire and fashion, there is a great awareness of sexual buy-in or rejection by the market – that’s us.

By Shikha Aleya
June 15, 2021
Review: What Does Clothing Have to do with Sexuality in the Media?
Do we dare?
An image of a DIY candle jar with a jute ribbon and a chalk tied around it

Exploring sexuality is innovative in itself. What does that mean? Well at the outset, the very fact that we are willing to explore our bodies, their sexual expression, their ability to experience pleasure in so many different ways, and that we go beyond social norms is groundbreaking in itself.

By Asmi
August 3, 2020
Do we dare?