Losing It

A compulsively readable and deeply researched look at the sex-myths that rule lives. It seems that everywhere you look, brands and influencers are telling women and men that we are finally free to have sex on our own terms. Campaigns promoting sex-positivity and female vibrators promise sexual freedom for everyone, no strings attached. Why then - in the age of the internet and gender equality - do myths around sex and virginity persist? Why is Google full of people asking how you can tell if a partner has lost their virginity? Why are people searching for 'painful defloration' on PornHub? And why is the vaginal rejuvenation market predicted to be worth an enormous $10, 372 million by 2026? In Losing It Sophia Smith Galer investigates the immense power that sex myths continue to hold over our lives, and speaks to people who are especially affected by them. From Malik, an asexual who wants to be in a loving but sex-free relationship, to Blair, who cried the first time she held hands with a man because she believed she was 'cheating' on her future husband. Far from living in an era of sexual liberation, Sophia argues that gendered and moralistic ideas around virginity, male pleasure and female submissiveness continue to victimise, confuse and fascinate people worldwide. If we want sexual 'freedom', then it's essential we identify the ways in which sex myths continue to be upheld in the 21st century. It means rethinking sex-education, challenging oppressive beliefs and finding new ways to talk about our sex (and sexless) lives.