“I think I masturbate more when I’m stressed.”
“You masturbate?”
This conversation I had with a male friend embodies the surprise a lot of people express when they find out I not only masturbate, but also admit it unabashedly.
Because even though this friend and I talked about sex all the time and he knew I was sexually active in my relationships, the idea that I would be sexual alone hadn’t occurred to him.
And that’s because we’re taught that women’s sexuality only exists for other people.
Ever since I discovered masturbation accidentally during childhood, it’s been something I did in response to my own desires, not a show to put on for anyone.
I don’t get into sexy poses or make seductive noises. I don’t light candles or take baths. In short, I don’t go about the process differently from the way anyone else – men included – does. …