The fight for ideological dominance of D.C.’s college sex column “movement” rages on. Are our local campus columnists on the forefront of radical sex writing, or are they bringing back the good old days of valiant male chivalry—-only drunker? This week: G.W. student fucks Marine; UMD students are bitches, dicks, or pussies; American University issues a Very Special sex column. It must be sweeps week:
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY:
Sex Tips: In Layla‘s latest heterosexual female romp, G.W.’s resident sex columnist extols upon the virtues of fucking servicemen. She also floats a revised idea of traditional courtship: Men are still confined to the rules of chivalry, but everyone gets drunk and you can do it whenever you feel like it. “Leaning against the bar, I spotted Prince Charming, an incredibly sexy combination of chivalry and a hint of danger, walking down the stairs,” she writes of a random Marine she spots while sitting alone, “double fisting” drinks at the bar. “Having stubbornly worn my three-inch heels, I literally stumbled into his arms and swooned at how valiantly and easily he caught me. In my opinion, there is nothing sexier than a man with an accent, especially if its southern and he happens to call me ma’am.” They decide to get it on. “Prince Charming grinned and pulled out an umbrella, proving that even in the face of a certain hookup, chivalry is not dead.”
Life Lesson: Layla insists there is “something scandalously orgasmic about making out with a marine in the middle of a bar to bad 80s music,” proving that people are into some freaky shit. Side-note: Layla may needs to take some life lessons from the Buster Darkhole school of sex column euphemisms. Her target is called “Prince Charming.” Her friend? “GI Jane.”
Progressive Meter: I count six references to “Prince Charming,” two to “chivalry,” and one each to “swooned” and “valiantly.” Layla’s column describes a thoroughly modern tale—-they meet at a bar and hook up—-but the vocabulary is stuck in another century. Three.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND:
Sex Tips: This time around in UMD senior Esti Frischling‘s regular advice column, she tackles the problem of a third-wheel friend who knows that one of the coupled-up friends is cheating on the other. Frischling’s advice—-don’t snitch, but encourage them to break up, and if they don’t, go ahead and fuck the one who’s getting screwed over—-isn’t as memorable as the way she tells it:
– “You better not rat either way (bitch).”
– “I mean, he can’t possibly see her as marriage material if he’s having all this premarital sex with all the sluts, right?”
– “approach the guy and say something along the lines of (and feel free to quote me directly) ‘Dude stop being such a dick — your girl is hot, lay off the adulterous pussy.’”
– “I say—and this is my final answer by the way—blow up his spot and f—- his girl. Yeah.”
Life Lesson: Apparently, bitches, sluts, dicks, and pussies are A-OK in the Diamondback. But in the end, all we get is a “f—-.”
Progressive Meter: While it’s difficult to discern a political bent in decisions over snitching, I do find the emphasis on “marriage material,” “premarital sex,” and “sluts” a bit off-putting here. You’re in college. Stop rating the validity of your relationships on whether or not you’re planning to get hitched to the person you’re currently doing. On the other hand, the advice that the advice-seeker “f—- his girl” seems to be applied with no concern as to whether the advice-seeker is male or female. Cool. Five.
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AMERICAN UNIVERSITY:
Sex Tips: This go-around, AU’s trio of porn-named sex columnists—-Amber Sparkles, Buster Darkhole, and Maxwell Hillcrest—-have teamed up to deliver a Very Special sex column about personal responsibility. This conversation—-how to avoid unwanted pregnancies, STIs, abuse, and disappointment—-is important. But Sparkles, Darkhole, and Hillcrest may be biting off more than they can chew here. The column is a little bit about pleasure: “Many people enjoy sex without condoms—scratch that, nearly everyone enjoys the sensations of sex more without condoms.” A little bit about shame: “it is your life. It is not the life of the girl who might yell ‘slut’ at you when you walk home from a fantastic evening.” And a little bit about dying of AIDS: “imagine two boys at Apex going home together. They may have amazing sex, but if it is unprotected, the consequences can be fatal.”
Life Lesson: Sex undertaken without “planning ahead” can lead to babies, disease, and unhappiness.
Progressive Meter: The column is titled “Planning ahead helps ease worries in bed,” but the three-author treatment focuses entirely on sexual anxieties, and not on the peace of mind that can come with entering into sex fully prepared and ready to go. The intended take-away here—-when you’re having sex, you should be concerned with satisfying your personal needs and taking care of yourself, not conforming to societal expectations—-is a fine one. Unfortunately, the message gets lost in a sea of downers about the possible outcomes of doin’ it: campus shaming, misogyny, blood tests, abortion, and death. Four.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery