I’m a pretty open person. Talking about sex doesn’t freak me out. We learn about the biology of our bodies, our reproductive nature, and why being a teenager is so sensually heated with the rampaging hormones coursing through our veins.  It becomes uncomfortable when authority figures lecture on the dangers of sex. They scare you into hiding from it, at least until you discover the beauty of physical human contact.

We learn how to have safe sex, minus a few mishaps such as teenage pregnancy and STIs, with various forms of birth control in health. Our parents are terrified with their brows moist and furrowed as they ignore the conversations; our peers are awkward and anxious; no one is communicating. With everyone wanting to dodge the conversation, let’s delve into our primal instincts.

A study by L. M. Coleman and R. Ingham looked into how teenagers use contraception and if/how they communicate with their partners about its use when sexual intercourse is impending. Talking about protection is less likely to occur when it is a random hookup or a casual situation, versus being in a committed relationship and planning ahead. In either case, there was still a lack of addressing the topic of fornication with some participants.

When discussing the topic with some of my fellow seniors, talking about fornication with any authority figure makes them squirm with anxiety.

“There is a different level of respect,” says senior Alex Mean (not her real name), “because they are your parents and you look up to them. Besides thinking about them doing it is just wrong.”

When questioning some underclassman, they feel worse. The intensity of their awkwardness escalates to a level comparable to the amount selfies middle schoolers have.

Not only did I ask about addressing authority figures, but their peers. Most upperclassman tended to be okay with talking about it with both genders, if they are a boy or a girl. There was some mild discomfort with talking to the opposite gender, but it was vastly more present in younger students. Even the idea of penetrating the barrier of conversation about sexual intercourse with anyone but their best friends let off uneasy waves and cringes that challenge an earthquakes that is a 9 on the Richter scale.

It has been driven into our minds from day one that talking about sex in any context is bad. With the over-sexualiztion of so many images in the media, one would guess actually having a civilized conversation about it would be commonplace, but alas it’s the opposite. Any exposure of sex in any way creates a swarm of slut-shamers and cat-callers. With remarks like this, it is no wonder why we hide from the sex talk for as long as possible. I don’t think ignoring sex talk is really helping anyone, so we might as well just talk about it. It’s better to be educated for a lifetime than to be oblivious and uncomfortable.