Breaking barriers one at a time

       Breaking barriers one at a time:

 Normalise dinner-table conversation on and around sex

What is Sex Ed?

As broad as the subject may be, in layman’s terms, sex education is an insight into our own bodies.

Since time immemorial, we were never given any instruction regarding sex and how to actually…you know… DO IT. I mean a couple in China slept next to each other every night for 3 years trying to get pregnant and not knowing the what, when and how. And yet, we continue to multiply.

No, it’s not JUST about telling young impressionable adolescents how humans procreate. It’s about informing them about the emotional and physical aspects attached to our sexualities, its identification and as well as its acceptance. It is about letting them know that it’s okay if you go through severe mood swings just because your hormones start raging out. It’s about providing a sense of comfort to stimulate conversations of nature. Educating is the first step.

But if we can’t get our daily dose of sexual knowledge from our parents or our teachers, then who do we turn to? 

Enter, that one creepy friend in every group that knows way too many things for their age. From his misconstrued views regarding puberty and periods to his exaggerated sexual desires and expectations obtained from watching baseless porn, you can see how this source might actually be wrong. Education from an informed source is the next step.

Our parents or teachers or as a matter of fact ANY adult with experience has never brought up the subject of sex with us. They avoided ‘the talk’ at all costs and hoped that we would just magically avoid learning about our bodies. But we did learn about sex, right? The concept of sex and our understanding of it has been an amalgamation of secretly watched episodes of The Sex and the City, or devouring each and every copy of Mills and Boons. We can not even begin to manage what the situation is like today with the endless access to the Internet. This is why elaborate education on the concept of sex is urgent more than ever. We @Manzuri believe that this needs to be addressed, not just in the formal education setting but also within the safe space of a household. We want to convey the message that each individual is entitled to this knowledge no matter the age.

Sadly, it is still considered to be a taboo to discuss these matters in many countries around the globe, especially in a country like ours.

Sex Education should be accepted as a compulsory school subject. Period. (No pun intended)

However, it isn’t. But why so?

Our traditional Indian society feels discussing our sexuality is a mark of embarrassment and shame. Flipping the channel nervously to avoid a sex-scene on the TV is an accepted practise without batting an eyelid.  This single reason paves the way for a deep-rooted fear and insecurity about your sexual organs. Not only that, by avoiding a conversation you encourage a non-confrontationalist behavioural pattern. 

If this weren’t enough, talking about STDs, menstrual cycles, pubic hair, what is a bad touch, what is considered as harassment and what are inappropriate remarks and prejudices related to sex, is ALSO marked as a shameful activity. 

In India, there is a perpetual cycle that is being followed day in day out. 

The youth of our nation are deprived of the basic morality regarding sex, they grow up obtaining information from unreliable sources which unknowingly starts forming prejudices, having no idea what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s appropriate and what’s not, what’s true and what’s false. 

We have to break this loop.

This is where Manzuri comes into play. We’ve tackled the Indian Legal issues regarding the sale of sex toys with a goal in our mind which is to bring to you the best adult products available on the market. 

With our conscious articles and blogs, we want to spread awareness about Sexuality amongst not just the young people, but also to tell those oldies that it’s okay to discuss these things! 

It’s our own body, so why shouldn’t we talk about it more?