Sexual Health: Still a taboo?

By Aarushi Bhalla

‘So have you done IT yet?’

Damn it, I didn’t even say the word, but you still know what I’m talking about. You thought about it. Didn’t you?

Let’s see, the 'Sanskaari' dictionary defines SEX as a prohibited word. You can’t really say it in public.

I’m serious. Try saying ‘SEX!’ in a conversation but then don’t blame me for all the people around weirdly staring at you like you committed a sin.

We talk about it in corners and taunt each other like it’s a crime which, by the way, is ironic for a country overpopulated with 1.39 billion humans.

You’ve come decades forward in time, Gen Z (as we all like to call ourselves) but consequently, even we can’t talk about it like it’s natural resulting either gossiping in corridor corners or waiting for that one biology chapter in Eighth grade. Because that’s how it has always been.

I’m pretty sure 3 out of 10 of you would be reading this and just thinking, “But it’s normal to me.” And I say, fine. Maybe sex is normal to you now. But that’s not it. There’s a whole lot of words attached to the family tree of sex that you don’t really talk, or simply just mention during a joke about orgasms, masturbation, teenage pregnancy, and the list goes on.

But here, one of the most essential of these and one that has a vast effect on your bodily and mental health would be sexual health.

Do you remember the last time you googled a sexual problem that you had? Wait, on that note, have you ever considered talking to a Sexologist about the problem that you may have faced?

I feel your own answers really would say a lot about how vocal we all are when it comes to sex.

Another commonality, we try home remedies. Did you know that the white tiger has been put on the endangered species list, with all thanks to growing demand for its genitals! The penis of a tiger, usually dried and consumed orally, in soup or straight up, is said to increase virility to levels that defy reason. (Really, check it out here- https://www.pri.org/stories/2010-05-14/worlds-eight-strangest-sex-remedies)

Writers at 'everydayhealth' (www.everydayhealth.com) say that during the 13th century, a medieval theologian believed that demons were the most likely cause of erectile dysfunction. Men with impotence problems were urged to track down the women who had bewitched their penises and persuade them, with violence, if necessary, to restore their erections. Weird, right?

We can easily visit an ENT specialist when it comes to cold, or a gynecologists' if we miss a period. On the contrary, to look for answers about sexual health that is even more complicated, we just go to google and read a bunch of random website answers to determine what’s wrong with our body. Is that fair?

Simply put, until we don’t stop calling it ‘Bang- Bang’ and ‘Boom- Boom’ or rather just start talking about it normally, we can’t really grow over this taboo of really talking about it.

Gossiping about sex stories, random treatments, secretly eating strength capsules all adds up to the cloud of not being expressive about your sexual health.

Just ask yourself- Do you feel ashamed if you get a cough, or if you get liver disease? No, right? It’s all but natural. Plenty goes wrong with the human body. We just face it, see the doctor and get treated.

Think about this- why not do the same when it comes to erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, vaginal dryness, or even painful sex? It’s the same body. Just because it’s happening inside your pants doesn’t mean it’s shameful. It’s powerful enough to worsen into a disease and make you regret it later. So, don’t be ashamed, talk about it like it’s natural (well, because it is.) Someone else around you might be going through the same thing. Communicate. It might be normal one day, if you start today.