Reflection Paper On Sex Relationships

I was dating a young man for about six months at the time when he decided to ask me how many people I had slept with in my life, prior to us dating. The reaction that ensued was characteristic of a societal response to the ways in which women are compelled to operate in a sexual sphere within society. Following my response, he proceeded to get very upset and began to ask me a series of intrusive and personal questions regarding the partners, who they were, if I was dating them and so forth. Essentially, he chastised me and made me feel like having casual sex for pleasure or personal interest, as a woman, was something to be ashamed of. However, my response to this situation also reinforced the double standard that exists between males and females in our society. I began to apologize for my behavior, comfort him and reinforce that I only cared for him. This response, on both sides, reinforces the stereotype that young woman are supposed to be ‘wholesome’ beings who are uninterested in sex, and only participate in sex to serve the male counterpart. Furthermore, it reinforces the notion that it is perfectly fine for young men to have multiple sexual partners, sometimes at a time, but when women adopt the same behaviors, it is considered taboo or promiscuous as well as undesirable. Therefore, this interaction illustrated to me that, as a woman, having multiple sexual partners is looked down upon in society and perpetuates the narrative of sexually active women as a taboo. This