"Typical" condom use as effective against pregnancy as the withdrawal method.
The very astute crew over at The Frisky (I only get 40% of my news from them) have some wonderful news for us: according to science, pulling out is almost as effective as condoms. While the effectiveness I refer to is exclusively applicable to birth control, the findings are a little shocking. Per these scientists, "typical use" of condoms results in pregnancy slightly less frequently than "typical use" of pull and pray (also called the withdrawal method). "Typical use" for both coitus interruptus and raincoat-wearing includes some degree of incorrect or neglectful use; i.e. condom coming off, guy finishing earlier than expected, etc.
From living alone to loving your body, what every woman should accomplish before tying the knot.
With 11 days left until my wedding, the final countdown is in effect. Among the dozens of little things left on my to-do list, I've been thinking a lot about the things crossed off my to-do list long before I met my husband to-be—things that have made me a well-rounded, experienced woman ready for a lifetime commitment to another person. After the jump, 20 things every woman should cross off her list before getting married.
It can be easy to slip back into a relationship with your ex, but it's better not to.
If anyone ever had a reason not to get back with an ex, I did. He was the quintessential on-and-off Bad Boyfriend and not only were all my friends painfully aware of this fact, when he dumped me on the same day my father died (think Jessica and Tony birthday sitch x 10), then again after a similar life tragedy, it had finally become clear to me as well. I moved on fast. Literally days after he'd hit me with yet another, "I can't do this anymore," I somehow managed to enter into a relationship with a man who was easygoing and ridiculously sweet, so I hardly had time to mourn.
Should you break up before the relationship becomes long-distance?
The discussion of the trials and tribulations of long distance relationships is not a new one. Some swear a couple can survive the distance while others refuse to entertain the possibility that two people can stay connected when there is significant mileage between them. I used to be a bit of a compulsive long distance dater. My first two serious relationships were with British boys, which would soon later develop into a habit of only getting involved with foreign guys. Until recently I never questioned if getting involved in a relationship which is destined to be mostly long distance was a good idea. In my mind, if I was in love it would be sheer madness not to stay together. If true love can overcome death in "The Princess Bride" than of course it can overcome a minor issue such as distance. A few years and broken hearts later, I am not so sure.
Female bisexuality seems to be more prevalent these days, at least on "The Real World: Cancun."
Watching 'The Real World: Cancun' makes me feel old for multiple reasons. 1. I am five years too old to actually be cast on the show. 2. It's so insanely vapid that I cannot actually watch a full episode, which says a lot considering I can stomach an entire marathon of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians." 3. Every single girl in the cast seems to be bisexual. Why does point three make me feel old? Well, I think I just missed the boat on the bisexuality trend. Hear me out. I believe sexuality is a spectrum and where we fall on that spectrum when we're born and how our sexuality evolves as a result of societal influence depends on the person. I also don't think it's relevant whether a person is gay, straight or bi, whether they were born that way or 'chose' that 'lifestyle,' as I don't think what goes on in a person's bedroom or romantic life is anyone's business. In the last five years or so, female bisexuality has become quite 'cool.'
Vampire sex still hot. Plus, sex questions, unrequited love, sluts and texting blind dates.
Marilyn Manson step aside, it seems that everyone is going goth and getting into vampire sex. Plus, sex questions, unrequited love, sluts and texting blind dates.
Searching for the one 'true love' can make it difficult to find love at all.
Beshert is a Yiddish term that expresses how soul mates are "meant to be together." Building on my family's unwavering faith in this beshert thingy—my parents met when they were 17 and my grandparents when they were 16—I assumed that I, too, would be welcomed into the warm, loving arms of this soul mate phenomenon. I vowed to keep my eyes peeled for my one and only perfect, dream lover—the man who would sweep me off my feet and love me as no one else ever had, my soul mate.
Instead of a disappearing act, guys should break up with a girl if they're not interested.
Dear Gentlemen,
When you know you don't want to see me anymore, I need you to do me a favor: be an adult and dump me. Don't text me pretending that you want to reschedule when you flake out on our plans, don't promise you'll call me later if you're not gonna, don't ask for my number if you have no intention of ever calling me, etc. If I wanted to date someone who mastered the disappearing act, I'd have schtooped a magician. But I didn't, I dated/boyfriended/made out with/dry humped on the dance floor/flirted with you. Now, I need you to breakup with me.
Planning a wedding teaches us a lot about our partner and is an effective trial for married life.
Before I got engaged, I used to think a couple's truest test of compatibility and readiness for marriage was living together. What could be more of a test, I reasoned, than successfully sharing the same space, splitting the bills, and delegating household chores while still enjoying each other's company and remaining sexually attracted to one another? That's why, when my boyfriend proposed after nearly a year and a half of co-habitation, I didn't hesitate in saying 'yes.' I'd lived with a boyfriend before—for over three years—and when that relationship eventually became more like brother-sister than boyfriend-girlfriend, I ended things and wondered if it was even possible for me to live with someone and continue loving him in the romantic sense. But then I met Drew and realized it was.
