Megan Andelloux entertains Clarkies with her Study Sex College Tour
By Gwen Walsh
Editor-in-Chief
Board certified sexologist Megan Andelloux features a speculum on her business card. Not only because it can be used to find the female G-spot (by inserting into an aroused vagina, rotating, and opening slowly), but the tool also mirrors Andelloux’s goals with her Study Sex College Tour.
Andelloux introduces the audience to Veronica, her vagina puppet. Photo by Ashley Klann
“The speculum goes in, opens things up, and lets in light so you can see more – just like education.” Andelloux’s speech at Clark on December 1st, sponsored by OPEN and Speaker’s Forum certainly shed light on some sexual topics which are not usually discussed openly.
From showing a picture of the first sex toy for dogs to discussing how to choose the right lube, Andelloux entertained and informed a packed lecture hall for over two hours. Andelloux discussed her history working in the sex industry, explaining that she used to work at a feminist-run sex toy store and is now a gynecological teaching associate, which means she teaches new physicians how to give a pelvic exam using her own body.
She feels it is important to educate young people with sexual decision-making because much of the available information is misguided. “Once people turn 18 society expects you to know everything about sex,” she said, “I want people to know they can’t base their sex lives on porn stars – those people are sexual Olympians.”
Andelloux succeeded in keeping the mood of the speech light although she was talking about intense and sometimes awkward material by making jokes and transitioning between using slang and medical terminology. After the precaution that the presentation would include explicit material, including nudity and videos of intercourse, Andelloux began by discussing the female orgasm “because otherwise people will keep asking.”
She provided some very interesting statistics about female orgasms and explained that the Kinsey Institute’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion does a lot of research about sexual pleasure. The following are some of the more interesting facts Andelloux recounted during her Study Sex College Tour: the average female requires 10-20 minutes of direct stimulation to reach orgasm whereas the average male requires 1-2 minutes; 80% of biological women masturbate, most after they have had a sexual experience with another person; 10% of the population can have nipple orgasms; more than half of Americans have used a vibrator; people who use vibrators are more likely to have positive sexual health behaviors in general; and as women age they are more likely to have orgasms from fantasy alone, or nocturnal orgasms.
She explained that clitoral stimulation is the most common way for women to reach orgasm, and that the clitoris is actually six to eight inches long although only a small portion of that is visible. Almost all female orgasms are triggered by the clitoris; an external orgasm comes from direct stimulation whereas an internal orgasm (G-spot orgasm) simply reaches a different nerve path of the clitoris, producing a deeper, full-body experience.
Andelloux blamed insecurities as the number one problem in reaching orgasm, but explained that many of the most common are unfounded. For example, she said that women shouldn’t be self-conscious about receiving oral sex (one of the most common sources of orgasm) because the average vagina “has the same pH as red wine and tastes like plain yogurt, not Key lime pie, not peach, but plain yogurt.” Andelloux also shared information about orgasm disorders. For example, she told a fascinating story about a woman who has an uncontrollable orgasm every time she brushes her teeth, but she also suffers from schizophrenia so the sensation is disturbing.
Andelloux shows audiences a cone-shaped vibrator. Photo by Ashley Klann.
Next, Andelloux spoke to the audience about how to achieve orgasm. She showed a number of unconventional sex toys including a battery-operated tongue-mechanism called the Squeal and a cone-shaped vibrator, and talked about the history of electronic devices. Vibrators were invented for physicians to use in the treatment of hysteria; originally doctors brought hysteric patients to orgasm manually as a cure to the disorder, but vibrators cut the time in half.
Andelloux also dispelled the myth that vibrators can reduce sensitivity after extended use. “It just makes people lazy,” she said “they forget that it used to take them twice as long to get off, and get all worried that they burnt themselves out. As far as not being natural, let me remind you that neither are toilets, but they make our lives better.” The best way to tell if a vibrator is right for you before buying it is to touch it to the tip of your nose – if you sneeze, it’s too much!
She also stressed the importance of safe lubricants, whether using toys or not. Studies show that lubricants which include glycerin can increase the chance of spreading sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and Parabin is known to accelerate the effects of aging. Some of the most marketed lubes (such as KY and Wet) contain these. Andelloux suggested products such as Silk, Pink, and Gun Oil, and the latter two were available as samples.
Another free sample attendees were encouraged to take was Tenga Eggs, which are “cute, compact [toys] which give a whole new sensation to the scrotum or head.” One of the more shocking moments of the night was when Andelloux presented a video of Betty Dodson, “the grandmother of masturbation,” holding a workshop with a group of middle-aged women who were exploring their genitalia together. The audience was also shocked by an amateur pornography scene in which the female player ejaculates.
Throughout the speech, Andelloux kept her audience enthralled and open-minded. Some of her risqué topics were exactly what the college environment wants to focus on when it comes to sex, but others, like the last two videos described, forced the audience to exit their comfort zones, if only for a moment. “I want you to talk about the things that make you feel awkward when you leave,” Andelloux said, because she believes openness is the best way to make sex safe, healthy, and fun.
