Sex and sexuality

Articles, Films and practical Guides on sex and sexuality, part of Psyche’s coverage of self-knowledge and personal growth.
Photo of two women sitting in blue chairs talking in a bright room with plants, a patterned table between them.
LOVE

More than laissez-faire love – demystifying modern polyamory

Video by Esther Perel

A person handling several 1000 Kenyan shilling banknotes at a desk, with motion blur on one note being moved.
MONEY AND ECONOMICS

Accidental millionaire

When a big deposit appeared from nowhere in my account, it changed my life – but not how you’d think

by Kelvin Njeri

Photo of a cross in the sky with a blurred rainbow-coloured flag in the foreground.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Severe joy

I wanted conviction to tell me if I could be gay and Catholic. My convictions told me something bigger

by Will Martino

Abstract painting with bold orange, yellow, blue and black curves and shapes overlapping dynamically.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

A kaleidoscope? A milestone? Beyond description? Women put orgasms into words

Directed by Bronwen Parker-Rhodes

Illustration of a simple cartoon figure with a bob haircut wearing a green crop top and red skirt on a light background.
THE BODY AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

Growing pains, bras, size, sex – a group of women get candid about all things boobs

A film by Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta

Blurry monochrome photograph of two intertwined nude bodies in an ethereal style.
SEX AND SEXUALITY
2

How to handle a mismatch in sexual desire

A difference in sexual appetite is a common source of tension for couples. Don’t ignore it – turn toward it with curiosity

by Ann O’Brien

Illustration of two female anthropomorphic bears in a romantic embrace sitting on a window sill, with trees in the background and a red bird beside them.
SEX AND SEXUALITY
1

Sweet illustrations capture women’s stories of first-time queer attraction

A film by Diane Obomsawin

A Chinese middle-aged woman tending plants on a rooftop garden with residential buildings and a blue sky in the background.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Shuli’s mother has known he was gay for years. Can they finally talk about it?

A film by Shuli Huang

Painting of a seated man looking at a small dog, which has its paw on his knee in a room with a decorated door.
SOCIAL HISTORY

How the law soothed broken hearts in 19th-century America

What does a deep dive into the transcripts of historical seduction trials reveal about how we account for hurt feelings?

by Jinal Dadiya

Abstract blue and white line drawing of multiple nude female figures, seen from various angles, arranged in a pattern.
ARTISTS AND ART HISTORY

A minotaur shifts shapes and sexes in this ferociously original animation

A film by Chaerin Im

A smiling shirtless man with the outline of a child, as if cut out by scissors, sitting on his shoulders.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES

No kidding! Inside one childless comedian’s choice to get a vasectomy

A film by Jordan Temple

Photo of a casino scene with people, poker chips on a table, and a man lighting a cigar. A woman in a blue top smiles.
WORK AND VOCATION
5

The ways Sugar Babies navigate two roles: lover and employee

‘Sugaring’ involves the commodification of romance – presenting a puzzle of love, labour and autonomy for those involved

by Brynn Valentine

Medieval painting of three musicians playing instruments, seated under arches with colourful robes and curly hair.
MUSIC

Courtly love songs are a window into medieval sex lives

Song lyrics acted as a sexual script for aristocrats, revealing some edgy practices that ignited their imaginations

by Elizabeth Eva Leach

Black and white photo of a man smiling next to a woman laughing at a formal event. Other guests visible in the background.
SEX AND SEXUALITY
5

Everything I know about flirting, I learned from the Cold War

The rewards of flirtation go beyond sex or romance. But, as in other exchanges, you have to know where the red line is

by Youngbin Yoon

Illustration of two people holding hands while walking in the sea, with a sunset in the background. One wears a pink shirt; the other a skirt.
SEX AND SEXUALITY

Sarah recalls how sex, religion and shame have intertwined in her mind

Directed by Lori Malépart-Traversy

Close-up of a woman with curly hair playfully biting a man’s shoulder while both are smiling.
LOVE

In the bliss of budding love, a couple becomes – quite literally – entangled

Directed by Ben Brewer