MILLENNIALS ARE KICKING THEIR NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES TO THE CURB, HERE’S PROOF

August 14, 2016August 14, 2016Leave a comment

JEREMY NGUYEN/THRILLIST

You’ve heard it before: millennials are lazy. They’re whiny entitled brats who don’t actually want to work, but instead, want to spend their days swiping right on Tinder, hooking up with strangers instead of actually dating them, and complaining about the government without trying to change it. Sure, this might ring true for a select, highly conspicuous few, but the majority manifests the complete opposite. Contrary to popular belief, this generation is ambitious, private, hardworking, and eager to make change. Yes, really.

To make the world a more congenial place for all generations, we swiped left on some of the most popular millennial myths and misconceptions. Enjoy reading this on your miraculous handheld computing device.

The Myth: Millennials are lazy and unambitious.
The Facts: Millennials are actually hard workers who want to prove themselves in the workplace.

Calling an entire generation lazy is a bit of an over exaggeration, to say the least. If anything, millennials are more ambitious because they’re often plagued by the stereotypes that define them, and therefore have more to prove. So what’s the easiest way to disprove this theory? By looking good on paper. In 2013, NACE reported that from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, the amount of college graduates taking on at least one internship grew from less than 10 percent to well over 80 percent. In other words, millennials are just as willing if not more to take on coffee runs and stipend-less work than baby boomers, despite the fact that a job offer isn’t guaranteed. However, when interning millennials make their way through the job market, their resumes show they’re qualified and determined workers.

Take Melissa Crosta, a recent PR and Journalism graduate from Monmouth University, who currently works at Nickelodeon after having three production and digital games internships as an undergrad.

“I knew the position really well due to my internships, and throughout my three years as an intern, I always went above and beyond in hopes that one day I could potentially be hired,” she explains. “Although my major only required one internship, I kept going back because it was a great resume builder and I wanted to have as much experience as possible.”

Yup, the generation we sometimes (lovingly) compare to sloths are working hard to beat out the competition and attain the career they want.

Millennials are also the most highly educated generation to date (a feat not easy to conquer if they really are lazy AF), and are working harder than generations before them — literally. In a study from ManpowerGroup, 19,000 millennials in 25 different countries were surveyed about their work lives, and findings confirmed that a large chunk of millennial workers aren’t enjoying the cozy 40 hour work week generations before them were used to. Eighty-three percent of American 20-somethings reported working more than 40 hours a week, with 23 percent of them working over 50 hours a week. On top of that, 21 percent of U.S. millennials are working two or more jobs to make ends meet. Who knew?

The Myth: Millennials love whining, but don’t do anything to change the things they whine about.
The Facts: Millennials came out of the woodwork full force during the 2016 primary election, proving they’re eager to make a change at a cardinal level: by voting.

If there’s anything we got out of the 2016 primary election, it’s that 1) you don’t have to be a millennial to be very, very, very self-involved, and 2) people who actually are millennials want to change the world. The New Hampshire primary kicked off with a whopping 11.2 percent of millennial voters showing up at the polls, making it the second highest youth turnout in the last 20 years.

But beyond millennials speaking up by rocking the vote, they also believe that they truly can make a difference. In a 2013 study from Telefónica where 12,000 millennials in 27 different countries were questioned on global change, 62% said they believed they could make a local difference, while 40% said they could make a global one.

JEREMY NGUYEN/THRILLIST

The Myth: Millennials are, like, so entitled.
The Facts: Millennials are anything but privileged.

While reality shows tend to illustrate differently, millennials are poorer, more indebted, and less employed than the generation before them. Not only was the so-called “Me Generation” thrown into an economic recession, but according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income of young adults today is $2,000 less than their parents’ paychecks were in the 1980s. So not only do millennials work tirelessly to get a job in the first place, they thereafter struggle to make ends meet with their low-paying positions.

“I was rejected about 75 times before I got my first real job,” explains Katie, a 24-year-old marketing assistant. “It took a while until I even got my first interview with someone. But I didn’t let it get me down — I was determined,” she explains. “I scanned through job listings every day, applied to everything I could, and interviewed in front of the mirror until I was comfortable. And then finally, a few months into my search, I was hired.”

So unless “privileged” these days means drowning tears of rejection in a dollar cup of not-artisan ramen, you’ve got the wrong idea about that 20-something dude in the artfully disheveled (JK, it’s just old) flannel.

The Myth: Millennials are the most narcissistic generation ever.
The Facts: Selfies aside, millennials are very community-based.

Sure, millennials like a good selfie with expert lighting and angling, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about anyone else around them. In fact, a 2014 study by the CIA found that millennials were more likely to value giving back to society than the generations calling them narcissistic in the first place. And when it comes to the work place, many would rather succeed as a team than singularly.

The Myth: Millennials are killing the dating scene and promoting hookup culture.
The Facts: Everyone wants love — even 20-somethings on Bumble.

Millennials love a good swipe, but not everyone with a dating profile is looking for a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am/sir situation (not that there’s anything wrong with that). According to the Pew Research Center, college-aged and post-college aged Americans are the most likely to turn to online dating — and 46% of them know someone who met their spouse or long-term SO online. Love in the digital age is possible, no matter whatCatfish (and every single person in their mid-40s) says.

The Myth: Millennials are job-hopping, unreliable employees.
The Facts: Nope.

Based on the generation’s ADD stigma, millennials have earned themselves a reputation as frequent job hoppers, but data shows it’s not specific to this generation — it’s actually a common characteristic among young workers in general. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job tenure for 20-something Americans is almost exactly the same as it was in the 1980s, and even slightly lower than it was in the 1990s.

JEREMY NGUYEN/THRILLIST

The Myth: Millennials have it easier than the generations before them.
The Facts: LOL.

Every generation thinks they had it the worst, but extensive data shows that millennials have a pretty good argument on their side. Recent grads from the Carter or Reagan administrations entered a booming economy that was adding between 150,000 and 250,000 jobs a month. Today’s college graduates are entering the workforce in major debt, with scarce job opportunities and disappearing industries. In January of 2016, Generation Opportunity reported that the unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds was around 8 percent, which is an epic fail compared to the 3.7 percent for those over the age of 29. Aside from that, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a loss of hundreds of thousands of middle class positions due to outsourcing and the development of new technologies, leaving job options for millennials even more limited. The U.S. Postal Service fell from over 700,000 full time employees to 487,000 between the years 2005 and 2014, while travel agencies, newspaper publishing, and mortgage brokerages also took a huge hit in terms of employment growth. And to really put a damper on things, millennials are also making less money. The median income for a 29-year-old millennial is about $35,000, an average salary lower than the previous generation. Cue the tears.

The Myth: Millennials would rather gouge their eyes out with a fork than work towards a legitimate career.
The Facts: Millennials want to work and they want a career — badly. (They also want their eyes).

Considering the generation’s stifling student debt — today’s recent grad carries an average of $30,000 in student loans — millennials have no choice but to work. However, while their financial struggles give them little choice, they also want to work.

According to the U.S. Labor Force, one-in-three American workers are millennials, and by 2020, the generation will make up roughly 50% of the U.S. workforce. Research from C Space also showed that the majority of millennials prioritized a fulfilling job over one that paid more money or promised security, showing that young workers value their careers.

“I find that millennials, more than anything, want a career,” explains job counselor Eileen Sharaga. Roughly 60-65 percent of her client base is made up of millennials looking for career guidance and tips to help them market themselves, get through interviews, and build better resumes. “I help people figure out what they should be doing by helping them figure out who they are. The lazy ones aren’t going to seek me out.” True that.

Read the original article on Thrillist.

Men are Less Likely to Use a Condom if You’re Attractive, According to Horrifying New Study

June 24, 2016Leave a comment

Shutterstock

If you’re anything like me, you have an overbearing Italian mother who scared the living sh*t out of you when it came to the repercussions of unsafe sex. Between pregnancy, STDs, and the expected bout of hysteria men assume will happen after you sleep with them (LOL), maneuvering through a newly budding sex life can be tough. But regardless of how you grew up or what you learned in school, there was always one lesson that remained the same: no glove, no love.

Naturally we’ve all heard the protests from whiny partners (“I can’t feel anything!”) pre-coital mediocrity. But according to a new study from the CDC, guys are more likely to refuse a condom if their partner is attractive.

Researchers at the University of Southampton and the University of Bristol presented 51 straight men with 20 photographs of women’s faces and asked the men to rate their desire to have unprotected sex with them. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 61 and all spoke English. The majority also lost their virginity at the age of 18, with one participant having sex at 13 and another at 30. Their amount of sexual partners varied, but the general average was 10.

Scientists discovered that men were much less interested in wearing a condom if they found their hypothetical partner had a prettier face. How charming!

From the Washington Post,

While looking at a black-and-white portrait of a woman’s face, each man used a sliding scale, from of 0 to 100, to rate a) the woman’s attractiveness b) how likely he would be to sleep with her, if he were single c) how likely he would be to use a condom d) how many men like him, out a group of 100, would have unprotected sex with the woman and e) the odds he thought this woman had a sexually transmitted disease.

Not surprisingly, the closer a man rated a woman to 100, the higher his willingness was to have sex with her. But the study subjects were split on whether or not the attractive women were more likely to have a sexually transmitted disease.

Wow. Not that this comes as a total surprise. I mean, women are expected to me more responsible with sex anyways, with their use of birth control and what not. So is there really a difference? Other than the fact that the stupidity of man was confirmed yet again?

Ladies, as always, keep protecting yourselves.

Read the original article on College Candy.

How To Be Sexy (According To Science)

June 19, 2016Leave a comment

juripozzi/iStockphoto.com

Get A Hot Mom

A group of horny mice moms (shut up, that’s totally a thing) recently gave new meaning to the term “I got it from my mama” when Biologists from the University of Utah placed them in an orgy setting – sans drugs and ominous piano music – and studied the immediate mousy offspring, more commonly referred to as “Friday night mistakes”. The study found that the male offspring produced 31% more urinary proteins, a bodily discharge that attracts female mice. Sooo…basically, if your mom was a swinger, chances are, you’re going to be more attractive to the opposite sex. And, uh, mice, we guess? Yeah, writing that just made our brains hurt. But whatever; At least we’re sexy! Thanks Mom!

Stop Doing Chores

If your New Year’s Resolution was to stop being a lazy slob and help out around the house, we advise you to reconsider your life goals. According to a study from the American Sociological Review, married men who partake in more traditionally feminine domesticated chores (ie. washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking dinner) are less likely to get laid on a constant basis than those that don’t. However, married men who took on more “masculine” roles – like paying the bills, doing yard work, and working on car troubles – had no problem getting it in. If only we knew how to mow a lawn or change the oil. Or could afford to pay the bills.

Get Some Flashy Dance Moves

If we learned anything from ’70s movies, it’s that women love a man who can dance – just ask John Travolta – but thanks to research conducted by a bunch of British psychologists, we know exactly which moves reel them in the most. Along with noticeable, varied movements of the neck and ass, women are also turned on by guys who rapidly shake their right knee. Yes, you read that correctly: According to science, Forrest Gump was literally the sexiest dancer to ever walk the Earth. So start memorizing some moves (and don’t forget to videotape that shit; we’re in need of a good laugh).

Stop Using Social Media

Social media is a huge part of our lives these days and has even occasionally helped us find some lovin’, but thanks to findings from OkCupid, we’re stepping away from the computer (and not only because the last online relationship we had turned out to be with a 72-year old Austrian man named Anton). After conducting a survey with the dating site’s participants, it was found that twitter users tend to have shorter relationships than people who steer clear of that pesky blue bird. We’ll admit that workers at OkCupid aren’t exactly scientists, but still – if this is true, we’re doomed. #Sucks

Read the original article on Maxim.com.

15 AWESOME ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH YOUR FRIENDS

June 9, 2016October 21, 2016Leave a comment

COURTESY OF TEMPEST FREERUNNING ACADEMY

It’s easy to get stuck in a social rut: going to the same places, doing the same things, and eating the same food every weekend. It’s time to exit that lane and push yourself and your friends to see the light and step up your social game. Sure, they may be reluctant at first — because people tend to stick with the familiar, but we can guarantee that once you push them off that (possibly literal) cliff, they’ll be thanking you profusely and buying you gifts, or at least saying something like, “Hey, I thought that would suck, but it was actually awesome.”

Check out these 15 awesome group activities that you can do to take things up a notch no matter where you are, because cool spots like these are popping up everywhere. So, step. away. from. the. remote.

BROKENTACO/FLICKR

Sandboard through dunes

We’re all in need of a good adrenaline rush every once in awhile, but only a select few have the guts to make it happen. But when you commit to sandboarding at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park, there’s no turning back. And shredding through the tallest dunes (or take your pick from smaller ones throughout the U.S.) in North America on a fiberglass board is a challenge you’re only going to want to face with your closest friends.

COURTESY OF IFLY

Flip, flop, and soar through the air

Skydiving is cool, but actually jumping out of a miniature plane sounds absolutely terrifying. To get the same feel without the weeks of apprehensive sweats beforehand, opt for an adventure at Philadelphia’s indoor skydiving facility iFLY, where instructors will teach you how to fly with your body and flip through the air with the help of a self-contained vertical wind tunnel. It’s pretty badass, even if you did cry the first time you couldn’t stop flipping. And these places are popping up everywhere from Virginia to Vegas, so get ready to flip out.

BLAZER TAG/FACEBOOK

Shoot laser s at your friends

Austin’s Blazer Tag is no ordinary laser tag arena — it’s the largest laser tag venue in all of Texas. Dive through a three-story maze filled with ramps, bridges, and raised nooks that make sniping your opponent that much more gratifying. Aside from the grand event, Blazer Tag also offers over 60 video games, air hockey tables, skeeball, and an indoor ropes challenge course. But before you go, make sure to get your mail forwarded — you won’t be leaving anytime soon.

MELANIE D./YELP

Get high at an indoor trampoline park

You know what’s awesome? Trampolines. You know what’s even more awesome? A trampoline park with foam pits. And you more what’s even awesomer? You in a trampoline park with foam pits doing backflips with your best friends. Bounce! Trampoline Sports is located in Syosset, New York, and comes complete with trampolines, foam pits, and trampoline basketball and dodgeball. Yeah — dreams really do come true.

THE ESCAPE GAME NASHVILLE/FACEBOOK

Escape the room

Is there a better way of bringing people together than trapping them in a room and forcing them to find a way out? Yes, but it’s a lot less entertaining. Nashville’s The Escape Project will transport you to another world where you’re forced to team up and race against the clock. With themes like The Heist, Underground Playground, Prison Break, and Mission: Mars, you and your friends will be set for a while. And if you’re nowhere near Tennessee, no worries — variations of Escape the Room can also be found in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other cities throughout the country. It’s cool to be locked up these days.

ZOMBIE SURVIVAL CAMP/FACEBOOK

Overtake zombies

If this election cycle doesn’t kill us, a zombie apocalypse definitely will. Don’t you want to be prepared? Of course you do! Getting your face taken off by a flesh-eating corpse isn’t the best way to go out. That’s where the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Camp comes in. Instructors will teach you how to shoot guns, work a crossbow, build a shelter, and seal up a nasty wound, all while being chased around by the undead. Take notes. And if you haven’t noticed, zombies are in, so take your pick of your latest local zombie adventure.

MARK SHELBY PERRY/SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE/FACEBOOK

Attend a crazy ball

If there’s one thing you should be doing in New York this summer, it’s attending the Illuminati Ball. Coined “an immersive dinner theater event,” the evening mixes Sleep No More with a dreamlike atmosphere to bring you a night more memorable than your senior prom. After a limo picks you up in a secret NYC locale, you’re whisked away to an undisclosed location an hour outside the city, where the enigmatic evening unfolds. Upon sitting down for dinner, your first course is enjoyed while wearing a blindfold (presumably because it adds to the whole “WTF is going on” ambiance) and actors donning extravagant animal masks wander throughout the jarring lakeside estate. Sounds weird, right? That’s because it is — weird and insanely cool.

CATALINA ZIP LINE ECO TOUR/FACEBOOK

Zip through the s ky

Friends are supposed to make you braver, and if there’s one time you’re going to need that courageous boost, it’s when you’re zipping 300 feet above a canyon floor at 40mph — in the dark. Catalina Island’s Nighttime Zip Line Eco Tour provides riders a thorough exploration of the area with nearly a mile’s worth of zip lines. In between heart-pounding rides, guides will provide tidbits of Catalina Island history and its wildlife. Sounds equally frightening and exciting. Start coercing and find a local zipper by you!

COURTESY WHITNEY PEAK HOTEL

Race up really tall rock walls

After seeing 127 hours, rock climbing in the real world became a lot less appealing. But strapping on a harness to scale a fake rock wall is totally doable. Reno’s Whitney Peak Hotel boasts the world’s tallest artificial rock climbing wall, coming in at 164 feet. If you’re not up for the challenge, the facility also offers three indoor boulders for beginner climbers. Either way, you’re going to be working up a sweat. So rest assured knowing that you have the option to end your day hitting up the casinos and local restaurants, both of which involve a ton of sitting. Score!

CPX SPORTS/FACEBOOK

Next-level your paintball game

Obviously paintball is awesome, but Chicago’s CPX Sports takes things up a notch (or 10) with the town of Bedlam, a town they built entirely from scratch so gamers could adequately hide from their targets. The deserted city gives off a 1950’s feel and comes complete with a city hall, quaint shops, archaic cars abandoned outside of stores, and dusty streetlights. The quiet, creepy feeling you get when walking past the city sign can only mean one thing: it’s go time.

CITY MUSEUM ST. LOUIS/FACEBOOK

Unfortunately in today’s world, it’s socially unacceptable for anyone over the age of five to jump headfirst into a ball pit. Unless you’re at City Museum, Missouri’s giant adult playground, where belly flopping down slides, climbing through a pipe organ, and getting lost in caves is perfectly normal for someone with a 401k.

COURTESY OF TEMPEST FREERUNNING ACADEMY

Learn Parkour without killing yourself

If you’ve ever wanted to flip off a wall Matrix-style, Tempest parkour facility will have you feeling like a bruised-up Neo in just an hour. New students will focus on strength, balance, and full body awareness, while the more advanced will get to try their hand at more elaborate parkour tricks, like back flipping off of walls and freerunning. Don’t forget to stretch though; no one wants a pulled groin.

CHASE ELLIOTT CLARK/FLICKR

See the world without the layovers

Built in 1935, this massive inside-out stained glass globe is the coolest thing you’ll ever find in a library. Visitors will walk across a 30-foot glass bridge that spans the center of the globe to get a closer look at the entire world from a single perspective. It’s also the only place where the surface of the world can be seen without distortion, making many of the countries look entirely unfamiliar. But the best part? You get to go around the world in 20 minutes without any layovers. Sold!

DYLAN R./YELP

Score a hole in on e in a whole new light

Mini golf was a standard first date in middle school, but things have gotten more exciting with Portland’s Glowing Greens, an indoor, black lit, 3D, pirate-themed miniature golf course. With pirate images popping out of the walls and skeletons that come out of nowhere, this place will have you seeing mini golf in a whole new light. Literally.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Seek out vampires and ghosts

Lose the beads, step away from Easy Street, and start getting freaky with the paranormal. New Orleans’ ghost and vampire tour from French Quarter Phantoms will take you through NOLA’s most historic neighborhoods, while educating you on supposed real-life vampire-like crime stories. At least your friends won’t judge you for screaming like a baby, right?
Read the original article on Thrillist.

5 NEW APPS GUARANTEED TO IMPROVE YOUR SOCIAL LIFE

June 9, 2016Leave a comment

BORIS JOVANOVIC/STOCKSY

It’s your worst nightmare: all your friends are Snapchatting photos at the bar, then they hit up bowling, and went to that new pizza place you’ve been dying to try. You would have gone with them, but you silenced your phone at work when the group chat got out of control. Then you fell asleep on your couch watching Friends reruns on a Friday night.

Your despair, regret, and loneliness were all completely avoidable, and we’ve rounded up the best new apps to make sure it never happens again.

HOWL/STOCKSY

Tossup

Who It’s For: The people pleaser.
What It Does: When you have a large friend group, finding something to do that everyone agrees on is a near impossible task. Luckily Tossup, a Microsoft Garage project, makes planning a dinner or weekend camping trip ten times less annoying than your standard group text. The app uses a unique polling system to ensure everyone has a say in what you’re doing, making everyone happy and you seem like a super genius.

Bottom Line: You’ll please everyone without getting 10,000 notifications from a group text. Hallelujah.

Wiith

Who It’s For: Social butterflies who have a lot of friends wrapped up in relationships.
What It Does: Being the third wheel is tolerable at first, but after a month of crashing date night, things get a little depressing. Actually, things get a lot depressing. Do you really want to sit and watch your two enamored best friends spoon feed each other bolognese for the 17th weekend in a row? No. God no. That’s where Wiith comes in.

The meetup-esque app allows nearby people with shared interests to hang out for a random adventure. You can message people directly based on what they want to do — brunch? movie? interpretative dance performance? — and make new friends in the process.

Bottom Line: Meet new people you have things in common with without the pressure of online dating (and the ubiquitous booty calls attached to that right swipe).

MATTIA PELIZZARI/STOCKSY

Nightstir

Who It’s For: FOMO-phobics.
What It Does: Is there anything worse than FOMO? Besides maybe famine and natural disasters (we guess?). When you’re torn between seeing your favorite band, hanging at a street festival, or going to a whisky tasting, making a concrete decision will be your demise. But with the help of Nightstir, all of your disjointed ambitions can become attainable.

Nightstir is everything your group chat can’t keep up with: your friends’ nightly whereabouts. Keep track of where your friends are throughout their Saturday night and see when their locations change so you can figure out where you want to find (stalk) them next. While the app is currently Milwaukee-centric, the company has plans to go nationwide just in time for summer.

Bottom Line: If you want to go see that new Avengers movie, hit up a mini rave, get late night pizza, and go bowling for an hour, you’re going to need this app.

Nightlife

Who It’s For: Restless peeps with severe ADD.
What It Does: Picking what you want to do on a Saturday night can be a difficult task. So difficult, that it leaves you deciding not to go out at all. But with this event GPS, you’ll have enough cool options to choose from that you won’t be able to turn down a night out.

Nightlife conveniently puts every local happy hour, concert, bar deal, and sweet event at your fingertips. It also allows you to connect with friends, providing them with details on your outing so they can join in on the fun.

Bottom Line: Never get bored, meet a bunch of awesome people along your journey, and do it all over again the next day with a new event.

BONNINSTUDIO/STOCKSY

WellSquad

Who It’s For: Gym rats who can never find a friend to GTL with.
What It Does: Like Tinder for spotters, WellSquad matches fitness enthusiasts with similar goals. Because who wants to hit the gym alone these days? That sounds worse than actually working out.

Through a series of questions, users are able to describe their gym needs while explaining what they’re looking for in a gym partner. From there a squad is born and you have no choice but to attend that boxing class you’ve been putting off for the last three years.

Bottom Line: Get the motivation you need to get off the couch and the body you want in the process. Solid deal.

EGYPTIANS AND YOGA: A BRIEF HISTORY OF GUYS TRYING TO BLOW THEMSELVES

May 8, 2016Leave a comment

ANDREY PLIS/SHUTTERSTOCK

As a straight woman, I’ve never wanted to perform cunnilingus. Especially on myself. So it’s never been a life goal of mine to get so good at yoga’s plow pose that my tongue could reach my labia. Yet, I’ve noticed men — even heterosexual men — don’t seem to share this ambivalence. Scientific fact: guys love blow jobs. And no matter what anyone says, I suspect every man on this planet has at least tried to S his own D. But why?

It turns out the answer is part of a long, complicated history.

Autofellatio, the proper Jeopardy term that means “sucking your own dick,” can be traced back to a bunch of frisky Egyptians’ creation myth.

Based on the Bremner-Rhind Papyrus, scholars like Egyptologist David Lorton have argued that Atum, the god of creation, produced his children Shu and Tefnut through autofellatio. According to Lorton, the twins were created after Atum spit out his own semen.

Conception by autofellatio: a story WAY more traumatizing than the one in which you figure out you’re a New Year’s Eve party baby.

A store clerk in 1938 became the subject of an American Journal of Psychiatry article when the 33-year-old let Yale psychiatrists Eugen Kahn and Ernest Lion write a piece about his “sluggish” gag reflex. Standing at only 5’2″, the man had successfully blown himself when he was a spry 14 years old. He loved it so much, he occasionally performed the act in front of an audience. You can imagine how well this went over with his highly religious family… or his fellow prisoners when he spent 60 days in jail for sexual assault.

Then there was the infamous sexologist Alfred Kinsey, who covered self-fellatio in his groundbreaking Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Kinsey posited that many young men in early adolescence try self-fellation (proving my theory!); but added that only two or three eager men out of 1,000 were able to achieve their climactic goal.

Pop culture perpetuated the mythology of a man’s ability to blow himself with figures like Marilyn Manson, who was rumored to have removed several of his ribs so he could autofellate; and Will Ferrell, whose amazing SNL skit proved that yoga is actually good for something. Movies like Clerks and Scary Movie 2 created a legit visual (more than you probably wanted to see), and then there’s porn — where it’s actually an art that well-endowed actors are extremely proud of.

And now the real question: what do real guys say about the whole thing? A lot of people didn’t want to talk about it; others denied having ever tried it. But with a little goading, I got a few guys to go deep.

The guy who doesn’t get it, but tried it anyway

I don’t really find autofellatio appealing. The idea is meant to be a relaxing time, so if I’m forced to position myself into a way that seems uncomfortable, that would completely take away from the pleasure aspect. And this is coming from someone who isn’t opposed to having a penis in their mouth. However, with that being said, I of course tried it when I was 9 years old, and failed miserably. Like smashed my head on the cabinet and knocked toiletries over. I wouldn’t try it again but guys will probably continue to try. I feel like you actually need to be missing bones in your body to get it right though, which sucks. Like, really sucks. — Mark, 24

The guy who’d rather find a doppelganger

“What do I find most appealing about being able to suck your own dick? It can create a situation where you’re less dependent on a woman — and that’s one less reason to have a woman around, which is a dream of all men. I’ve talked about it with my girlfriend before and she responded the way most people do: with laughter.

“It’s a funny thing and for most people, completely hypothetical. You need to be flexible! REALLY, REALLY FLEXIBLE! I’d know since I tried it myself but could never reach. You need to be a contortionist or at least a very limber gymnast to even come close. My advice would be to just meet a nice young man who looks like you and suck his dick. You’ll get that desire out of your system, then you’ll be able to relax and probably get your blow job (from him) in return.” — Dwaine, 33

The guy who wants to succeed for bragging rights

“I find nothing unappealing about it — it’s hilarious and a win-win for everyone involved (so really, just me). It’s like an alternative to jerking off. What drew me to it? I have a penis and a mouth, and there’s not always a girl around, so… you can see where this is going.

“I’ve talked about it with a few girlfriends before who told me the whole thing is kind of gay, which I don’t really understand. Is jerking off to porn gay? No. But when I used that to defend my point, I always got, ‘finishing in your mouth is kind of disgusting.’ But like, that was never the plan! Obviously I would be finishing this whole thing off with my hand. And at this point, I would have no choice, considering how this turned out for me last time.

“When I was 17, I had to download pornos overnight. I had to run a phone line from the telephone jack in the kitchen to the basement, where my room was. So I tried one morning before school, because I was really excited to see everything I downloaded the night before. I wasn’t exactly flexible and I had scoliosis, but I was determined to make this work. I had to position my clunky computer a certain way so I could see what was going on, while trying to fling my legs behind my head. I figured climbing the wall would be best, but after a lot of neck pain, I settled for a regular, sad jerk-off session. Whatever, I still got mine. But guys will never stop trying — mostly because of bragging rights.” — Matt, 31

The guy with a proud success story

“Of course I tried it. I even succeeded once, which I am very proud of. And also kind of sad about; I fear I will never be able to bend my back like that again. But oh well! It was worth it.

“I was 14 and just watched Chloë Sevigny go to town in Brown Bunny. Of course I was like, I want that to happen to me as soon as possible. But considering I wasn’t allowed out past 9pm and no one my age knew what this movie was, I was pretty much stuck. So I came up with a brilliant idea: to do it myself. Being that I was an athlete and straight-up determined, I did it. It was weird at first, but I got over it pretty quickly. And honestly, it made me feel better knowing what to expect when I got my first real blowie from a girl. Unfortunately since that one time, I haven’t been able to make it happen again. I blame the fact that I spend eight hours a day sitting at a desk. But you know how awesome it is to say, ‘My dick is so big, I could once blow myself?’ Pretty fucking awesome.” — Nicholas, 36

After hearing these stories, I’m wondering why I never had so much as a moment’s curiosity over my own powers — I mean, is autofellating really that different from manual masturbation? And don’t all kids (and adults) wonder at the human form? Still, I can’t help but feel that self-fellating belongs in the annals of weird sex behaviors many people have wondered about; some have tried, and almost none have succeeded — or enjoyed.

Read the original article on Thrillist.

Philadelphia Sports Fans Proved (Once Again) That They’re The Worst At Last Night’s Flyers Game

May 2, 2016Leave a comment

Elsa | Getty Images

First, let’s give credit where credit is due: Philadelphia has the greatest cheesesteaks in the f*cking world. There’s nothing better than shredded up meat covered in Cheez Wiz and topped with sautéed onions. I’m literally drooling just thinking about.

With that being said, we can now get to the point: despite the amazing delicacy, the city offers some of the worst sports fans in the world. Not only are they rude, but they’re sore losers and prone to beating the sh*t out of people for no reason after a bad game. So the fact that something happened during last night’s Flyers game is less than surprising. But honestly, we didn’t think the diehard sports fans would stoop this low.

So, let’s back up — everyone who attended last night’s game got light-up wristbands designed to honor the late Ed Snider.

Pregame should be crazy. There are bracelets on every seat that will light up based on location. pic.twitter.com/Tb8Dwr1cw5

— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) April 18, 2016

Seems relatively harmless, right? I mean, the man was a key member in the Philadelphia Flyers’ history. Fans should at least respect that, regardless of how much alcohol they guzzled before the game. But alas, not even a moment of silence could go down properly… which should indicate how awful the night progressed.

So this was the moment of silence @NHLFlyers that was ruined tonight. It was a bad night all around pic.twitter.com/XLO0Vq4ofV

— Cindy Webster (@Cindy610) April 19, 2016

Yikes, alright. But of course, it got worse. Like, way way worse. After a string of calls deemed questionable by Flyers fans, attendees started throwing their bracelets onto the ice.

Now Lou Nolan is downright pissed. STOP THROWING BRACELETS!!!! pic.twitter.com/zkxrnNgdPM

— Cindy Webster (@Cindy610) April 19, 2016

One a**hole even threw one directly at Dmitry Orlov, a Washington Capitols player who was receiving medical attention on the bench after getting his head slammed into the boards.

A Flyers fan pelted Orlov with a bracelet after he was boarded pic.twitter.com/XkPYmwgJtz

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016

WTF really?! Only in Philadelphia.

Read the original article on COED.com.

Kitty Pryde Teaches Dudes a Lesson on Snapchat, Threatens to Post Unsolicited D-Pics Online

May 2, 2016June 18, 2016Leave a comment

Instagram

In the land of unsolicited d*ck pics, Snapchat is a haven. Those suckers disappear within 24 hours and your phone number isn’t attached. Sounds like an easy win, right? If the receiver is into them, an impromptu hookup could ensue (or a friendly response back — insert wink emoji here), and if they’re not, they disappear! Who cares if it’s legally classified as sexual harassment, right?! I mean, no one will know it’s you, right?! RIGHT?!

Kitty Pryde, an aspiring singer, just rid the world of one less d-pic sender after humiliating him on social media. She was recently the victim of an iCloud hack and several revealing photos of her were posted online. Some creepy guy named Geoffrey saw them and snapped her a few below-the-waist photos in response, because hey, she was asking for it. Why would you take sexy photos of yourself if your phone has the potential to be hacked? Like, if you bought that new iPhone with a camera and have a body you selfied at least one time, you totally deserve that breach of privacy.

But Kitty is a badass and put this dude in his place almost instantly. Here’s how it went down:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Kitty Pryde FTW.

Read the original article on COED.com.

WHY THE HECK DO WE WEAR THOSE RIDICULOUS DUDS ON DERBY DAY?

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016Leave a comment

CAL SPORT MEDIA/ALAMY

For the majority of people, the most important part about the Kentucky Derby (or throwing a Derby party) is the festive food and drinks, but for the more serious attendees, dressing in Derby duds is almost as important. Colonel M. Lewis Clark, Jr., is considered to be the founding father of the fancy fete, and in his pursuit to create the greatest two minutes in sports, he wanted to build an environment that was equal parts comfort and luxury. While the first part remains questionable (is sitting in that Louisville heat ever comfortable?), the second is on point. Since starting in 1875, the Kentucky Derby has maintained its fashionable reputation. And when feting in style, the last thing you want to do is tarnish it by showing up in sweats.

So grab a julep, push that rank gym tee to the side, and at least pretend like this is the world you belong in. Below, everything you need to look the part.

JAKOB FOTO/STOCKSY

Seersucker suits

Joseph Haspel had a big dream: to create a suit that allows men to look sharp without having to sweat their balls off in the process. In 1909 the first seersucker suit was born in a New Orleans factory. Hallelujah! Considering Kentucky’s near constant humidity, it’s a no-brainer that the gentlemen of Churchill Downs opted for the lightweight fabric instead of their usual stiff getups. This Brooks Brothers fitted seersucker will have you feeling confident and cool, even while putting all your money on a horse named Turducken. (After you’ve worn it to the Derby, you can recycle it for Easter Brunch or maybe a Hamptons-style wedding — no socks allowed though.)

JESSE MORROW/STOCKSY

Floral dresses

Maintaining a Southern belle persona isn’t easy (especially if you’re from New England), but a floral mini dress will help the ladies who need it. The 1970s brought mini dresses in bold patterns and colors, both of which continue to make an appearance in the grandstands. The certified staple exudes an air of elegance and class, similar to this floral flare dress from Adrianna Papell. Pair it with a mint julep — they make everything look better.

ZUMA PRESS/ALAMY

Epic hats

If you’re into hats big enough to fit a small family, you’ve come to the right place. Modeled after European-style racing events like the Royal Ascot — which requires women to wear statement head pieces — the Kentucky Derby quickly became known for its parade of ostentatious chapeaux. Clearly the trend hasn’t lost any steam since the derby made its first official debut, but the styles all depend on where attendees sit. Hats tend to be more elegant in the seated sections of Churchill Downs, while the more eccentric kind are often found on the outskirts. Depending on which you’d rather be part of, Nordstrom has a collection of derby hats (like this and this) that’ll get the job done.

Knit belts

After you gorge yourself on seven hot brown sandwiches, you’re going to need that knit belt, which will loosen easily and without notice. The fabric is pretty forgiving, making it totally acceptable to continue stuffing your face with all that delicious food. ThisPatchwork Silks Canvas Club Belt from Vineyard Vines will bring a pop of color to that suit while making your overhanging gut feel pretty darn comfortable.

DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES

Bright ties

One-up that lady friend you’ve been eyeing for the past few months in a bold-colored tie that’ll make you stick out. Your choice of horse may not be a sure bet, but this Race Day Tie from Vineyard Vines will be.

Winged-tip loafers

Wearing sneakers on the daily may be acceptable for your everyday errands, but when it comes to seersucker suits and the women who love them, trading in your typical kicks for the Kentucky Derby is a must. Run to collect your winnings in these sleek Burberryloafers. The astronomical price tag will make up for itself if you place the right bets, so educate yourself.

Read the original article on Thrillist.

WHAT IT’S LIKE LOVING SOMEONE WITH A PORN ADDICTION

April 18, 2016Leave a comment

BRIAN A JACKSON/SHUTTERSTOCK

Porn is everywhere. Today it’s more or less taken for granted as something everyone just kind of looks at at one point or another. In sex therapy, porn is even frequently “prescribed” to help clients loosen up. Porn’s prevalence has helped it become normalized.

Except for when it goes too far.

Tom is an attractive 31-year-old digital designer who shops at Whole Foods and goes home to a spacious one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn he shares with his blonde girlfriend named Lindsey. But what people strolling by at the organic market or passing the handsome millennial on the street don’t realize is this: Tom hasn’t been able to focus on anything around him for years. Instead, he’s totally preoccupied with pornography.

“I would watch porn six times a day”

“I started watching porn when I was about 14,” said Tom. “At my most extreme, I would watch porn six times a day and would finish every time. The more free time I had, the more I became attached to it. I would watch it whenever I was bored or not doing something else. It gave me something to do and made me feel good, obviously. So it was a win-win.”

Tom spent most of his down time jerking off in front of his computer screen, a practice which kept him from meeting women except through Kik, an app he frequented to request nude photos from ladies of cyberspace. Tom worked, came home, watched porn, and went to bed. The daily cycle repeated until he met Lindsey, with whom he would have his first serious relationship. He was late to the table: despite what he had to offer — good looks, a successful career, intellect — he had, until that point, chosen to stay cooped up with porn stars instead of date around and bar hop.

And neither Lindsey, who didn’t know about Tom’s extracurricular activities at all, nor Tom — who had no idea how serious his addiction was — was prepared for how tumultuous things were about to get.

NIKITABUIDA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Overuse of porn can stem from easy access

Of the 21.2 billion visits to Pornhub in 2015, the US was responsible for 41% of the traffic. And 60% of Pornhub’s US user base was made up of millennials between 18 and 34; roughly 76% of whom were men on their phones.

“In the last number of years, porn has moved away from just the computer to all sorts of technologies used for sexual turn-ons,” explained Dr. Dorothy Hayden, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist who has been treating sexual compulsives and their partners for the last 20 years. “Interactive chat rooms, live streaming, smartphones, sexting, paid interactions with live models: the reality is that sexual content and contact are readily available to anyone at the touch of a digital button.”

For Tom, this kind of access was a godsend… at first.

“I’ve always been pretty shy and I never liked going out of my way to meet people,” he said. “When it came to sex, I was nervous around girls and had no idea what I was doing. Watching porn made me feel satisfied without having to do much, which helped me later in life when I started working. I would come home stressed and really wound up, and porn helped me relax with little effort.”

Porn addicts are hypersensitive to stimuli. They typically become hypersensitive to what’s going on around them; what most would consider nonsexual, a porn addict can turn around and craft into something erotic.

“There was a time when everything in my daily life could be manipulated into a scene I’ve watched,” Tom said. His triggers varied from boredom and anxiety to crowded subways and department stores. “I have to avoid lingerie stores — they are still too overpowering for me. Seeing all of the women go through the racks and imagining them putting it on… I can’t. I can’t.”

Once, Tom was riding to work on the A train when a woman pressed up against him in the overcrowded car. Tom had a clear view of her cleavage. He remembers being able to see the upper lace of her bra, the way it looked against her skin, and the way her breasts perfectly filled out the cups. At this point he was staring — and the woman began to notice.

“I was getting turned on and I had to get out of there,” he said. Tom got off the train five stops before his office and walked the rest of the way in order to cool down. It didn’t help. He thought about the woman for the rest of the day.

This is how so many adult videos start — a seemingly normal situation escalates into a sexual fantasy. Tom’s perception of the congested car was nearly expected; if this was a video he had been watching, it wouldn’t have ended with the man getting off the train alone.

ONEINCHPUNCH/SHUTTERSTOCK

… and numb to real intimacy

But in addition to having hyper-sexualized responses to otherwise unerotic moments, there’s also a desensitization for porn addicts that happens in actually sexy moments. “The viewer wants more and more,” said Dr. Robert Axel, a New York psychologist who specializes in the treatment of sex addiction and other sexual compulsions. “And then different. Things can get over-saturated. The more porn consumed, the less activity in the reward center, and the less sensitivity to pleasure. So they may have a numbed pleasure response to their partner.”

Supporting this is a 2012 study at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, which found the amount of time spent watching porn directly correlated with decreased grey matter in regions of the brain associated with the reward system. Less grey matter = less activity in another part of the brain called the left putamen, which typically lights up in response to sexual images. The less it lights up, the less “regular sex” is going to cut it.

So Tom was wrong when he thought having a girlfriend would fix his… preoccupation. His cravings failed to subside. Tom was still watching porn at least twice a day, in the early mornings and late at night, often when Lindsey wasn’t around or was asleep in another room. When his obsession caused impotency with his girlfriend — think whiskey dick without the whiskey — Lindsey tried desperately to figure out what was going on.

“I was sure it was me,” she said. “Things would start out great, and then all of the sudden he wouldn’t be able to keep it up. The only thing I could think was, I am the problem. And I tried literally everything to change it. I was open to anything — he just had to ask.”

“Sometimes when it gets extreme, they’d rather be alone and masturbating rather than interact with their partners,” said Dr. Axel. “Ultimately, what happens with a lot of younger people is they may have problems ejaculating or holding an erection or a lack of desire in their partners. And it can have an impact on the them.”

According to Lindsey, it had such an impact that it almost ended their relationship. Her self-esteem plummeted and she spent months trying to figure out solutions to an enigmatic question. She lost herself, and by then, she had had enough.

“I had no idea what was going on,” Lindsey said, “but I figured he wasn’t attracted to me. I even questioned his sexuality and talked with my friends about the possibility of past abuse or even if he was cheating. When I would ask him about it, he would get upset. No guy wants to talk about his sex issues, especially with someone he’s dating. There was little for me to work with and it was becoming a huge problem. I was doubting myself. So I tried to break up with him.”

The night Lindsey ended their relationship, Tom came clean. He said he wasn’t fully aware if what he was doing was the cause of his sexual dysfunctions, but figured it might be. And when he started researching, he realized that it played a major role in ruining his sex life. The couple recognized it for what it was: Tom had a porn addiction.

So he decided to quit cold turkey.

SIMOS/SHUTTERSTOCK

Finding treatment for porn addiction

Ironically, though technology in some ways has helped turn porn into a crutch, tech can also act as an addict’s biggest supporter for recovery. Internet forums like NoFap andFeed the Right Wolf are ways for porn and masturbation addicts to put an end to their ways and come back down to the real world of sex… where everything doesn’t end with a money shot and all women aren’t squirters.

Tom joined NoFap for help and consistently posted on his progress, reveling in the support and eventual jealousies from other members. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

“If you can get through 90 days, it gives you a chance to realign the brain chemistry,” Dr. Axel said. “You have a good chance of resetting those neuro-pathways.” But for Tom, seeking out those 90 clean days were nearly impossible.

“I was going out of my mind the first week,” he said. “I was really on edge and very, very angry. Partially because I was going through a type of withdrawal, and partially because I automatically assumed that I was going to fail. I was pissed off at the world. I was giving up something that relaxed me — and trying to replace it was difficult, to say the least.”

It wasn’t a smooth transition. Tom relapsed 10 times before finally going to see a therapist. These days he utilizes therapy and online resources. Still, denying his cravings remains a challenge. As in any addiction experience, there is no “cure” — only ongoing treatment, and a commitment to take it one day at a time.

Lindsey has stayed with Tom. The couple has now been together for more than a year.

Read the original article on Thrillist.