tmi: a poll!

[keryx]

I'm reading this rambling-yet-delightful Tiger Beatdown piece about attitudes toward virginity, and it makes me curious about people's early sexual experiences.

Because I am nosey!

So, you know, if you're comfortable sharing that sort of stuff, what do you remember thinking?

[Poll #1562031]

Note that if you read this via Facebook or a reader, probably you'll have to click through to the original post to read and respond to the poll questions (and I think Livejournal only lets registered users answer polls per se, though your comments are still of interest).

Comments

[elusis.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised your list didn't include "painful." Mine certainly qualified.

[strph.livejournal.com]

I was actually thinking I would've clicked a "not painful". Mine was anything but. (Not that I'm complaining...)

[keryx.livejournal.com]

I knew the list was missing something!

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

I wanted to add "guilt-inducing" to "confusing" since I was a fundamentalist Christian and wasn't supposed to be doing any of it..

[keryx.livejournal.com]

I appear to have missed a whole range of guilty/secretive/sneaky adjectives. You clearly weren't the only one.

[diechotomy.livejournal.com]

Painful. Definitely.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

Bittersweet is one I would have added. I waited quite a while and my first was with a friend, so it wasn't horrible but it wasn't romantic. It was fun and funny and weird and also I felt a little sad that I'd taken another step into adulthood.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Bittersweet, huh? I suppose I can see that.

[libskrat]

"Secretive," and also "painful."

[(Anonymous)]

I wish that article weren't cutely written as a dialogue. I loved what it had to say but the voices made my head hurt.

And I have no idea whether "losing my virginity" should be that time I consented to everything but getting fingered and found myself screaming and crying or something else. So I didn't answer the poll.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

I guess it wasn't the good kind of screaming and crying? And so, that sounds pretty crappy.

[firecat]

I answered the poll keeping in mind sexual experiences I had over a period of about nine months. If I were thinking only of my first experience of "successful" PIV, the primary adjective would be "brief."

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Heh, "brief" is a nice one.

I bundled experiences over the course of about 2 years into my own answers, since that felt like roughly the period of "firsts" for me. So I see no reason not to span 9 mos.

[steamedwords.livejournal.com]

My very first experience was not consensual, and happened when I was way too young. I don't remember many physical details, but I recall being terrified and confused. Very negative.

The first experiences that I had willingly were sometimes scary and awkward. Don't like to speak for the other person, but I think we were both insecure and still unsure as to what we wanted out of sex, or out of a relationship. But we were in puppy love and waaaaay attracted, so there were many tender and hot moments as well. I treasure those memories. We're still friends and I'm still proud to call him my "first." Very positive :-).

[doktor-jess.livejournal.com]

I'm right with the first paragraph of steadmedwords's comment

My first experiences after that were not great, mostly because they were with guys. I thought I was supposed to do things with guys and like it because in my head I was still straight. Conversely, my firsts with girls were wondrous and amazing.

I suppose I really had two sets of losing my virginity; perhaps I should've answered the poll about the set that actually mattered to me.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Yes! I support the set that actually matter to you. :)

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

oh maybe i should go back and answer with nice, losing-virginity things and not upsetting, very early, creepy-assaultive-but-not-penetrative things? hmm.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

It's up to you. Whatever feels important to you is interesting to me.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Also, on behalf of the universe: sorry about the upsetting shit.