33 People Share Common (But Wildly Untrue) Sex Myths That Are Still, For Some Reason, Believed

Note: This post contains mentions of rape.

While most people will learn about sex at some point in their lives, its pretty common to receive biased, confusing, or even completely incorrect information on the matter, whether it's because of the sex education system, one's family dynamics, the media, or by someone who was simply misinformed.

Unfortunately, these falsehoods are often considered as "facts," which, if not corrected, can cause harm or confusion in the long run.

So to clear things up, Reddit user u/ThePerksOfBeingAlive asked r/AskReddit, "What are some myths about sex that just annoy you?" And after receiving thousand of responses, here are what some people had to say:

1."That women who have lots of sex get 'loose.'"

—u/elfenemma

2."That everyone wants it. It’s just not true. Hello, fellow asexuals."

—u/kodieshmodie

3."That sex is purely physical. Mind sex and mental sex is a thing. One person's imagination is an underrated tool, and possessing a dense lexicon and toying with it artistically unlocks a whole new domain of pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, physical touch is indeed a great virtue of sexual relations, but it’s so much more than that. And as far as I can tell, penis size only matters to men and sexually inexperienced women. I’m an average guy on a wheelchair, yet I’ve never had any issue in satisfying partners, simply because it is a matter of just communicating properly and exploration."

—u/hali26

4."That going ‘all night long’ is a requirement to being good in bed. I got work tomorrow, baby."

—u/americanbj27

5."That having sex once a month is bad. My wife and I are tired after work and we get horny at weird times. When the stars align (usually once a month) we have fantastic mind-blowing sex. We joke that we should do it more often, but never do. That's fine with us. The session is enough to last the month. If we're lucky, it happens three times a month."

—u/SerFraust

6."That one's asshole is always ready for sex. As a bi guy, it is frustrating meeting a top who doesn't realize that spontaneous sex doesn't work for most bottoms."

—u/Ok-Butterscotch4486

7."That after a man cums in you, you can just get up out of bed and go about your day. No. Cum leaks out everywhere. If you don’t want it all over your bed and sheets, you have to immediately grab a towel or washcloth as soon as he pulls out to stop it from getting everywhere!! Then you have to squeeze the rest of it out because if you don’t, it squelches out into your underwear/clothes to surprise you later."

"So many movies and books where there is absolutely no condom mentioned just ignore this very messy, awkward part."

—u/MahouMama

8."That only penis-in-vagina sex is real sex and any other sexual act is something lesser."

—u/Creeppy99

9."That erectile dysfunction only happens to old, broken men and that when it happens, it's 'over for you.' It's more common than most people think and in today's stressful times, it can happen to anybody. The manhood-ending myth of it usually makes the issue worse than it originally is."

—u/Zaihron

10."That a woman can’t get pregnant if she’s on top. Some people actually believe that."

—u/ebonerr

11."When you cum early, she'll be annoyed. You can't be a pornstar all the time. Sometimes you cum early, sometimes you won't cum at all, sometimes you have trouble getting a boner, and sometimes you'll fuck her for an hour. It's normal."

—u/ProfilerXx

12."Masturbation leads to blindness."

—u/M-Badry24

13."That the most common position in lesbian sex is scissoring. Like I can’t even get into that position without pulling a muscle."

—u/Toilet-Sock

14."For people who are interested in or enjoy anal: 'It’s going to hurt regardless, that’s part of the fun.' Yeah, that’s bullshit. First, you need to be using the thickest lube you can find, ideally water-based. Vaseline, soap, spit, etc, is not going to cut it, no matter what porn/idiots say. Second, make sure that you are applying a generous amount to whatever is going up there. Third, if it hurts, STOP immediately as this can lead to tearing or other issues that could require medical attention."

"In short, it shouldn’t hurt. Ever. I should have clarified: silicone-based lube is perfectly fine, it’s just very messy and difficult to clean up. At the end of the day, however, it’s up to you and your partner(s) to determine what’s best!

Also, I’ve included a link explaining why anal sex should never be painful."

—u/PickleBoy223

15."Erection = consent. No, rapists, it does not."

—u/Baconatrices

16."In the movies, it looks like women have sex and just roll over and go to sleep. I’m sorry, but if you don’t pee or clean that shit out afterwards, you’re going to get a UTI."

—u/kcelaynes

17."That the pull out method is 100% reliable."

—u/TheLiteraryBookworm

18."Having a large penis makes you good at sex. I especially hate that one."

—u/Zeniyah

19."That men are always ready to have sex at the drop of a hat. Sometimes I’m just tired and not in the mood."

—u/Ok-Ad-2605

20."That missionary is vanilla or boring. I've had plenty of sex, and missionary is by far my favorite. There are so many varieties of the position that you can smoothly glide into mid-sex without it being clunky and awkward like with other positions. It is intimate, personal, and sexy as fuck. You can regulate speed and depth more easily than other positions, too. What a great position."

—u/IonlyPlayAOE3

21."That you can't get pregnant when it's your first time. I heard that one a lot."

—u/CptZack01

22."That your first time is something magical instead of the fucking dumpster fire that actually is."

—u/whyyou-

23."That it's easy for women to orgasm through penetration alone; it's not. Yes, there might be some lucky ladies who can do it without much effort. But most of us need a little extra help. So don't feel bad if you can't do it. Same goes for the partner."

—u/Vaalermoor

24."That hymen represents the virginity or purity of a girl."

—u/Can_we_be_friends123

25."That men always have higher libidos than women. Mine has been higher than all of my boyfriends, and I’m very self-conscious about it in part because of all of the cultural messages that women aren’t supposed to have strong libidos. I imagine that men probably do have higher libidos on average but there’s so much individual variation that it really shouldn’t be shocking that some women do have higher libidos than some men."

—u/Puzzleheaded_Fox_963

26."Shower sex is overrated. It's not even good. The water makes everything drier."

—u/J0yDivision79

27."HIV can be transmitted through any bodily fluids. Truth: HIV is transmitted through four bodily fluids, which are semen, blood, breast milk, vaginal secretions—and is not transmitted through any other bodily fluids like urine, saliva, tears, etc.

—u/Ok_Bandicoot8802

28."If you have sex you will get chlamydia and die."

—u/not-your-supervisor

29."What the average dick size really is. Most men I've been with have been self-conscious if they fall below the 7-8 inch mark when the average is around 5 and doesn't indicate how good the sex will be at all."

—u/capricious_achelois

30."That good sex = orgasm."

—u/pixiejuju

31."That women don't understand that condoms don't feel good. I'm a woman; I don't like the way condoms feel either, nor do I like the aftertaste. However, you have to do what you have to do."

—u/etwichell

32."Guys don't need to be touched during foreplay. You should be hard only by just looking at me."

—u/Shadow293

33."Males are solely responsible for 'good' sex."

—u/Nahteh

Are there any myths about sex that annoy you? And if, yes, how do you feel about them? Tell us in the comments below.