Joannides, this year's SexDay lecturer, spoke to students about "positive sexuality" Tuesday afternoon, before participating in the seventh annual SexFestival, an informational forum that provides students with information about intimacy (and edible personal lubricant for kicks).
A research psychoanalyst and an editorial board member of the American Journal of Sexuality Education, Joannides has earned a reputation as one of today's most popular, knowledgeable and approachable authors on sex. Having just released the sixth edition of "The Guide to Getting It On," Joannides continues to break down the various complexities of sex in a digestible format that is appealing to the curious, the lovelorn and the just plain horny.
For over 20 years, Joannides has researched the ins and outs of sex. But, unlike other well known sexologists such as Dr. Ruth, he does not have a background in sex therapy.
"I came to the subject with a very different set of assumptions, a different school of thought," Joannides said. "I'm not a sex therapist. I've never had a day in the course work of human sexuality."
Credited with breaking the mold on sexual manuals with his candid approach to sexuality, Joannides began his talk on Tuesday with a discussion of porn and used Snickers candy bars -- which Joannides claimed are the size of the average penis -- as visual aids. Joannides delved into the social issues surrounding pornography, including the false expectations it can engender in men and the pressure it puts on women to use porn stars as models of sexual behavior.
"Porn is not sex," Joannides said. "When we make love to our partner, we look at their face -- or hair, depending on how you do it. It's a tactile experience."
Throughout his lecture, Joannides reinforced the importance of communicating with one's partner and being comfortable with one's own body. Referring to the results of an anonymous online sex survey of Dartmouth students, distributed in a campus-wide blitz from Sexperts, Joannides expressed his surprise at how uncomfortable Dartmouth students seem in talking about their bodies.
"We learn early not to talk about sex with our parents, left stuck, not being able to understand." Joannides said, encouraging students to break through this barrier.
Sexpert interns Kathryn Fay '09 and Samantha Stimmel '09 said they asked Joannides to speak on campus as part of SexFestival due to the popularity his book has gained as a guide for training new Sexperts.
"Joannides' book has all the information you need in a fun and accessible format," Stimmel said. "It's not too heavy-handed, and [it's] easy to relate to. Plus, it covers everything from anatomy, to cyber sex, to threesomes -- a wide range of topics."
Joannides said he compiled the first edition of "The Guide" as a means of getting revenge for eight years of education in Catholic school, and was repeatedly told that a book on sex with a sense of humor would never sell.
Because no reputable publisher would consider printing the first edition of his manual in 1996, Joannides said he decided to start his own publishing company, Goofy Foot Press.
"One of the essentials for having good sex is being comfortable with your partner and being able to laugh," Joannides said.
After delivering his lecture, Joannides appeared at SexFestival, held in Collis Common Ground, to speak further with students about his book. The SexFestival also featured tables from several other student organizations, with booths focusing on a range of topics touching on human sexuality.
"Sexperts are designed to serve as a resource for our peers, where they can address any concerns or questions about healthy sex, or sexuality," Fay said. "We strive to promote positive sexuality."
Given that the only reference to Dartmouth in Joannides' book details the "booting and rallying" phenomenon that is the College's frat culture, perhaps it's not such a bad idea that we put aside one day a year to learn about healthy sexual behaviors, like the proper way to put on a condom. After all, Valentine's Day is approaching, and no one wants to eat at Homeplate alone.
