#fyseq

My name is Haley and I’ve just joined the FYSEQ team! I’m so so excited to start answering your questions and giving out my two cents. I’m currently a college senior with aspirations to go into public health and public sex and drug education. I identify as a pansexual cis woman as well as an ally for LGBTQ rights. 

I can’t wait to start answering some questions!

I put a link to the comic as the post. The comics as photos on tumblr are pretty illegible so anyone wanting to actually read it would have to click on the link, I just like the way that looks better than having it as a link post. Is there a better way to do this?

-FYSE

I appreciate the thought that you clearly put into this, and I can tell we're both working from a position of trying to make sure artists get proper credit.

According to Erika's licensing page for OJST:

What can I post for FREE and without contact?

You are welcome to post and distribute links to Oh Joy Sex Toy.

You can use ANY of the Oh Joy Sex Toy thumbnail Preview images, worry-free. (Right-click, “view image” to see full size)

You can use ANY of the Oh Joy Sex Toy banner images.

If you must post a tiny crop of the comic (though we prefer that you don’t), post “ohjoysextoy.com” ON THE ACTUAL IMAGE.

It looks like the best thing to do, then, would be to use the preview images. As the page says:

Woops I already posted it, what do I do?

If you don’t have a license, remove the comic! Replace it with a free preview graphic and email Matthew, there’s a chance you will have to pay for the time the comic was live on your site!

Sure! This is going to be a long post, so I apologize in advance for that. 

Also, as this is my personal experience I may end up using some gendered language as I am a cisfemale and I can’t speak for anyone else’s waxing experiences (obviously).

So I get a Brazilian wax about every month or so. I started going in about September of last year. I originally did it because I was in a performance of “Chicago” and my costume was easier to wear with it smooth down under. Then I ended up loving how it looked and felt, so I kept it up. The first thing I did before getting waxed was RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. I wanted to make sure I was going to a reputable place with good reviews because I was super scared about how much it was going to hurt. I ended up choosing the European Wax Center and they are FABULOUS. They do a great job, are super professional, and minimize pain as much as possible. If you have a EWC near you, I definitely recommend. So I made the appointment and blah blah blah. I made sure I wasn’t going to be on my period and such as well so I was about 14 days into my 28 day cycle when I went. Before the appointment, I took like 2 tylenol. I don’t know if this really helped or not as I haven’t been waxed without taking any. When I got there, the lady was super nice. She asked me to undress from the waist down and lay on the table with my legs butterflied. She was chatty and made conversation. She explained all the steps to me as she was doing them. The wax actually feels pretty nice. She told me to breathe in, and then out as she ripped the strip off. It was surprisingly not that bad. The worst is right on my outer labia, as that is very sensitive. But they do it quick and in one go. Then she goes back in a tweezes a little here and there. The whole appointment maybe takes like 20 minutes. It costs about $45. I also ended up getting this ingrown hair serum that is PURE MAGIC. What I’ve also noticed, is that with regular waxing it begins to hurt less and you have less hair growth in general. I’ve also learned that exfoliating regularly along your bikini line helps prevent in-growns. 

I hope this helped! 

Depending on what country you live in, the age is different for anything beyond a bikini wax. Like here in MN, you can’t get a Brazilian wax until you are 18. Bikini waxing is generally 16 or older (at least in MN). It’s your body, so you can do what you wish with your body hair. Just keep in mind that you should NOT wax yourself. That’s just asking for extra pain and issues.

The pain level for waxing varies from person to person. Also, I’ve found influences on pain include: quality/experience of waxer, where you are in your cycle (if you menstruate that is), how nervous you are, and quality of the wax used/place you go.

From my personal experiences as a cisfemale who goes and gets a Brazilian wax every month or so, I don’t think it hurts that bad. I mean, it isn’t pleasant per say but for me it wasn’t unbearably painful or anything. Some tips I use to lower potential pain include: 

Taking an anti-inflammatory about 30 minutes before my appointment.

Showering and exfoliating the day of the appointment. This opens your pores and helps get rid of and prevent in grown hairs. 

Relax. 

During appointment: try keeping a conversation going with the waxer to take your mind off of the waxing. 

Breathe in and then breathe out as the strip is being pulled off.

If you’d liked to know the whole process of the appointment of waxing, let me know!

Thank you!

I get Brazilians so I personally don’t think bikini waxes hurt at all.

In bikini waxes, they generally tell you to leave on the underwear/bikini bottoms/etc. that you’ll be wearing and remove your bottoms. It’s way less awkward then you think. Weirdly enough, these people love their jobs and generally love the down under parts of you! 

It isn’t exactly a pleasant experience but it’s not like unbearably painful. If you’re worried about pain, take an anti-inflammatory about  30 minutes before your appointment. It also helps to exfoliate and shower before you go as that gets any in-growns and heat opens pores to help the waxing not hurt as much. Also if you menstruate, avoid going right before/on/right after your cycle. Generally you’re more sensitive around those times thus it’ll hurt more. 

If you want more info on Brazilians, let me know!

Actually no! I don’t think you’re thinking of the same thing. 

The Vagina Monologues is a series of unrelated based on true-story monologues. It doesn’t really have a plot line besides the common theme of the female experience. The various monologues focus on the following topics: body hair, finding the female orgasm, the clit, genital mutilation, refugee rape, the use of the word cunt, women of color and rape, birth, lesbian prostitution and moaning, sexuality, and rising for justice. 

Like I said, it focuses on the good and the bad of the female experience. This includes things such as rape. It’s got some tough monologues in it but also some uplifting ones. HOWEVER it does not have any monologue even close to the rape of a minor with the use of alcohol and it not being considered rape. 

So yeah. I don’t think you are thinking of the same thing that I’m performing in. 

-Lily 

It may not be the specific one you’re performing in, but there is a story in the Vagina Monologues (The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could) where an adult woman gives alcohol to a 13 year old girl and then has sex with her. It’s painted as spiritually uplifting. “If it was rape, it was a good rape.” is one of the lines. They received a ton of criticism and changed the age to 16 in future plays, but it’s still a drunken rape of a minor praised as a good thing. So yeah. Not good.

-anon

The Vagina Monologues does have a lot of flaws, including cissexism (I believe they did add in one trans related skit, but that doesn’t cure the cissexism) so thank you followers for pointing this out!

-FYSE

I apologize. Their is one monologue, The Little Coochie Snoocher That Could, that does have that theme. It was cut from our performance so I wasn’t aware of it. 

I do agree that it does have some flaws, including cissexism. I’m definitely not saying it’s perfect. I think a lot of these flaws are due to the fact that it was originally written in 1996 when the world was ignorant of these things. I think if someone did a Vagina Monologues 2.0 it could avoid some of that. Someone should write that!