First Trap

...old in the world who’s still a virgin and I’m extremely ashamed of this. I’m worried that I’m missing a lot of opportunities and that later on I’m going to regret this. At this point, I don’t mind the idea of meeting someone through a dating app and having disinterested sex (I’m not looking for a serious relationship), but I’m worried that my potential partner might notice that I’m completely inexperienced. At this point I feel like that I will never have the chance to be intimate with someone. My questions: Should I tell them? Should I look for someone older and more sympathetic of my situation? Are dating apps the only solution? I generally feel more attracted to men once I get to know them. How long can I reasonably ask someone who is looking for something casual to wait? Anything else I should know? This Desperate Girl My answers: Yes, you should tell them. I know, I know: the thought of telling someone you’re inexperienced before having sex for the first time fills you with anxiety. But you know what will cause you more anxiety? Worrying that someone — your first someone — is going to realize you’re inexperienced before he can fill you with his dick. Now, you’re still going to feel anxious when you have sex for the first time; people can feel anxious the hundredth time. But pretending you’re someone or something you’re not — pretending you’ve done this a hundred times already — is going to make you feel more anxious in the moment than you otherwise would or should. Also, being honest about your inexperience will simultaneously decrease your chances of winding up in bed with someone who wouldn’t want to be with an inexperienced partner and increase your chances of winding up in bed with someone who will be patient and understanding. The right person, i.e., the more sympathetic person, might be older (by a little or a lot), he might be younger (by a little or a lot), or he might be close to your own age (by hours or days or weeks). You’re not looking for the right number, TDG, you’re looking for the right guy. Someone you feel comfortable being honest with, someone who’s willing to invest a little time getting to know you, and, most importantly, someone who regards your inexperience as a responsibility. Not a burden, not an opportunity, but a responsibility. Some guys won’t want that responsibility; they’re the wrong guys for you. Some guys won’t be willing to get to know you; they’re the wrong guys for you. Don’t think of guys who pass or even ghost as having rejected you, TDG, think of them as having done you a favor. The faster the wrong guys get out of your way/DMs, TDG, the faster the right guy (or guys) will catch your attention. Most people — mildly experienced, moderately inexperienced, severely experienced — meet on dating apps these days. According to the Pew Research Center, one-in-five partnered adults under the age of 30 met their partners or spouses online. Pew doesn’t have a stat for people who met their last hookup online, but if one-in-five people your own age met their committed romantic partners online — and one-in-10 of all partnered adults met their committed romantic partners online (according to the same study) — then we can safely say that one-in-way-more-than-five people your age met their last (or first!) hookup online. Get on the dating apps. We’re in the midst of a sex recession. According to a study conducted by Indiana University — a study conducted just before to the pandemic — one-in-three men between the ages of 18 and 24 hasn’t had sex in the past year; according to a study conducted by Pew in 2022, 34% of young women are single and 63% of young men are single. Now, some of those single men are unfuckable hate nerds, as comedian Marc Maron famously described them (think guys sitting in front of their computers all day, watching porn, playing video games, and attacking women), but they’re not all unfuckable hate nerds. Some of these guys have histories similar to your own: they were shy, slow to launch, and then the pandemic hit. Which means there are millions of men out there, including tons of men close to your own age, who are just as inexperienced as you are. So, instead of being something that complicates your ability to connect with the right guy (or guys), TDG, your inexperience could be the very thing that helps you connect. Don’t put “inexperienced and terrified!” in your profile — don’t lead with it — because that could attract the attention of guys seeking to leverage your inexperience against you. No, this is something you’ll want to share with a guy you’ve been texting with for a bit and have a good feeling about. Meet up for a quick coffee in a public place, TDG, and have un-cancellable plans immediately after your date. If the guy passes the vibe check — if he doesn’t come across like an unfuckable hate nerd, if he resembles his photos, and if he doesn’t try to pressure you to cancel the plans you made for after your coffee date — tell him you’re interested in seeing him again and that you’re a pandemic virgin. There’s a pretty good chance he’ll be one too. You’re telling these guys one thing they need to know about you — you’re inexperienced — but their reaction will tell you everything you need to know about them. Good luck. Can something count as an affair if you never do anything physical with the other person? I reconnected with an old friend, who is married. At first, it was fairly innocent. We had hooked up a long time ago, but it was kissing only. Years passed, and then we reconnected during the pandemic and began texting. And then the floodgates opened. He confessed he loved me then and loves me still. And he started describing all the things he wanted to do to me. Then we started describing them together. This has all been via text, but it’s not like sexting. Nothing porn-y. No genital pics. Nothing crude. It’s poetic, it’s erotic, it’s passionate. It’s like the perfect blend of love and sex, and there’s a huge amount of trust, support, friendship, everything you’d ever want in a partner. It feels like it’s love. It feels like I’ve found the person I was supposed to be with, if such a thing exists. But there are obstacles. First and foremost, as mentioned, he’s married, even though he and his wife — from the way he describes it — married so she could get a green card. Things are tense with her now. Not because of “us.” She doesn’t know about “us,” and they had issues before there was an “us.” She has anger issues, he says, and is emotionally abusive, but he has no plans to divorce her. He is thinking about buying her a separate place, so they can live apart. I know it’s a cliché: the married man complaining about his marriage to get some on the side. But he’s never made a move to have sex with me in person, which makes him seem more credible. Additional complications: I also have a partner, although we haven’t had a sexual relationship in ages. My “affair,” if that’s what it is, has been going on for months, but I put the sexting on pause as I felt guilty. But the love part didn’t stop. I want to resume the sexting, even if it’s only talk, but I want to understand what we’re doing and how we might be able to really be together without hurting other people. Sexless In Nearby Seattle There’s no “being together,” assuming that’s even something he wants, without leaving your current partners, SINS, and there’s no leaving your current partners without hurting other people — namely, his wife and your partner. Zooming out for second: what you describe sounds like a pretty unambiguous example of an emotional affair. And here’s the thing about emotional affairs… they take up a lot of space. They consume emotional and erotic energy that might otherwise get plowed into an existing marriage or relationship. So, if you weren’t taking up so much of his time and meeting important needs, he might be motivated to work on his marriage; if he weren’t taking up so much of your time and meeting important needs, you might be motivated to work on your relationship. But if you can both honestly say that nothing you do (or refrain from doing) will make your existing commitments any better (maybe you’ve tried and tried and nothing has worked) and you don’t have it in you to join hands and jump together (you can’t face the stress and chaos of a pair of breakups for something that might not work out)… well, then no one who isn’t married to you would blame you for doing what you need to do to feel alive, SINS, and there’s a chance your partners wouldn’t give a shit either. But if his marriage is as awful as he says it is… and your relationship is as sexually unsatisfying as you make it sound… the two people you’re cheating most are yourselves. By staying, you’re cheating yourself out of the chance — and it’s only a chance — that you could have everything you wanted (or come closer to having everything you wanted (no one gets everything they want (but some people pretend they do (which creates unrealistic expectations in others)))) with one person. Passionate sex, loving words, someone living with and for you, for as long as it lasts. It’s a difficult choice and there is no easy or obvious answer. But in your shoes… if I couldn’t leave my partner for whatever reason… I would resume sexting. Hell, I never would’ve stopped. Got a problem? Everyone does! Submit your written question for “Savage Love” now! Or…