A new website called OMGyes is redefining the way we talk and learn about sex.
Female sexuality has historically been viewed as a kind of dark, unknowable mystery. How women have and feel about sex is often so taboo that even on-screen depictions of female pleasure are censored at a higher rate than scenes involving men's. The result of this narrative is millions of women and men who know very little about cisgender female anatomy, and what gets women off. So, how do we deal with this lack of education?
Enter OMGyes, an online interactive learning tool that teaches users about female pleasure.
The site, launched in December of last year by co-founders Lydia Daniller and Rob Perkins, is a learning experience that leads users through a candid, virtual exploration of the female body. The information, canvased in collaboration with The Kinsey Institute from over 2,000 interviews with women from ages 18 to 95, seeks to dispel myths about female sexuality and give women (and men) the tools to have better sex.
Daniller (a photographer) and Perkins (a creative director) first met in college, where they both discovered that besides the frank discussions about sex they had with their small circle of friends, the availability of information on female sexuality that went beyond the basics was limited. They said they were "surprised and a little saddened" by the fact that they couldn't access a wide breadth of research on women and pleasure. So, they decided to add to the conversation by conducting their own research.
The pair made it their mission to learn more and educate more women about their bodies and sexuality. To achieve this goal, they gathered a team of engineers, designers, and educators who also believed int he mission. "Our advisors, many of whom are authors and sexologists, think it’s actually a benefit that we don’t come from the field and can approach the topic in a fresh way."
Women's sexuality is pegged as great mystery, but the research on OMGyes reveals, according to Daniller, that "the vast majority of women share similar techniques in different variations."
"We explore these techniques and their variations in detail. It’s complicated -- but that’s what makes it so fascinating to explore."
OMGyes is all about customization. Through their thousands of video and in-person interviews with women from all backgrounds, Daniller and Perkins have been able to give straightforward names and descriptions to sexual techniques that many women find work for them. The different variations explored include things like "edging," "consistency," and "rhythm," with users given the option of using a new innovation called "touchable video" to practice what they learn on the screen in real time.
Already, the service has received hundreds of letters from both male and female users who express not only gratitude but relief for a service that doesn't treat sex like something taboo or unnatural.
"Lots of times, women tell us, 'thank god -- I’m not alone,'" Daniller says.
Currently, OMGyes offers users the opportunity to make a one-time payment of $39, which grants full access to the numerous video simulations and interviews on the site.
In its own way, OMGyes is a kind of mini-revolution -- one that's challenging and questioning the lack of real research about female sexuality even as it educates.
As Daniller explains, "There’s a reluctance among big institutions and companies to fund projects that explore pleasure, specifically and in detail."
Going forward, the founders of OMGyes plan to continue their research into the nuances of female sexuality and pleasure, such as the ways pleasure changes for women who give birth or after menopause.
But beyond that, OMGyes is all about sparking a vital conversation about the female body that so many men and women never even get the chance to have.
Below, watch one of the over 2,000 women interviewed for the OMGyes website explain why she participated:
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