Event #1: Performance at Memorial Hall

Tonight I saw “Talk Sex with Sue Johanson” in Memorial Hall. This show was absolutely brilliant. Not only was she able to entertain us with talk of how to best pleasure our partner, but it was also quite the educational experience. She shed light on an idea that I had not thought of – the difference in expectations of growing males and growing females. She explained that it is more acceptable for a male to discover his body on his own than it is for a female. Now I’m not trying to gross anyone out, but is that not the case? This doesn’t apply to every single male but, in most cases, is it not the male that speaks more openly about sex, while females try to “be the nice girl.” For example, Johanson said that most sex education programs are cloudy in their explanation of female anatomy, but not for male anatomy. So much so that many females don’t know their own anatomy. It’s a disturbing thought.

This event adds to my experience as a university student because honestly, who doesn’t want to see 78-year-old talk about sex. It was a great experience because it made me enter an atmosphere that I wasn’t particularly comfortable with and it made me find humor in the reality of the subject instead of the perverseness which is what we most encounter. Her language was fitting. Johanson started off with the anatomical backgrounds of the male and female reproductive systems giving the talk a scientific initial feel. This gave off the impression that she took the subject of sex very seriously. But she was also able to reach her audience of late-teen’s/early-twenties by joking around with the scientific jargon. Rhetorical devices she used include alliteration and mostly repetition, especially when trying to convey an idea she felt strongly about. Overall, the performance was educational and entertaining, but still mostly awkward.