6 = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SEX
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2003
Lower standards may lessen inhibitions
COMMENTARY
Everyone has done it. Some people aren't proud of it. Those who protest the loudest that they're innocent are the ones who probably do it most.
Patrick Ross
pross@kansan.com
I'm talking about slumming, the fine art of lowering your standards when it comes to finding a sexual partner. Whether you got shanghaied while you were three sheets to the wind,you were horny and suddenly she looked good or you just didn't want to go home alone again and he was good enough for a night, you were slumming.
And although I try to make it a practice never to sleep with someone I wouldn't be comfortable dating or having as a friend, these things happen to the best of us.
It's always nice to seal the deal with the hottie you had your eye on. But sometimes you turn around and it's closing time — he or she is gone and your friends have already hooked up. You pick from what's left. You've got to make the best of it. Assuming you don't sober up or chicken out in time to avoid the actual sex, you'll be dealing with a unique opportunity.
First, remember that slumming isn't necessarily shameful. When alcohol is involved, a lot can happen. If the worst was sleeping with someone you don't ever want to see again, you got off easy. OK, so maybe the person was a little grungy or smelly or not quite whom you pictured yourself with in that "white picket fence" fantasy, but relax. Slumming means there's no pressure to do your best.
After all, it's not as if she's that hot girl from your American history class, and he's certainly no Brad Pitt.
There are a couple of ways to make slumming less tedious. You're not trying to impress anyone. Try something you've always wanted to try but have been afraid
to ask because you feared your partner's reaction.
Is your pick of the evening a little too dirty? Play outside in the mud. This would be the perfect time to add some grime to your grind. Just don't get any gunk in sensitive areas and make sure you wash up afterward.
Or perhaps this one-night stand could do with a little freshening up. Get it on in the shower.
If you need a little help performing, throw on a porn flick and watch it while you tend to each other's needs. Sometimes, porn can add just the right mood to a slummy thrust-session.
Slumming gives you the freedom to suggest ideas that otherwise might seem outrageous. And the worst thing that can happen is the other person leaves. You didn't want to have to cuddle anyway, did you?
All in all, slumming isn't the worst thing you can do. It's not necessarily bad if you're inclined toward one-nighters.
Be creative and uninhibited. If you're going to endure jibes and jeers from your friends about your choice of partner, wouldn't it be great if you could retort about how great the sex was?
Ross is a Topeka freshman in journalism.
Professional waxing has many advantages
By Marissa Stephenson
mstephenson@kansan.com
Jayplay staff writer
Hold still. You'll barely even feel it ...
These and other reassuring phrases are token for aestheticians — skin care specialists — like Pat Risley at Images Salon & Day Spa, 511 W.9th St.
She said waxing was similar to pulling off a Band-Aid.
Risley offers waxing treatments for face and body and is quick to list waxing advantages.
"Waxing minimizes ingrown hairs, razor burn, it lasts longer, and it is easier on your skin," she said.
Courtney Vescio, Lawrence freshman, said she thought waxing helped retain her tan longer.
"When you shave you take off your top layer of skin cells," she said. "Since waxing lasts so much longer, your tan can last with it."
Risley said that unlike shaving, waxing removed hair by the root, and continuous waxing over time could lead to elimination of hair altogether.
"Think of hair as a bad weed," she said. "You pull it up by the roots, and it can't ever grow back."
Although one can wax at home, the hassles can cause more stress than needed.
Vescio said she tried buying her own waxing kit at the store, but the results were disastrous.
"Itried Nair and a do-it-yourself kit," she said. "It was horrible. I was literally pulling clumps of wax off my legs."
Katherine Schwarten, Leawood
sophomore, also said she would stick with the professionals.
"The only thing I've ever tried to wax is my eyebrows, and only once," she said. "I applied the wax and accidentally smeared a portion in the middle of my brow. It left this gaping hole. I haven't trusted myself to do it since."
"Because of the angles it can be very difficult to wax yourself," Risley said. "Plus, mass produced products just don't have the same quality."
Besides her many female clients, Risley also has quite a few men come in for waxing treatments. She said more men were coming in to wax their eyebrows or backs.
Jason Harris, Chanute junior, tried waxing his own back with a Nair waxing kit. The results, he said, were not spectacular.
"I thought the cheapest way would be to use the Nair wax, but I have very sensitive skin and ended up breaking out all over," said Harris. "This spring break I'm planning on going to a professional to get it done."
But not everyone is aboard the waxing bandwagon.
Loretta Delp, Omaha, Neb., sophomore, said she never cared to wax anything.
"I could go the rest of my life without waxing a thing," Delp said. "After all, I've made it this long."
Other Lawrence salons that wax are Salon Di Marco & Day Spa, 733 Massachusetts St., Headmasters, 809 Vermont St., and Beauty Brands Spa Spa Superstore, 3514 Clinton Parkway.
- Edited by Julie Jantzer