Dirty Talk

Dirty Talk is a research project that tries to find answers for the question "why are we so uncomfortable to talk about sex?". It tries to answer this through modules that get people to discuss, debate, and disseminate! Each session involves activities, games, and reflections about sex, bodies, gender, and education. We live in a world where all the information we could possibly need about sex education is right at our fingertips, yet somehow, we still struggle to have conversations about our bodies. The consequence of this stigma around talking about sex manifests itself in the different ways we normalise abuse in our daily lives. From catcalling on the streets, to slut-shaming at home, and even harassment in the workplace, we’ve created room in our realities for our minds and bodies to be constantly violated, because we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s easier to ignore, than to acknowledge and have conversations. Could talking about sex, sexuality, our bodies and gender more, lead to positive change? The project currently exists as 2 modules – “Media, Misogyny, and Me” and “The Large Language Module”, which explore the how our opinions and biases around sex and gender are shaped by media and language respectively. The links below are 1. For the project itself – a detailed repository of stories I’ve been collecting through these modules and a mapping of how these stories are connected; 2. The downloadable for the Media Module which includes instructions for each activity and the printables required; and 3. The downloadable for the Language module in that order. The modules have been designed with the following framework:

1. An icebreaker based either on recollecting a memory or asking for an opinion. This activity needs to happen off the top of someone’s head, it’s the hook to get them invested in the rest of the session.
2. A discussion prompt that establishes the main question(s) of the session.
3. Shared Experiences is a game that’s all about establishing common ground for all the participants by recollecting universal experiences. The discussion here is centred around WHY these experiences are so universal.
4. The Main Activity facilitates the brunt of the connection-making. A reflective activity that is focussed on pattern recognition and connection-building. This is the “diagnosis” part of the session, where we try to find the root of these opinions and ideas.
5. The second discussion prompt is focussed on ensuring the connection between the first experiences covered up until the last activity, which will be somewhat removed from personal opinions and will be focussed on larger observations, making participants ponder about how small-scale decisions can have large-scale effects.
6. And finally, a speculative drawing activity. This activity is future-focussed, with the goal of leaving a lingering image in the participants minds - either of fear or hope, depending on how your discussions go. The idea is to make these big intangible concepts and feelings more accessible and provide you with an actionable way to take this discussion forward on your own.