Please Take A Number

A few days ago, I got a text message that read, "At what number would you say is a lot of women for a -- yr old man to have slept with?"

I didn't quite know how to respond that question initially. Everyone is different and not everyone places a lot of emphasis on sex. In the end, I responded that I thought it depended on the person and that I know guys on both ends of the spectrum. Some that have lower numbers and others that have high numbers.

When I asked what he thought that number should be for a female my age, he responded, between 5 and 10. WHAT?

Now, I was thinking about high teens, low twenties for a man. Society says that it's okay for a man to be out there, "doing his thing" but a female that does that same thing is branded a whore. (Scarlet Letter, much!) He went on the explain that females aren't supposed to get around like that  and should be more into relationships. Why, hello there Double Standard!

We're all guilty of branding. A female is quick to call another female out of her name based on the number of people she's slept with. When is the last time, if ever, anyone has heard a man call another man anything derogatory because of the number of woman he's slept with? Yeah, I'm trying to think of a time too. No such luck.

I'm not quite sure why these double standards stand and we all fall right in line with subscribing to them. It's unfortunate but how do we change it? People shouldn't mind who the next person is sleeping with or what their numbers are, until it's you're turn to sleep with them. (I'm chuckling right now.)