Nerve's Recent Articles - Refinery29

Skip navigation!

Better Than Sex? Not According To This Sex Coach

Sex Is About To Go Social (NSFW)

In Defense Of Period Sex

How Craigslist Dating Gave Me The Confidence To Date Offline

After almost two years of abstinence, I posted a new Craigslist ad this week. The ad was for a new roommate, as my current one is moving. But, the experien

What Happened When This Couple Started A Sex Blog

A few months ago, I ran a feature about digital swingers — couples who post nude selfies, erotic videos, and sexual narratives on their own personal blog

A Craigslist Voyeur-For-Hire Talks Shop

A gay man posted an ad on Craigslist asking for somebody to watch him jerk off while he was in town on business, and I answered the ad.

I Did It For Science: What Sex Is Like On Every Drug

This experiment is about sex on drugs, not sex for drugs. Therefore, I plan to conduct the sexual act in its purest, most apolitical form — while being t

Is Being There For My Partner Threatening My Mental Health?

I’ve been exclusively dating this guy for almost two months now. From our very first date, things seemed to click. We would spend hours talking and h

The 50 All-Time Greatest Songs About One-Night Stands

In the past, we’ve assembled the greatest love songs of all time, but a lot of phenomenal love and lust anthems come from a more, let’s say, tr

I Lost My Virginity & All I Got Was Some Nasty Rugburn

I’d always been curious about the tiny little towns I’d drive through with my parents right before we crossed over the mountains into the deser

What Happened When I Tried To Train My Boyfriend, Lab-Rat Style

By Sadie Dingfelder As Templeton the rat bounded across the cage, his fuzzy white balls snagged on the wire mesh floor. He stopped suddenly, panic flashing

Why I Didn’t Go On A Single Date Until I Was 33

At the age of thirty-three, I went on my first date. I met the Brazilian at a nightclub a month before I was set to leave New York City indefinitely. The f

My Open Marriage Backfired — Now What?

By The Coquette My husband’s been cheating on me. We are supposed to have an open marriage, and the agreed terms are that we know what each other has

What Your Post-Sex Behavior Says About You

That's the stereotypical way we tell it: In straight couples, guys sleep after sex and women just want to cuddle. Then there are those other types that res

Moving In Together Is About Way More Than Splitting Rent

It was the perfect apartment. Well, as perfect as you could get as a trio of 19-year-olds who worked jobs that paid barely above minimum wage. The walls we

My Life As A Virgin Sex Worker

By Lola Haze A year ago, at the ripe age of 18, I became a stripper. When I walked into the club, I was hired on the spot. “No prostitution,” m

Victorian Sex Tips, From The Ridiculous To The Kind Of Hot

By Sofia Barrett-Ibarria The Victorians may have been well-documented prudes living in an era of rampant sexual misinformation about how sex works, but com

The Sick Reality Of Selling Lingerie

Illustrated by Jenny Kraemer. For a brief moment in time, years ago, I was a part of the Victoria’s Secret family. I answered the phone when you call

When A Tinder Booty Call Turns Into Much More

I downloaded Tinder after a few of my perpetually single friends boasted about their conquests. “Dude, it’s sooooo easy to get laid,” the

Testing Out The In Sickness And In Health Vow

Illustrated by Alex Adamson. “You really want to be touched now?” my wife Lauren asked me from her side of our bed. The hard-on tenting my shor

Sex On Wheels: My Disability Didn’t Ruin My Sex Life

Illustrated by Sydney Hass. This post was authored by Tiffiny Carlson. I probably would’ve slept around a lot more in high school if I could’ve

Why Do We Forgo Basic Hygiene When We Start Hooking Up?

Illustrated by Ly Ngo. A while back I started hooking up with someone I really liked. What began as a friendship shifted one night after a drunken kiss. Th

Meet The Modern Day Masters Of Sex

Illustrated by Tania Lili. Nobody plans on being a sex researcher when they grow up. Nobody plans to work a strain gauge between splayed legs as they measu

Up Close: Manhattan Elite’s Most Intimate Parts

Illustrated by Anna Sudit. I dressed up as a dominatrix for Halloween when I was 13. My friend's parents looked questioningly at my red lipstick, tigh

The Great Cleavage Experiment: Is Boob Power Real?

Photographed by Lauren Perlstein. “God was very generous with you,” a Parisian friend once told me. Sadly, he wasn’t referring to my IQ o

Personality Quizzes May Be Fun — But, They’re Totally Point...

Illustrated by Tania Lili. I cracked my fingers as I sat down at my desk, knowing full well that I was about to go down a rabbit hole that I may not want t

How To Deal When It Comes To Your S.O.’s Ex

Illustrated by Madelyn Somers. Dear Miss Information, I have been living with my boyfriend for the past two years. When we started our relationship, he tol

Would You Cuddle With Strangers For A Sweet Fee?

Illustrated by Anna Sudit. For a fee, Samantha Hess will spoon with a stranger. About a year and a half ago, the 29-year-old former personal trainer has be

What It’s Like To Be A Government STD Notifier

“The reason I am calling is that you have been listed as a contact for someone who has chlamydia…” Yes, it turns out that the awkward co

A “Sexercise” Workshop Teacher Talks Squats And Planks

Illustrated by Elliot Salazar. It’s hard to stay financially afloat as an adjunct — the neglected temp of higher education — but Timaree