Ep 2: Why is the US so obsessed with abstinence?

In episode 2, we continue to follow participants of a 3-week pleasure study, diving into the week where they were not allowed to have any. Host Danielle Bezalel traces abstinence-only sex ed back to its Reagan-era origins with legendary sex researcher Emily Nagoski, unpacking the politics, and the decades of research showing it has not achieved its desired outcomes. Then, Danielle and Magic Wand study lead Dr. Candice Hargons revisit a question neither of them saw coming: what does "abstinence" even mean, and why couldn't 1,000 participants agree on it? Participants Mary, Robbie, and Liz share what the week actually looked like for them, from religious guilt to counting down the minutes to a masturbation session, to a week that collided with a news cycle no one could have planned for. Pleasure People is hosted and produced by Danielle Bezalel Executive Producer: Sarah Tomchesson Lead producer: Kate Helen Downey Music supervision, sound design, and mixing: Kelly Kramarik at Maven Post Media Our theme music was composed by Julie McCarthy Pleasure People was made possible by the financial support of Vibratex, Inc. Thank you to Magic Wand Study principal researcher Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons and sex educator and author Emily Nagoski, phD for appearing on this episode as expert guests. And a huge thank you to the participants in the Magic Wand study who shared their experiences in this episode.