I first found Slutty Girl Problems when scrolling through twitter during my freshman year of college. My interest was sparked when I noticed that the funny and witty Twitter account was linked to a blog, which seemed to have even more to offer. I clicked the link, read a few reviews, and stumbled upon the mission statement. I knew in that very moment I wanted to write for them.

During this time, I was in an abusive relationship. Anything and everything I had ever learned about sex was from my controlling partner. I now realize that most of the sexual decisions about my body were primarily made by him. Since I had never had proper sex education, and my parents had never given me a “birds and bees” talk, I trusted he knew how sex was supposed to work. Well, he didn’t.

Sex wasn’t supposed to be painful. It wasn’t supposed to be something I had to be convinced into doing or trying. It is supposed to be mutual, pleasurable, and comfortable.

I first applied to write for SGP about a month after I read the mission statement. I ran it by my then boyfriend, and he immediately told me he did not want me writing for a blog that had the word slut in the title. I showed him the mission statement, and the Why slut? explanation, but he still said he wouldn’t date me if I wrote for a blog that was called Slutty Girl Problems. I deleted my application, knowing that to stay in that relationship I would have to give up my dreams of joining the SGP team.

Fast forward about three months later, and he and I had broken up. I had never had a college hookup before, I had never experimented sexually outside of that relationship, I had never even made out with someone at a college party. So there I was, nineteen years old, a survivor of an abusive relationship, and confused where to even begin trying to understand myself.

That lead me back to Slutty Girl Problems.

I applied as soon as I felt ready to grapple with these issues. I was hired and published my first article that I wrote when I was dating my ex. From there, my interest in sex education and women’s health skyrocketed. I changed my major, I picked up another major, and I began volunteering at a domestic violence shelter.

Now, I’m on track to get two degrees – one in Human Services and the other in World Religions. I’m applying to grad school for counseling, and hopefully someday earning a PhD in sexology. I have taken full control of my own sexual and reproductive rights, and I make it my mission to empower every single person I meet to do the same.

Slutty Girl Problems has showed me that I am a strong, sexual, smart, successful woman who does not need to be told what to do by my significant other. I have learned more about myself and my body in the past few years of writing for Slutty Girl Problems than I have in my entire life. I have taken control of my own destiny, my own sexuality, and my own love life.

I hope I can empower every single person reading this to take control of their own lives. No one can tell you what to do except for yourself. Don’t give up that power. You are in control.

Learn. Learn all you can. Learn about how to pleasure yourself, learn about reproductive health, learn about safe sex and abstinence, and how to connect with other people. Be a leader and an advocate for others out there who don’t know how to control their own destiny. We can all learn from each other.

Lastly, thank you to Slutty Girl Problems for helping me take control of my life. I am a happier and healthier woman thanks to SGP. And to all the writers and editors on this team: Thank you for helping to make this world a better place.

Apply here to write for Slutty Girl Problems too!