A Sneak Peak Into Modern Dating Culture and Sexuality
Photo source: https://www.bloodandmilk.com/author/megan-lierley/
Meet Megan Lierley, a media professional who works to celebrate and educate women. Megan is the Managing Editor at Blood + Milk (B+M). The editorial website revolutionizes women's health content and is changing the way women experience their periods, offering community and resources, exposing the multiple forces that influence the way women exist in their bodies and celebrating femininity in all forms. My Sex Bio decided to talk to Megan Lierley about the growth of the B+M community and sexuality.
MSB: Let's start off with Blood + Milk: How did you get involved with B+M and what is its relationship to Cora? I understand that it's the editorial arm of the organization, but are there differences in the missions of the two? And what form does B+M take?
Photo source: https://advicefromatwentysomething.com/author/meganlierley/
ML: Yes, I'm the director of content at Cora and the managing editor of Blood + Milk. Cora, the women's wellness company, knew they wanted an editorial site that was more than just a corporate blog—a place to truly celebrate women and dig into what it means to exist in a female body (whatever that means to you) without feeling like it needs to constantly be pushing toward or selling our products. I joined the team two years ago and launched B+M in April, 2018. Cora exists to empower women—through better-for-you products, education, and a giving model that gives both to girls in need. Blood + Milk is the "education" component of that mission—we want to arm women with as much knowledge as possible through sharing expert opinions and advice as well as stories and narratives that help remind readers of the interconnectedness of humanity and the female experience.
MSB: Since Blood + Milk launched in 2018, what kinds of growth have you seen?
ML: We've grown a lot! Since our launch, we've had nearly 2 million visitors to the site.
MSB: What do you think is the connection between women's health and their sexuality?
ML: That's a loaded question! So much of our health affects our sexuality—if you have the flu, you probably don't want to have sex! If you're feeling super anxious, you probably don't feel super sexually charged, either. Not that not wanting to have sex or be sexual is a negative thing, of course. Medications, injuries, our menstrual cycle, our mental health...all of these things impact our sexuality. I think the most important thing, though, is coming up with a baseline for what sexuality means and looks like to you. If your reality doesn't match your ideal definition, in addition to digging into things like atmosphere, partner, work/life balance, it's so important to take stock of your overall health—physical and mental.
MSB: What do you see as the major difference between today's dating culture and those of the past? Or, perhaps, what do you think is the defining characteristic of today's dating culture?
Photo source: https://advicefromathirtysomething.com/the-career-advice-to-ignore/
ML: I think the obvious answer here is the always-on, technological component of our dating lives today. I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually love dating apps. I met my now-fiance on an app and went on countless app dates before meeting him. For me, using dating apps allowed me to be more present in other aspects of my life. For example, when I went out with my girlfriends, I was out with my girlfriends! I could focus on our conversation without looking around the bar for a cute guy because I knew I could just go home later and swipe before bed. I found I was able to better compartmentalize my dating life from everything else I had going on. The downside, of course, is that it is always on. It's important to set boundaries for yourself because if you wanted to, you could spend hours a day swiping left and right and go on seven dates a week—neither of which are probably ideal for any of us.
Thank you for speaking with us, Megan.
You can follow Megan Lierley on her Twitter handle.
