How consent works
In a healthy relationship, all partners are able to talk openly and agree upon what kind of activity they want to engage in. Whether it’s holding hands, kissing, touching, intercourse, or anything else, it’s important for all partners in a relationship to feel comfortable with what’s happening every time it happens. Consent is crucial to that, but not everyone knows how consent works.
A common misconception about consent is that talking about or getting consent will make a moment awkward or “ruin the mood.”
If anything, the mood is more positive when both partners feel safe and can freely communicate about what they want.
Discuss what terms like “going all the way” mean to each partner ahead of time, and consider having these conversations outside of physically intimate moments so you both feel comfortable establishing your boundaries.
Remember to have such discussions regularly: consent in one moment is not consent in the future, and nobody is ever obligated to give consent even if they’ve done so in the past.
