Of all the unrealistic Hollywood tropes, nothing irritates me more than women wearing men’s shirts after sex, says Iman Hariri-Kia in Bustle. You know the scene: two characters fall into bed, then the camera cuts to our heroine “post-coitus, draped in a men’s button-down shirt”. It’s everywhere, from Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City to Angelina Jolie in Mr and Mrs Smith.
But it doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t the woman be more comfortable in a T-shirt? Isn’t the man annoyed that she’s creasing a well-ironed shirt for no reason? The trend started in the 1950s and has feminist roots, says media historian Moya Luckett – wearing supposedly masculine clothing made women appear socially independent. These days, though, “it just feels impractical”.
In the name of research, I tried the post-sex shirt myself. I slipped on a button-down “hoping it would fill me with both wisdom and whimsy”. But “it felt tight in all the wrong places and barely covered my bottom”. All I ask of Hollywood is to show aftercare as it truly is: “sexy, yes – but also sloppy, sweaty and lacking in starch”.
Are we hot to trot after having a shot?
“Are we really in for a summer of love?” asks Lauren Vespoli in Vox. Many young Americans are feeling ready to date again, thanks to the speedy vaccine rollout: a survey found that 53% of adults felt “comfortable” dating as of April 25, up 9% from the end of March. Phrases such as “hot vax summer”, “vaxxed and waxed” and the “whoring twenties” point to a horny season ahead.
But psychologist Amanda Gesselman thinks the pandemic “has motivated American singles to look for partners rather than casual sex”. Young people, she says, have become “more introspective about what they want in their lives”. The Kinsey Institute reports that 52% of singles want to find a committed relationship post-pandemic, while only one in 10 are looking for casual sex.