‘Teen Vogue’ Mag Encourages Masturbation, Right Wing Lashes Back

An article published online last week by Teen Vogue magazine advising teen girls to masturbate as a way to “manifest personal goals” was not well received by conservative commentators, particularly by American Conservative magazine, which saw fit to publish an entire article of its own purporting to refute the Teen Vogue premise that solo sex can be “magic.” The Teen Vogue article was published as part of the magazine’s “Practical Magic” series, and may be read at this link. Titled “How to Use Sex Magic to Manifest Your Best Self,” the article penned by a writer going by the name Lisa Stardust advises readers that using “sex magic” with a partner “is a dangerous game.” Instead, Stardust advises, “the kind of sex we're trying to make magical here is the kind you have with yourself!” She goes on to advise the masturbators in her readership to “charge your sex toys under the moon,” and to “boost the vibration and power of your energetic wavelengths through sensual play” by wearing specific colors during the solo sex magic ritual. Not surprisingly, American Conservative commentator Libby Emmons did not agree with Stardust’s assessment of masturbation’s magical powers. "Teen Vogue is great at steering young girls in weird directions,” Emmons wrote. “That they are telling tweens (their core audience) to masturbate to get what they want is downright creepy.” Emmons went in to caution her readers—a group that likely includes many fewer “tweens” than the Teen Vogue audience, so it was unclear to whom Emmons was directing her advice—“masturbation will not help you get an A in algebra, stop your parents from splitting up, get you the lead part in the school play, supersize your Instagram following, or keep Becky off your back.” Emmons' response did not go unnoticed by social media users, however. “Why were you reading a Teen Vogue story about masturbation?” one Twitter user replied to the American Conservative’s own tweet promoting its counter-article. “Pretty certain this article would not have been written had @TeenVogue article been about masturbation for boys,” wrote another Twitter commenter. “Masturbation, like exercise, eating well, and getting enough sleep, is part of proven effective practices for emotional and physical well-being, which translates to improved quality of life overall,” wrote another Twitter user.  “GO @TeenVogue!!!” Photo By The Narratographer / Wikimedia Commons