Review: Passionate U

A few weeks ago, I was offered the chance to review the website www.passionateU.com. I've followed this website since I joined twitter late last fall and have wanted the opportunity to watch their videos ever since. When the opportunity arose to have a free 2-week trial to the website in exchange for an honest review, I immediately agreed.

I will start by saying I completely underestimated the value of this website. If I could offer a sex-ed course to every person on the planet, it would be made up of many videos from this website. (Every person would benefit, even though they may not all appreciate it!) This video has a great mix of topics (discussed further below) and not all of them contain nudity. The experts for these videos contain a mix of sex educators and porn performers as well as sex researchers. Some of the experts I found were also those whose real-world lives I admire (and follow on twitter) such as Courtney Trouble, Ned and Maggie Mayhem, and ReidAboutSex.

The variety of videos on this website is fantastic. They cover many topics about and relating to sex. Some of the topics include: how to have a difficult relationship talk, how to masturbate (separate videos for male- and female-bodied persons), legal considerations for polyamory, how an uncut penis can be played with, tickling, making out, the importance of foreplay, different ways of spanking, sex with disability, strap-on sex, how to use condoms, and much, much more. Three of my favorite topics were:

1. Deep-Throating. ReidAboutSex has a video about deep-throating (one of several deep-throating videos on the site) that really drove home some clear points about deep-throating. Actually, it was this video that enabled me to deep-throat the boyfriend for the first time! I watched all of the deep-throating videos, but this one I watched several times and really found the tips useful. And for those tips, the boyfriend and myself will be forever grateful.

2. Squirting/G-spot play: I was very happy to find that there are MANY video's about squirting and G-spot play on this site. Many of these are multi-part videos that are 6-10 minutes each. The experts are in pairs with one working their fingers or toy while the other is the receiver. What is so great about these (and all pair/group videos on this website) is it is part live example, part lesson. Each step is explained by the experts and why. What kind of stimulation does the receiver like? What motion is the giver doing inside and why? What does it feel like for both of them? What I really liked about these videos is that the receivers were different women who had entirely different perspectives and experiences with squirting. I am in a passionate pursuit of squirting myself, so it was refreshing to hear some perspectives that differed from anything else I've heard before.

3. What to expect from a pelvic exam: This video uses a mold to show the different steps and tools that take place during a female pelvic exam. The expert uses the tools and explains each step of the process, including modeling the finger movements the doctor will do and explaining its importance. This video contains no nudity, which makes it very appropriate for any female who is undergoing pelvic exams. I was fortunate to have a doctor who explained each step of the process during my first pap smear at 13, but if she had not, I would have been very frightened and surprised at all of the steps. This video makes the exam very straightforward and non-threatening. What great information! One great point the expert makes is that you can bring your own lube to the exam if you are concerned about glycerin (or, I would add, parabens).

The site lets you set your own curriculum of videos you want to watch or you can watch some of their pre-arranged curriculum which gathers all or most video's on a topic and lists them for you to follow. There is also a friendly search feature for you to find and browse through your topics at your leisure.

The only criticism I have of the website is that the volume of the videos can vary greatly between the different videos, so be ready to adjust your speaker volume from video to video! Overall, this isn't a terrible thing and it speaks to the originality of the videos where each was filmed separately and in different locations or settings; really, it's an annoying detail but completely unimportant compared to the quality of information that can be found in the videos.

Thinking of trying Passionate U? They have a free page where you can try out some of their videos and see how helpful they are. In fact, the video I mentioned in #3 is in their free section, so you can watch it yourself for free. (men, if you've ever been curious... here's your chance to understand!)

This website is an incredible source of knowledge for dating, relationships, and, yes, sex. It covers every topic in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner that has a reassuring, non-threatening tone. Sex is normal. Masturbation is normal. Want some tips on how to try new things? Or improve your existing skill set? This website is a great investment to do just that.

Disclaimer: I was given a free 2-week membership to passionateu.com in exchange for unique and fair review of the website. While the membership was free, this review is entirely my own.