Advice for sex advisors: a guide for ‘agony aunts’, relationship therapists and sex educators who want to work with the media

Abstract

Education programmes for sex and relationships are greatly needed globally. One way such information can be delivered is via the media. Sex and relationship advice has long been a popular media component, but the quality, accuracy and effectiveness of such advice—particularly from the sex ‘expert’ or ‘agony aunt’—has not been adequately addressed. Given the rising cult of the ‘expert’ and ‘self‐improvement’ features within the media alongside growing sexual health problems, this paper discusses problems associated with providing media sex education and makes suggestions for effective communication of sex and relationships messages for those who wish to be media sex educators or who already offer media sex and relationships advice and seek to improve their skills.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the many journalists, readers, listeners and researchers who have passed on their concerns and comments about the quality of sex advice currently provided in the media.

Notes

1. I am, depending on which publication I am working with, simultaneously an ‘agony aunt’ for the teenage magazine www.mykindaplace and African Women's Magazine Beauty Zambia, and sex editor at www.mansized.co.uk. I host a regular live sex and relationship phone in for BBC Radio 5 Live, train journalists to work more effectively with ‘experts’ and offer evidence‐based sex and relationship information to the media.