THE GREAT SEX RECESSION

In an age of sexual freedom and hook-up culture, Gen Z is rewriting the narrative and instead choosing celibacy and self-care.

- Adrienne Tam

When Chloe Scull told friends at the beginning of last year she was quitting sex, they thought she was joking. But the 25-year-old couldn't have been more serious. Dating and casual sex had led to low self-confidence, making the Queenslander question whether there was something intrinsically wrong with her.

"For so long I felt men characterised me as the type of woman they wanted to sleep with but not be with," she says. "I was never taken seriously, and that really hurts. Especially being surrounded by so many friends in healthy relationships with amazing partners who would move mountains for them. I didn't understand why I couldn't find the same." So Scull decided to take a break.

Her sexual sabbatical ended up lasting seven months and was so transformative that the content creator, who goes by @chlo_muny on TikTok, decided to share her experience to help others who may be curious about abstaining from sex.

"Celibacy allowed me to take my power back and switch the narrative. It gave me the time and space to truly heal and learn to find happiness in other aspects of life, instead of focusing my energy on romantic connections," she explains. "It forces you to find fulfilment as a single person. And you have higher standards in dating – now that I know I can survive and thrive on my own, why would I accept anything less than amazing?”