Romper

Madison Young

Madison is a published author, feminist pornographer, certified sex educator and body based performance artist who is currently touring the country with her one woman show Reveal All Fear Nothing. Originally from Southern Ohio, Young has travelled the world speaking at universities and conferences on the topic of feminism and sexuality. Outside of work she loves tree climbing, puddle splashing, curling up with a book, and raising her radical mini-feministas.

These Families Went Screen-Free This Summer — Could You?

We think about days spent in the pool playing Marco Polo and riding bikes until the sun sets, chasing ice cream trucks or spending nights immersed in nature at sleepaway camp, but summer increasingly entails an abundance of screen time. Between…
By Madison Young

The Tricky Politics Of A Radical Education For Little Kids

Should children be shielded from the political conversation, with its sometimes violent undertones, or do parents have a responsibility to teach their kids about politics? Madison Young explores both sides of the issue. “Mama can we talk about…
By Madison Young

Feminist Partners Aren’t Just Counting Breaths Anymore — Here’s What A Truly Supportive Birth Looks Like

This past spring, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, witnessed the birth of his third daughter, Tiana Gia Johnson, and wrote a touching post on his Instagram account about the experience. “ I was raised and surrounded by strong, loving women all my life,”…
By Madison Young

“I Just Wanted A Family”: The Women Who Get Pregnant On Their Own

“It wasn’t an easy choice. I’d characterize it as fairly anguished choice.” Sarah Kowalski, a writer and mother in Berkeley, California, is talking about her decision to have a baby alone as she approached age 40. Once Kowalski finally made the…
By Madison Young

The Mothers We Choose Can Be More Important Than Our Real Mothers

“She is the closest thing to a mother I have in my life; I trust her completely, I know I can tell her anything without judgment, I know she supports me and loves my family unconditionally.” Jen Salinas-Holz is talking about the one-time work friend…
By Madison Young

Does Feminism Risk Treating Little Boys Like The Enemy?

Whenever discussion about the latest #MeToo moment turns to how we should ultimately address patriarchal structures in society, some variation of "we need to teach our sons about male privilege" crops up. Our children provide an opportunity for a…
By Madison Young

Can Teaching Little Boys & Girls About Consent End #MeToo?

I sat down on the couch and observed the a chaotic swirl of children running past me. We were at birthday party for one of my daughter’s classmates. It was loud, with sugar flowing like water, and one group of kids were chasing one another through…
By Madison Young

These Couples Found That Porn Actually *Helped* Postpartum

Kaycee’s tone is full of frustration as she confesses with not a small amount of curiosity, “OK, let’s get real about sex. Am I the only wife who has NO interest in it whatsoever?! Like nothing. I don’t watch porn, I don’t get excited, she’s dead…
By Madison Young

Why Are We So Weird About Letting Other Moms Breastfeed Our Babies?

When my second child was born, my heart cracked open and my breasts did what they needed to do, providing colostrum for my hungry newborn baby. But upon our two-week checkup, my pediatrician told me that my child, Maple, was dropping in weight and…
By Madison Young

These Millennial Parents Are Taking Gender-Neutral Parenting To An Entirely New Level

A woman on the subway looks at my bulbous shape and asks, “What are you having?” I take a deep breath and throw a glance to my 5-year-old. “I’m having a baby,” I say to the woman. “No, no” the woman says laughing as she pushes further. “Are you…
By Madison Young

Is Your 4-Year-Old Learning About Racial Justice At Story Time? These Kids Are

While other kids are singing along to The Wiggles in pre-school classrooms, Debra Guckenheimer is attending "Racial Justice Story Time" at the Oakland Public Library with her 4-year-old. Children file into the intimate library meeting room, cuddling…
By Madison Young

When Do You Plan On Having “The Talk”? Subtract 5 Years

I sit down to my computer and reading an email that I feel like I have gotten a dozen times as a sex educator and relationship coach. A mom has received an email from her child’s principal informing her that one of the other children showed her…
By Madison Young

I Consulted 3 Witches About Childbirth & It Was Actually Kind Of Helpful

I sit before her, a woman who self identifies as a magikal mama and witch, and she tells me that while there are spells out there to “sway the sex” of the baby, “I am not so sure I myself would do so.” I hang on her words. There is an innate wisdom…
By Madison Young

Can Childbirth Be Sexual? These Women Think So

It was the night before the harvest moon that appears every September. I was 38 weeks pregnant, my large pregnant belly as round and full as the glowing satellite in the sky. I had just slipped into bed with my husband when I felt a large gush of…
By Madison Young

Moms Like Me Work In Porn, & We Deserve Support

After I started to show early in my second trimester, the work available to me as an adult performer trickled off. I compensated by teaching more sexuality workshops, directing erotic films, and performing on webcam, but it was clear to me that…
By Madison Young