As odd as it may sound, sometimes talking about sex can feel a lot more awkward than the act itself, especially when it comes to recounting your sexual history to the person you're currently dating. Luckily for you, there's a new web series currently in development that's looking to tackle that exact dilemma. Starring Pretty Little Liars ' Lindsey Shaw, Hers & History will center around a couple, Karina and Luke, who decide to have an in-depth discussion about their past sexual encounters in the hopes of making their own relationship stronger. Sounds pretty interesting, right? Well, Bustle had the chance to chat with Shaw about the upcoming project and how this little trip down memory lane could help reopen society's eyes regarding the power of female sexuality.
"The thing that drew me in most about [Hers & History] was the dominant female sexual perspective of all of this," the actress explains. "It's cool that it speaks to the female mystique and I think it's cool that we see the man in a role of not glorifying it as much." Normally whenever sex is portrayed on TV or in the movies, it can sometimes gloss over what the experience is really like. But this series will look to paint sex in a more realistic light and give you a front row seat of what really goes on between the sheets — awkward mishaps and all.
"It's dirty and sexual and real," Shaw shares. "They go from everything from their weirdest encounters to their most vulnerable encounters to just things that you didn't know actually happened outside of storybooks, but it's very real. They go through everything." As for her character, Karina, Shaw feels a great deal of admiration for her "sexual dynamo" mystique (which she equates to being her own alter ego Sasha Fierce) and hopes that the character helps to sexually liberate the way females are thought about in the bedroom, rather than just pigeonholed as either a prude or a slut.
"The reason I want to do this is to feel empowered in that way and in a way that female sex has gotten so stereotyped," Shaw states. "Female sexuality, we have to take that back for ourselves." And, for her, this web series perfectly embodies that very notion and showcase "the animal part of women that hasn't had a chance to be portrayed in a healthy and vibrant way." And even though this show is centered around a couple and their relationship, that doesn't mean it isn't just as relevant and intriguing to those who are single.
"This is what you want to experience with a partner, or at least the animal side that I've wanted to experience," Shaw reveals. "But it's considered so taboo because a couple is considered sacred and [makes people think] 'Oh, is it marriage? Oh, is it love? Oh, is it this?' Love is everything and I think this new approach on sex can also comment on love." And that is one concept I think we can all get in bed — I mean, on board with.
For more information about Hers & History and how to help contribute to the project, click here.
Images: Jared Krichevsky; Giphy
