Described on the inside cover as “the only guide you need to navigate consent for tweens and teens of all genders”,it covers a range of topics such as dating (including ghosting and how to respectfully break up) and sex (including the intricacies of consent,premature ejaculation and the clitoris). It also debunks common myths around sex and sexuality,for example,that the size of a penis matters,and that there is only one way to orgasm.
“We were pitched the idea of writing something together.[We thought] what’s the most pressing thing?” Stynes explained. “Periods started the convo,and then consent was a burning issue. Like,we’re gonna write about consent.
“The one that was going to be an opus,we knew it was going to be big and require a lot of diligence and research and consultation,was sex. So,we’re going to give ourselves lots of time and lots of space to put it together and really be thoughtful about it. This book was a response to genuine questions asked by adolescents to Dolly Doctor for more than 20 years. She was exposed to what kids were too ashamed to ask anyone else.”
As well as it selling out on Amazon,Dymocks’ online store listsWelcome to Sexas the most popular publication in theparenting category. Sales have also increased in bricks-and-mortar stores across Australia. Some bookshops sold out soon after the title made its way into news headlines.
Co-owner of Brisbane’s Avid Reader stores Fiona Stager saidWelcome to Sexhad sold well since its May release. However,sales skyrocketed so much after the conservative backlash that the store had nowsold out.
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“People are interested in the book,they want to see it for themselves. But I think there’s also a level of support for the authors,” Stager said. “It’s in solidarity that they’re buying the book.”
Dani Solomon,manager of Readings Kids in Carlton,Melbourne,said the number of copies sold in the past few days made up roughly a quarter of the book’s overall sales,noting a particular spike in online purchases.
“We have had overwhelmingly positive feedback in the last few days,with only a few negative responses,” Solomon said. “The negative feedback has not been particularly relevant to the contents of the book.”
Stynes is known best for co-hosting the ABC’sLadies,We Need to Talk podcast. Co-author Kang is a trained GP who became a household name by writingDolly magazine’s Dolly Doctor column.
FollowingWelcome to Sex’s rise to the top of the Amazon charts,two of the previous books in the Welcome toseries,Welcome to your Period(2019) andWelcome to Consent(2021),climbed to No.10 and No.18 on Amazon’s bestseller list,respectively.
“I really,really feel strongly that Australian people are smarter than we give them credit for,” Stynes said. “I don’t think that they are quick to react and hop into a pile-on. I think that a lot of mainstream Australians are just watching and kind of making up their own minds.
The backlash toWelcome to Sex mimicssimilar campaigns in the US that in recent years have targeted books about sex and sexuality.
When told about the book’s sales boost,Stynes said she felt “really glad,and I hope that parents read it,and then make up their own minds about whether they want their kids to read it. I really know deep down in my soul that parents will get something fantastic out of it for themselves.”