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    1. Culture
    2. TV shows

    6 Things We Learned About Sex from 'Friends'

    Old wives' tales, erogenous zones, high-risk revenge sex–the list goes on.

    By Lauren Valenti
    Published 27 August 2014 In Features

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    Over the course of ten seasons, the six characters of Friends had a lot of sex. Naturally, we had the most takeaway from their carnal hypotheses and hilarious pitfalls. Here are their 6 most important lessons:

    1. How to Measure a Guy's Manhood
    Chandler, Joey, and Ross test the theory that penis size is equivalent to the distance between a man's index finger and thumb. Whether or not it's an old wives' tale remains to be seen.

    2. Women Have 7 Erogenous Zones
    Monica teaches future-husband Chandler, diagram et all, about the can't-miss areas for pleasuring a woman. The important thing to remember is, "Take your time, hit them all, and mix 'em up. You got to keep them on their toes."

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    3. How to Have High-Risk Revenge Sex
    If Julia Roberts' guest appearance as Chandler's childhood friend taught us anything, it's that you should never bed anyone who has reason to seek vengeance against you — even if their anger dates back to childhood. Oh, and keep track of your clothes! Poor Channy had to learn both of these things the hard way.

    4. How to Accidentally Go On A Perma-Break
    After a nasty fight with Rachel, Ross puts himself in a sticky situation by getting drunk and sleeping with the cute girl from copy store, Chloe. Guys, here's a sage bit of wisdom: it's not really a break if it's only been a couple of hours.

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    • Two women covered in blood (Gillian Anderson as Billy and Hannah Einbinder as Kris) stand closely together in a convenience store aisle, with their intertwined hands on a cart. A still from Jane Schoenbrun's 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' (2026). Everyone Has Thoughts About Gen Z and Sex. 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' Gets It Right
    • a collage of the best friends to lovers books including emma every summer after and more Consider Yourself a Real Yearner? You'll Swoon Over These 10 Friends-to-Lovers Romance Novels
    • A group of friends (l-r Lucy Freyer as Billie, Owen Thiele as Anton, Amita Rao as Issa, Jack Innanen as Paul Baker, Malik Elassal as Samir) cuddle together on a living room couch, in the FX series 'Adults.' The 'Adults' Cast Is Just as Close as Their On-Screen Friend Group

    5. The Art of Poorly Gifting Your Bedfellow
    Unless you're Joey Tribbiani, don't expect to score in the bedroom if you give your significant other a pen (even if it's a clock too) for their birthday.

    6. Joey Tribbiani Can Seduce Anyone With a Single, "How You Doin'?"
    But a word of caution to everyone else: do not try this at home, or at a bar, or ever.

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    Beauty Editor

    Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.

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