TORONTO – Born and raised in Toronto, Shan Boodram may just be the world’s favourite sexologist. Host of the new CBC Gem series “The Big Sex Talk”, Boodram joined Brandon to discuss her new show, her career as a sexologist, and how her Caribbean parents support her work!
Born at North York General, Boodram grew up in Scarborough, attended high school in Pickering, and went to Centennial College! A true G.T.A. gal at heart, she’s relocated to California since finding her niche as a sex and pleasure expert.
Boodram says that she first developed an interest in the field as a child, and remembers having a deep interest in the human body and how it functions, as well as love and intimacy.
“But I have Caribbean parents and I went to a Catholic school,” Boodram says, explaining how she wasn’t encouraged to explore her interests.
“But as I got older and that passion got more passionate, you know in your teen years, I essentially found a lot of my education in not reliable sources like porn and books and fiction TV shows and that really led me down a dangerous path,” Boodram remembers.
When she was 19 she decided to pursue a career as a sexologist, and she has never looked back.
“My first book came out in 2009,” Boodram recalls.
“My parents came to my book launch and they saw that people were not masturbating!” Boodram joked.
“They saw that it was an event that was meaningful to people, that they were having important dialogues and it was fun! They saw that it wasn’t something dangerous and scary and harmful and that’s when that switch really happened for them,” Boodram explained, saying that her parents are now supportive of her career as a sexologist.
Boodram is a well-loved and well-trusted figure on the internet and often finds herself in the middle of what some would consider “awkward conversations”. But she has a superpower that helps her in these situations.
“I like to think of my superpower as being the antidote to awkward. I get that from my dad, it’s very difficult to make me uncomfortable which is why I think I’m the perfect person for this given field,” Boodram says of her success.
She calls herself the “Walmart greeter” of sex and relationships, saying that she often introduces people to new concepts and ideas when it comes to sexuality.
“My passion is to get the average person comfortable in a space that traditionally we are told is supposed to be very uncomfortable,” Boodram added.
Speaking about sex, Boodram says that she feels like a lot of people aren’t having what she would consider “good sex.”
“I think we have to redefine what bad sex is. I think bad sex is scripted,” Boodram explained.
“If you told me you had sex last night and I can predict the three things that you said, and the five things that you said, and the four ways that you did it, it’s probably scripted sex,” she added, saying that sex should be more spontaneous.
When asked if size matters, Boodram had an answer that may be shocking to some: Yes!
“When asking if size matters it’s a lot like asking if breast size matters in many cases. Because anatomically there’s an argument for why it doesn’t matter,” Boodram says, explaining that the clitoris is accessed internally within one to two inches of the vaginal opening, and most women rely on clitoral stimulation for orgasm. However there are in many people spots deeper within the vagina that provide pleasure when stimulated, and in those cases, size really does matter.
“But I do think aesthetically like breast size, some people are turned on visually by that presentation. So I never want to discount and say that size doesn’t matter because I’ve heard from many people that it really does. But I think it’s person to person, but furthermore, I think it’s more what you do with what you have,” Boodram explained.
Her new CBC show “The Big Sex Talk”, launched in March has a new take on sex education. Comparing it to Netflix Explained, Boodram says that each episode has its own topic related to sexuality.
“I am the narrator so I will guide you through the various different labels and some of the concepts that are being brought up,” Boodram explained.
The show focuses on the real experiences of Canadians, and Boodram says that no one is left out!
“You’re going to hear from people who look like your great-grandma or your grandma talking about their sex life. And you’re going to hear from Gen Z who are starting to break free from some of those scripts,” Boodram says.
“I want people to leave and have the big sex talk! This show is supposed to inspire you to start it in your own circles,” Shan added.
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