Vanessa Grigoriadis

Harvard Book Store welcomes VANESSA GRIGORIADIS, contributing editor of the New York Times Magazine and Vanity Fair, for a discussion of Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power, and Consent on Campus.

About Blurred Lines

What’s really happening behind closed doors on America’s college campuses?

A new sexual revolution is sweeping the country, and college students are on the front lines. Women use fresh, savvy methods to fight entrenched sexism and sexual assault even as they celebrate their own sexuality as never before. Many "woke" male students are more sensitive to women’s concerns than previous generations ever were, while other men perpetuate the most cruel misogyny. Amid such apparent contradictions, it’s no surprise that intense confusion shrouds the topic of sex on campus.

Vanessa Grigoriadis dispels that confusion as no other writer could by traveling to schools large and small, embedding in their social whirl, and talking candidly with dozens of students—among them, both accusers and accused—as well as administrators, parents, and researchers. Her unprecedented investigation presents a host of new truths. She reveals which times and settings are most dangerous for women (for instance, beware the "red zone"); she demystifies the welter of conflicting statistics about the prevalence of campus rape; she makes a strong case that not all "sexual assault" should be considered assault; and she offers convincing if controversial advice on how schools, students, and parents can make college a safer, richer experience. The sum of her fascinating, fly-on-the-wall reportage is a revelatory account of how long-standing rules of sex and power are being rewritten from scratch.

Praise

“The definitive book on contemporary campus sexual culture. With daring and elegance, Grigoriadis explores the myriad factors—alcohol, gender, privilege, hormones, and politics, to name a few—that converge in the sex lives of teenagers who are set free for the first time. Blurred Lines is a fascinating and nuanced account of what constitutes "ethical sex" for students, and the implications for the rest of us.” —Ariel Levy, author of The Rules Do Not Apply

“The temptation is to say college was never like this in my day. But it probably was. We just didn't see it. Generations of male American students didn't see it. Vanessa Grigoriadis pulls the wool off that willful blindness in this sharp-eyed but humane disclosure of the politics of sex, and sex of politics, on campus circa today.” —Mark Jacobson, author of American Gangster

“Grigoriadis has pulled off something truly remarkable—a nuanced and deeply compassionate account of one of the most convulsive chapters in recent American culture. Blurred Lines pushes beyond the sensationalist headlines and political rhetoric to reveal the complicated stories underneath. This book has given me a whole new understanding of how we got into this mess—and how we might get out.” —Sarah Hepola, author of Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget

 “An essential handbook for college students who must navigate the hazards of social media, online porn, gender fluidity, and mind-altering substances while peeling the onion layers of "consent." It's also required reading for any parent of college-bound children who wants to protect them from making mistakes that can ruin their lives.”  —John Seabrook, author of The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory