Skip to main content
Ella Dawson on Muck Rack

Ella Dawson

New York
As seen in: Rebel Ever After, Medium, TED Ideas Blog, astrology for writers, Patreon, Substack, Vox, ELLE, Salon, Women's Health, Longreads and
Covers:  Sexuality, technology and social media, feminism, pop culture.
author of BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY (@DuttonBooks, June 2024). sex & culture critic. survivor. she/her. 🏳️‍🌈
Back to Ella Dawson’s profile

Ella Dawson’s Journalist Portfolio

View as a grid

Bullies Targeted Me For Being Bisexual - Here's What I Wish I Knew Then

Bullies Targeted Me For Being Bisexual - Here's What I Wish I Knew Then

MTV News — I realized I wasn't straight when I was 17 years old and kissing a friend at a high school cast party. We were alone in a bathroom, giddy and giggling about some teenage conspiracy, when she smiled at me with such open joy that I lost my train of thought.
Who shared?

Why I Love Telling People I Have Herpes

Why I Love Telling People I Have Herpes

Women's Health — To be fair, we both were. Andy was working on a political campaign in Maine while I finished a social media internship in New York City. And after texting for two months about how much we wanted to see each other-and have sex with each other-he and I were finally standing side by side.
Who shared?

The dark side of going viral

The dark side of going viral

Vox — First-person essays and interviews with unique perspectives on complicated issues. By now, you've probably heard the story. Last week, an actress and photographer, Rosey Blair, asked to switch seats with a woman on a plane from New York to Dallas so that she could sit next to her boyfriend.
Who shared?

"Bad Sex," or the Sex We Don't Want But Have Anyway

"Bad Sex," or the Sex We Don't Want But Have Anyway

ELLE — Ella Dawson wrote this piece in response to the short story "Cat Person" by Kristen Roupenian, which was recently published in The New Yorker. It was originally published at elladawson.com. I want to talk about bad sex for a minute. I don't mean "bad sex" as in sex that wasn't pleasurable, or sex that was awkward, or sex that hurt.
Who shared?

Do We Owe Partners Our Stories of Assault, Harassment, and Abuse?

Do We Owe Partners Our Stories of Assault, Harassment, and Abuse?

ELLE — I have plenty of quirks that are easier to get out in the open early. These parts of my life are worth leading with because they quickly become relevant in a new relationship. If any of these is a deal-breaker, I don't hesitate to walk away.
Who shared?

Why I Celebrate The Day I Was Diagnosed With Herpes

Why I Celebrate The Day I Was Diagnosed With Herpes

MTV News — On May 9, I will commemorate a very important anniversary. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with genital herpes. When I tell people I honor my herpes anniversary, or "herpiversary" for short, I'm usually met with surprise and disgust.
Who shared?

7 Things You Should Never Say to Someone with Herpes

7 Things You Should Never Say to Someone with Herpes

Women's Health — I was diagnosed with herpes two years ago, and I can't tell you how many offensive things people have said to me about it since then. I understand that many of these comments don't come from a place of ill will; most people just have no effing clue what to say when someone tells them that they have herpes.
Who shared?

Peeple is back, and it wants to monetise abuse | Gadgette

Peeple is back, and it wants to monetise abuse | Gadgette

Gadgette — Because we all know comments sections are places of kindness It's rare for an app to inspire as much loathing as Peeple managed to do before it even launched. Not-so-affectionately known as the "Yelp for people," the app lets you write and share your honest reviews of friends, coworkers, and exes.
Who shared?