I couldn’t help but wonder, when did we stop sneaking out in last night’s heels and start sneaking into 6 a.m. pilates classes?

After a night spent with, well … someone, there’s that undeniable glow your friends can spot from a mile away. It’s not just dewy skin that gives it away, but something internal. A mix of oxytocin, endorphins and a sense of aliveness and desire fills your body.

If humans crave that feeling, and for good reason, then why is Gen Z having less sex than our parents and grandparents did at our age? Are we less interested? Less wild? Or just more careful?

Open any social media platform and it seems like you can’t escape the takeover of gym rats, pilates princesses and overpriced smoothies on your for-you page. Wellness isn’t just an activity anymore, but a lifestyle. With sleep tracking, cold plunges and 6 a.m. morning rituals, we’ve turned wellness into a daily, holistic ritual that’s replaced the young, party-girl lifestyles of past generations.

Have we completely traded hangovers for hydration? And where did this shift come from?

Gen Z has proven to engage in less sex and have fewer partners than previous generations. With COVID-19’s lockdown replacing in-person romance for dating apps, the shift to online relationships has created a disconnect that many people are still readjusting to. There’s less focus on forming relationships and more of a desire to focus on one’s education and career and it may just be the new epidemic.

So, have we found a new post-glow outside of the bedroom? And is it now at the focus of bettering ourselves?

While sex is an act, sensuality is a state of being. It’s being intentional with what we do, allowing ourselves to be more aware than ever when going through the motions of life. It’s about feeling more and being in tune with your mind-to-body connection.

Our generation finds sensuality through movement. Becoming more comfortable in our bodies and feeling safer by being present and intentional. Sensuality isn’t always about sex, but awareness.

I started to wonder, by finding pleasure in our lives beyond what past generations have deemed it to be, are we creating a new era of how we indulge in sex?

Our generation drinks less, smokes less and is more health-conscious. And while this may cause concern for whether we’re forgetting to enjoy the youthfulness of our lives, we’ve turned our focus to feeling good and that is deeply sensual. We’re taking ownership of our life, our body and the experiences we have with it. In deciding that you have the power and ability to control the amount of pleasure you bring into your life, you step into the most creative and powerful way of being. It’s that force that allows ideas, relationships and visions to come into existence.

By limiting sex as the only way to truly experience pleasure, we shrink pleasure to one category, one act and one person. Is Gen Z really rejecting intimacy? Or have we found new ways of redefining it?

Because when you curate joy in small and intentional ways, whether that’s savoring your coffee, listening to high vibrational music or taking a hot shower, you generate energy. It’s a quiet confidence that doesn’t rely on anyone’s validation besides your own. But it radiates throughout and it’s something visible to anyone around you.

If sensuality is about fully inhabiting your body and your life, maybe the sexiest thing our generation can do isn’t sleeping around, but learning how to feel everything, fully.