Sexting stories (as told by you)
Here’s the thing. Sexting (the combination of sex and texting) is for anyone and everyone – all ages, genders, and relationship statuses. It’s exciting, it’s hot, it’s accessible, and it’s usually pretty fun. Not to mention, sexting is a sensuous way to explore intimacy, pleasure, and connection, as long as it’s consensual.
That said, explicit pics and steamy convos come with a slew of experiences, memories, laughs, and maybe even a few cringe-worthy moments. After all, according to DoSomething.org, 33 percent of college-age students (ages 18 to 24) have been involved in some form of sexting. But whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned sexting pro, read on for 24 sexting stories on the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Let's get into it
1. “Mid-sexting, I took a selfie video fingering myself in the shower. I got way too into catching my best angles and slipped and fell into the bath. On camera.” – Grace, 23
2. “I'm in a situationship (over a year at this point) and we have a standing "appointment" every Monday. Every Monday morning, he texts to confirm our appointment and when I respond I tell him everything I want him to. Most recently, I told him that I was able to make myself squirt the night before our appointment (something I've only done once with him) and while I was in the law school cafeteria, I detailed how I used my vibrator watching a video called "Fucking my Best Friend's Dad.” It was definitely the hottest confirmation text he's ever gotten!” – Claire, 26
3. “I ended a fling because he kept asking for ass pics while I was studying for midterms.” – Sarah, 25
4. “One time, my obscene description of last night's escapades landed in a group text to the preschool parents.” – Lori, 35
5. “Sexting was never something I constantly tried to do because it always felt a bit risky... the idea that it could be sent to others or broadcasted in any way outside of the intended recipient—horrifying. But you can't always be in person with your partner and still like to keep some romantic vibes going, so at some point, sexting tends to enter the picture.
My first sexting experience was unfortunately in my early teens with a guy in my grade I had a crush on and had known for years. To make matters worse, it was the year Snapchat blew up for the first time and everyone was sending messages and pictures they likely would only send knowing the evidence would be erased soon after receipt. With the unfortunate mix of Snapchat and hormonal fluctuations around puberty, every message back and forth was overtly sexualized. It was fun—no harm in the messages back and forth—and just felt like I could keep his interest when we were not in-person together.
The awkward part was when we got carried away, then I would take a step back and begin second guessing. I didn't know him and trust him as well as I would have liked, and regret how just a little Snapchat messaging somehow turned into scandalous pictures with overt cleavage in a lacy bra. There was one vivid moment after sending a Snapchat message, and I took a moment to reflect on what I was doing and began spiraling—what if he opens it in front of friends or finds some way to screenshot the message and save it? Is part of the fun of sexting driven by the scandalous-ness of sending racy messages in a risky way?
Luckily, I've never heard from him about such screenshots. He's now a friendly acquaintance I see every once in a while, when I'm home for the holidays—I always hope he's forgotten those racy messages.
I've learned through this experience, and others over the years, that sexting can be a fun and important way to stay connected with a partner when you're not together in-person. Yet, the most important part of sexting—in my opinion—is being comfortable with who you are sexting with.” – Catherine, 23
6. “As a man, I think nobody wants to see my dick, especially on a phone screen, so sexting for me is just pictures of my body or whatever else they want to see. Shit can also get risky. Once my ex sent me nudes and my mom saw them. I was 17 at the time, and I had just gotten home from wrestling practice where I got all sweaty and strong, so I decided to send my girlfriend a picture of myself in the mirror before my shower. I take my shower and then go downstairs to hang out with my mama, as I do. She is working and I’m sitting next to her when I get a Snapchat from my gal. I forgot that I had sent a sexy image, so foolishly, I opened the snap in front of my mom because sometimes I’d send snaps of me and my mom to her. A picture of her boobs flashed across my screen. My mom is kind of odd, so she appeared unbothered and simply said, “Oh hello, Cara.” – James, 23
7. “I typically prefer physical touch, if possible, but when I’m home for school breaks, and far away from my boyfriend, sexting is our favorite way to reinforce our intimacy. We love to send videos, or sometimes FaceTime because watching him in real time is really sexy. Usually, we talk about what we’d like to do to each other when we are back in the same area code, so it feels like foreplay leading up to when we finally reunite. I love it when he moans in his videos or when he talks about how much he wants to pleasure me. It’s vital that we are on the same page and are matching each other’s energy, or else it can get a little awkward.” – Lucy, 21
8. “I had a horrible experience with sexting. I had to do long distance with my ex-girlfriend while she was on the other side of the world, during Covid times. She wanted me to sext her when it was like 8am my time or mid-afternoon. Not a sexy time. It got to the point when it was midnight my time and she would set an alarm to wake herself up so that we could have that time to sext which made me so uncomfortable because at this point, it felt really forced and planned. Then, because we would sext so much, I ran out of things to say so I would have to look up on Google, different Reddit threads that had unique things to sext. The options were crazy. In the end, I felt pretty gross. I felt like I was in a Wattpad story, and it felt fake as hell. Now, I hate sexting and would advise that you should only do it when it comes naturally and is desired by both partners.” – Hannah, 22
9. “In middle school, a police officer came in to talk about the dangers of the internet and your technology footprint. I was scared straight. Fast forward to high school, I was in a very loving relationship for about four months when my boyfriend asked if I was interested in sending some naughty pictures over Snapchat. I heard the cop’s words in my head, but the desire to please my boyfriend took over and I decided I would do the deed. I knew that I could trust him to not send my pictures, and I was also confident in the punch I would throw if he ever did. I pulled out my Victoria’s Secret ultra-push up bra from eighth grade, my lacy red underwear, and set myself up in front of my closet mirror. Unsure of how to appropriately pose, I spent about 30 minutes pushing in my boobs, and turning my neck around to get a good ass picture. I was sweating. My mom’s call for dinner was what eventually got me to push send and my boyfriend’s response was worth it all. I think he said something like, ‘Oh my god, you are so fucking hot.’ It was awesome. He sent back an abs picture and I went downstairs to eat dinner, feeling satisfied, wearing a wide smile on my face.” – Talia, 22
10. “My most recent sexting experience happened last Sunday, God’s day, whoops! I was knee deep in my Colleen Hoover book, “It Ends With Us” (if you know you know), when I approached the most enlightening sex scene that I had ever read. This was my first time reading a sexual book, so I was really wet. I was horny and wanted to have sex so I texted my boyfriend, ‘My pussy is so wet’ only to receive a text explaining that he was in the middle of playing fucking video games. I went to bed, resentful, disappointed, but most of all deprived.” – Dani, 22
11. “One time I was snapping my boyfriend some fully naked photos on Snapchat. We had been together for a while at this point, and so sending nudes was practically a part of my routine. In the picture, my boobs were out, vulva was out, nothing was hidden. To my horror, I accidentally sent it to the most recent person I had added because it comes up under “recents” and it happened to be my good friend’s little brother. Immediately, I blocked him, unadded him, trying to do all the damage control I could muster. Here’s to hoping that he was never able to open it. But if he did, you’re welcome, Henry.” – Olivia, 22
12. “The times that sexting was more prevalent in my relationship, at least that I can remember, was when I studied abroad over the summer and my boyfriend was back home. Wanting to keep the spark alive, we would often send each other “dirty” texts. And I did really like it. It’s hard when you’re sexually intimate with someone to then not feel that connection, so I think with technology being such a great resource, why not use it as a tool to have a little fun? I think a go-to is talking about a time you engaged in sex, whatever that may be and talk about it, or even just saying what you would want to do if that person was with you. I think sexting can seem intimidating at first, but starting off with those two ideas makes it much less intimidating.
I think it’s always hot when someone talks about masturbating to you. I found that to be really fun, while away, to be told he would look at pics I've given him, and I felt included and a part of it even if I was far away! And as far as what I like to receive, I don’t want a dick pic. But I do like a ‘here’s what we would be doing if we were together’ or ‘remember that one time we did this?’ Those are more likely to turn me on.” – Jennifer, 22
13. “My boyfriend and I are very sexual when we’re together, which has strengthened our relationship in so many ways, both physically and emotionally. However, he went to Italy over winter break, so we had to get creative in order to keep that spark alive. The hardest part to navigate was the time difference – when he was feeling horny and was heading to sleep, it was only 2pm in the afternoon for me. So, in the broad daylight, I was sending nudes in my childhood bedroom with a door that didn’t lock. I had to tell myself that it was just my situation and that I couldn’t change it, in order to overcome any weirdness I felt. I sent an array of sexy mirror pics, and his encouragement and words of affirmation kept me in the moment. I was on my knees in front of the mirror when I heard the door open, and in that moment, I swear I had a mini heart attack. Thank God it was just my codependent dog coming to say hi, but that killed any sexual vibes I was feeling for the day. There is also something really awkward and uncomfortable about your dog seeing you naked.” – Jackie, 21
14. "So, I was with this guy for six years, and we were very sexual with one another. Probably some of our first ever virtual exchanges was borderline sexting over Snapchat. It mostly started with elementary level stuff like ‘I wanna kiss you so badly right now.’ Then we graduated to writing detailed paragraphs explaining what we wanted to do to each other which was fun enough, but tedious. It wasn’t until we were having sex one time and he asked if he could record me, that I unlocked true sexual gratification. Something about being recorded made me feel so admired and sexy and we both loved it. The one problem with my newfound fetish was that the thought of my sex tape being released – or worse, a family member seeing it – struck fear into the depths of my heart enough for me to retire my pornstar persona... I guess I should probably be grateful that my anxiety is a little more modest than I am." – Anne, 21
15. “I’m in a long-distance relationship, so sexting is honestly necessary. Sometimes when we’re apart, one of us will ask if the other wants to ‘have sex,’ and we’ll both get naked to masturbate while texting each other exactly what we’re doing, thinking, and feeling. We typically talk about when we have sex in person and what feels best, while simultaneously sending pictures and videos via Snapchat for visuals.” – Lilah, 24
16. “I send naked pictures and selfies to my boyfriend while I'm standing in front of a mirror so then he can see ~all~ angles.” – Finn, 26
17. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something so fucking hot about an unsolicited naked picture. It’s like, you think I’m hot and attractive, so you’re offering your body to me. It’s like a present of sorts.” – Rose, 20
18. “Most of the time I won’t show my face in nudes, but sometimes I like to send videos of me whispering so it’s like ASMR. One time, when I was home for Christmas, I was taking pictures and videos in the bathroom and my mom was like ‘who were you talking to?!’ Ugh.” – Cora, 25
19. “I masturbate while sexting my long-distance boyfriend, and I ask him to tell me what he’d do to me if we were together. Sometimes he’ll tell me his fantasies or what he wishes we could do at that moment, so then it’s like a sneak preview of what can (and will) happen when we’re back together.” – Maria, 27
20. “I’m non-monogamous, so sometimes I like to sext multiple people at the same time. The more the merrier, right?” – Max, 23
21. “My good friend was sexting his girlfriend early in high school and it turns out all the photos on his phone were synced to his dad’s iPad. So his dad, who is an elementary school principal, had to question his son as to why his iPad had a naked 16-year-old on it. It was hilarious, and we will never allow him to forget about that experience.” – Hank, 22
22. “I have sexted a bit in my life. I think it’s a great way to show some affection and it can be sexy,naughty, and playful when done correctly. It’s all about leaving the imagination intact while hitting the right notes. I did a lot of sexting when I was a freshman in college, because my ex-girlfriend was in high school at the time, so we would display intimacy on our phones. It was my experience that sexting is really fun when you can actually see the person as it can work as an almost extension of foreplay. A dirty text at a restaurant on a date for example has led to some of the best sex in my life because we were just so ready to tear into each other after keeping it together in public until we found a spot. Sexting fucking sucks though when you can’t see the person and it’s the replacement for in-person intimacy. Mutual masturbation and phone sex is fine, but it really lacks a lot of connection when a couple has to only do that for a long time. It just gets difficult to keep things fresh.” – Matt, 23
23. “A few years back, I was talking with this guy who I thought was really cute. We talked for a few months and our conversations started getting more and more flirtatious. I decided I was going to send him some nudes of myself, without warning. I sent them over Snapchat thinking it would be the best way so I would be able to see if he screenshots or not. I kept checking all day to see if he opened them or not. Finally, I noticed he opened it 10 minutes ago. He never replied and I didn’t want to reach out since I just put myself in a vulnerable position. Two days later, I got the courage to text him and see if he wanted to hang out. Come to find out he blocked my number and deleted me off Snapchat. I’m not sure if he deleted me because he lost interest, didn’t like that I sent nudes, or didn’t like what he saw in general. Either way, I learned my lesson. I’m never sending nudes again.” – Hope, 45
24. “Sexting is a great way for my boyfriend and I to stay connected. By sending him dirty comments throughout the day, it makes for an exciting evening at home. Men love to be teased, so tease them. My advice to all women is that sexting keeps the spark alive.” – Lily, 28
Overall...
So there you have it, all of your steamy sexting stories. Whether you’re looking for a quick way to get turned on, or hoping to foster a deeper connection with a partner/s when you’re not physically together, sexting is a classic go-to. And, have fun with it because flirty sexts can be an easy way to communicate your wants, needs, and desires.
Morale of the story? Indulge in a flirty pic, spice things up with an explicit thought, embrace any awkwardness, fantasize new situations, explore your body, and experiment in a safe space.
*** All names have been changed
