The Redhead Bedhead, Sex Educator and Toy Reviewer Extraordinaire, Chats with Betty

We were thrilled to get the chance to speak with sex educator and toy reviewer The Redhead Bedhead herself, JoEllen Notte,  about what gives her inspiration and what she's up to in 2015.

Give us a little background into what your site focuses on and how long you have been doing it for

I started Redhead Bedhead in mid-2012 and it's an interesting site because it's a sex blog that doesn't limit itself to being sexy. Yes, I review vibrators and give sex tips but topics like depression, communication and healthy relationships are just as likely to come up. I like to say Redhead Bedhead looks at the physical, intellectual and emotional sides of sex. 

 What made you get into this crazy business, was it simply a passion?

 I was 33 and had never had a sexually satisfying relationship. I had spent my life feeling disconnected from sexuality and intimidated by all the things I didn't know. So, I went on a mission to learn as much as I could about sex and realized that if I was feeling like I had so many questions, other people probably did too. The site started off as a place for me to share things as I learned them and do a bit of navel gazing. The funniest part? I had no idea "sex blogs" were a thing. I found this whole community after I started my site - basically I did everything backwards. 

 Your tagline “Saving the world from mediocre sex” is great! How is the mission going so far?

 Thank you! The mission has evolved so much. It started as a reference to my own past settling for sex that was simply ok but has grown to the point where now it is about reaching out to people who think that what they have is as good as it gets and showing them that they have options. From people who are using low-quality sex toys to people on medication who are struggling with sexual side-effects. From people who are in relationships that aren't making them happy to people who listening to bad advice that makes them feel sexually "broken"- my site is there for all of those people to hopefully read some stuff that helps them see that they don't have to settle for that, it can be better. That's how we can save the world from mediocre sex. 

What inspires your content and what keeps you blogging every day?

I keep an ongoing list of topics I want to write about. Some items have been on it for years now because I'll suddenly get grabbed by something and have to write about it immediately. I'm lucky in that my work is freelance so even when I write for other sites I'm choosing my topics. When I veered from talking about sex shops all the time (as I was last year) to discussing mental health (as I have done a lot this year) no one told me I couldn't do that. 

 Funny story, I stopped reviewing toys for a bit because I felt like I couldn't talk about depression and review toys and people got upset- they wanted both! So, I figured if they were cool with me discussing serious things and telling them about cool vibrators, I could be cool with it too.

 What exciting news or changes are in store for 2015?

 2015 is looking like it will be a big year- I'm working on my first book! I'm still researching and preparing to conduct interviews now but hopefully by the end of the year I will have completed a book on sex and depression.

JoEllen Notte, The Redhead Bedhead- Saving the world from mediocre sex. Writer, Consultant & Lead Sex Educator for the Portland Academy of Sex Education. You can keep up with her at The Redhead Bedhead.com