The Chicktionary
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LENA CHEN is a blogger and freelance writer. She has contributed to a variety of online and print publications, including The Boston Globe Magazine, Hustler Magazine, CollegeHumor.com, and thePEEQ.com. She is also the founding editor of O.T.R. Media, a network of news and entertainment blogs for college students.
In August 2006, she started penning the blog SexandtheIvy.com while a sophomore at Harvard. Her first-person accounts of sexual experiences, depression, and the true state of undergraduate life at the world’s premier academic institution spurred campus discussion, prompted media attention, and garnered a loyal following. Quickly becoming a controversial figure, she has been criticized by some as “morally reprehensible” and praised by others for encouraging frank sexual dialogue.
With a daily readership of over 1,000, SexandtheIvy.com has been syndicated on mtvU and Revolution Health, quoted on countless other blogs and websites, and nominated for multiple awards. Lena has been featured on television, radio, online media, and in numerous national and Ivy League publications.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Los Angeles, Lena is a third-year B.A. candidate in sociology. At Harvard, she is involved with several women’s initiatives, active in the queer community, and engaged in mental health advocacy. A first generation Chinese-American, Lena is a beneficiary of the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative and a supporter of educational access for underrepresented minority and lower-income students.
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In addition to this website, her writing can be found at:
The Boston Globe Magazine
Coupling “Meet The Roommates” - May 2007
Coupling “Close For Comfort” - March 2007
CollegeHumor
HomePlate “Going Vegetarian on Steak and Blowjob Day” - March 2007
HomePlate “Getting Our Hands Dirty” - March 2007
HomePlate “Lent: When Jezebel Meets Jesus” - February 2007
HomePlate “Proof Your Girlfriend Loves You” - February 2007
HomePlate “Valentine’s 2007: Less Flowers, More Deflowering” - February 2007
HomePlate “Dear F-Buddy, This Is A Complaint” - February 2007
The Harvard Crimson
“The Boy Who Lived (With Me)” - August 2007
“Notes on Primal Scream: My Student Body” - January 2007
“Suiting Up for Sex” - October 2006
Writer’s Page - All Previously Published Articles
thePEEQ
Sex on Campus “Ivy Antics 101″ - June 2007
October 26th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
I don’t think Meg will ever top her performance in When Harry Met Sally.
December 13th, 2006 at 10:34 am
The Affirmative Action / Asian American connection–are you investigating it from a Jerome Karabel type perspective, looking for evidence of Jian Li type stuff? Sounds very interesting!
January 16th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
wow, great stuff. who would have thunk it! thanks for your blog, sexy stuff
January 18th, 2007 at 1:10 am
I wish I were that “fugly”. You’re cute as a freaking button, and a jewel.
January 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Wow, I’ve been reading your site for the past few weeks and I’m hooked. I can’t tell if it’s just your hotness, the great writing and personal insight, that mirrors some of my own tendencies, or a mixture of both. I can’t wait to read more, ignore the “haters” and keep doing a great job. You rock. Holla!
January 28th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Elle,
You’re an amazing writer. If Cosmo rejects you, tell them to eat it. I am totally addicted to your blog and I can relate to a lot of this stuff– keep up the fabulous work, you’ve got a fan at Cornell :)
Jenna
January 31st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I think you are fabulous. You are welcome to come and titilate the boys of the University of San Francisco anytime you would like….
February 3rd, 2007 at 4:40 pm
You are still going to need one of those “soulless” i-bankers around for your other social and material pleasures - I know some, I’ll hook you up.
February 5th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Elle,
You are an awesome writer, and very pretty as well. Feel free to come to Emery anytime. ~.’
XX,
Lauren
February 12th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
You’re a great writer, and you manage to infuse humor and a dose of reality into everything you write, which is not an easy task. If you’re looking for any f-buddies up here at Dartmouth, I’m your man.
February 16th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Oh my God, I think I love you!!! I would show my boyfriend who goes to MIT your blog, but I think he’ll be over to Harvard in a flash!
February 17th, 2007 at 2:48 am
Your blog is very interesting. I saw you on the news and thats how I came to see your website. You are very talented and can write your ass off. Oh….and you are a very fine looking woman. Keep up the great stuff. Life is good. You are awesome.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Rock on… I hate when people say that, but really- keep writing, dreaming, and f*cking because it makes for a great read. :)
April 18th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Hi! I heard you on the Sirius Playboy channel and that’s why I visited. I thought you were intelligent, well spoken and open-minded. Life is short so live it like you woun’t be here long.
April 29th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I was recommended by one of your school mates as something I’d enjoy. “Surprisingly well-written” was what she said.
I’m not sure why she was surprised.
I do find it to be quite fun
May 6th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
My blog (and life) are painfully less exciting that yours. So I love this stuff! And I am proud to have known you when you were a cute 16 yr. old in your first internship in Hollywood.
Both then, and now, you rock(ed)!
eMCee
May 16th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Lena, you are an embarassment to your family and to all Asians. As it is, Asian women have a very difficult and hard stereotype they need to overcome if they want to be a successful career woman who are taken seriously. shame on you.
I can understand why you would be so easy with your body. if i had that face, i would give it away to anyone who would take it simply because it provides me with a false sense of acceptance and respect.
Please understand that just because a guy will have sex with you does not mean they will take you home to Mother.
By the way, love the eye lift.
May 25th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
:) read you blog .
from TAIWAN
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:16 am
Um. Right, sam. You know,she said she wants to be a single mother, so she doesn’t need to take anyone home to “Mother.”
And frankly, you’re full of shit if you think guys wouldn’t be interested in having long term nd I certainly wouldn’t acceptrelationships with Lena, if that’s what she wants. I have lots of random sex too, but that hasn’t stopped the marriage proposals.
Not that I’ve accepted any.
Oh, and it might interest you to know that the stereotype is that Chinese girls don’t put out- so if anything she’s BREAKING stereotypes ^_^
July 11th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
加油。
December 10th, 2007 at 10:20 am
I linked to your site off one of my Harvard friends Facebooks … it’s interesting :) you’re a good writer as well.
December 11th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Lena:
2 words: you’re hot!
Rock the world.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:55 am
I happened to come upon your blog while looking at House of Procrastination while I was, well, procrastinating studying for finals! I don’t feel so bad about all my short-lived sexual experiences with guys across my campus; I finally have someone whose encounters I can relate to!
(Not that it’s something for me to boast about.) Without your writing I would be on wasting time on facebook! Your site has now been added on my desktop favorites. I look forward to reading more! : )
I think I’ll introduce this website to my fellow friends at Whittier College…
February 18th, 2008 at 6:36 am
you so hot
February 20th, 2008 at 4:08 am
haha
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
good stuff, congrats Lena!
March 30th, 2008 at 3:35 am
[…] more about her from her blog, “Sex and the Ivy,“and discovered that she was “Born in San Francisco and raised in Los Angeles, Lena is a third-year B.A. candidate in sociology…A first generation Chinese-American…” For some reason, I was not terribly surprised […]
April 12th, 2008 at 2:42 am
hey, you’re awesome! having grown up with similarly cantonese parents on the west coast, I deeply appreciate that someone out there has the guts to just BE. Well done on all counts. I’ll keep an eye on this although I’m also impressed that you no longer feel chained to it. If it happens it happens, if not, I’m glad it did. (and it was an extra treat to find a blog that properly used ‘toe the line.’)
May 12th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Great blog, Lena. I’m absolutely jealous of the way you’re able to write out all your raw emotion and feeling, giving us a glimpse into your life and your mind. I wish I had your writing ability so that I could write something as sincere and real as this. We miss you in LA!