Women and sex
Caroline Squire in The Social Context of Birth, 2017
Moreover, scientific research defines female sexuality in terms of male sexuality. Most of the renowned sex researchers have been male, but more than this, men have taken themselves as the norm for human sexuality, with women judged in relation to them as lacking, deficient or, at best, the mysterious other. Men are seen as needing sex and women are regarded as the passive recipients of that sexual drive. This all-consuming male drive will find expression in ‘deviations’ or aggressive demands if denied legitimate outlets (Jackson 1987: 72). The penis is regarded as the essential sexual organ. The act of sex itself is defined as penetrative vaginal intercourse (Holland et al. 1998), and anything else is not the real thing, mere ‘foreplay’. The fact that much research indicates that orgasm and sexual pleasure generally, for many women, has less to do with vaginal intercourse and more to do with foreplay is ignored (Segal 1994: 95). It is only in the imagination that we can think of sex as centred around the woman’s experience of orgasm. The model not only reflects and legitimates the male supremacist myth that the male sexual urge must be satisfied; it defines the very nature of ‘sex’ in male terms…. Male sexuality has been universalised and now serves as the model of human sexuality.(Jackson 1987: 73)
Women and sex
Chang Amy, Caroline Squire in The Social Context of Birth, 2017
Moreover, scientific research defines female sexuality in terms of male sexuality. Most of the renowned sex researchers have been male, but more than this, men have taken themselves as the norm for human sexuality, with women judged in relation to them as lacking, deficient or, at best, the mysterious ‘other’. Men are seen as needing sex and women are regarded as the passive recipients of that sexual drive. This all-consuming male drive will find expression in ‘deviations’ or aggressive demands if denied legitimate outlets (Jackson 1987: 72). The penis is regarded as the essential sexual organ. The act of sex itself is defined as penetrative vaginal intercourse (Holland, et al. 1998), and anything else is not the real thing, mere foreplay. The fact that much research indicates that orgasm and sexual pleasure generally, for many women, has less to do with vaginal intercourse and more to do with ‘foreplay’ is ignored (Segal 1994: 95). It is only in imagination that we can think of sex as centred around the woman’s experience of orgasm.
The sexual body techniques of early and medieval China – underlying emic theories and basic methods of a non-reproductive sexual scenario for non-same-sex partners
Vivienne Lo, Michael Stanley-Baker, Dolly Yang in Routledge Handbook of Chinese Medicine, 2022
Foreplay, or the ‘playful ways’ (xi dao 戲道), sees the partners breathing upon each other’s bodies, embracing, snuggling, touching and arousing each other in a leisurely way. The man learns the five proofs of her fivefold desire, which are rising bodily flows and a heated face, hardened nipples and a sweating nose, descent of bodily saps and wet thighs, a dry throat and swallowing saliva. Only after all the proofs are seen, he is allowed to mount. A rich vocabulary is used to describe the caressing of her erogenous zones from the wrist, over neck, to ‘mount constancy’ (chang shan 常山), massaging her by breath, touch and body weight (*He yinyang, slips 102–11; see Harper 1987; Li and McMahon 1992; Middendorf 2007).
Desire and the City: The Freedom and Tyranny of Being Human
Published in Studies in Gender and Sexuality, 2021
Think about sex. In the sphere of sexuality, animals are staunch teleologists. Every sexual act has its aim or purpose. But how low, how degraded does human sexuality become when it limits itself to being a mere means to end, a tool in the service of reproduction? Or, similarly, how much is lost when sex is seen as the equivalent of scratching an itch? The brilliance of Freud is that he recognizes the oddity of human sexuality, the many strange and startling things we bring to it. What is the aim of a fetish? What is the purpose of a kiss? (For Freud the two are connected.) Why do we dress up and play pretend? What is foreplay? And not merely the acts that fall under that moniker, but the perfumes, the makeup, the ribbons and the ties, the music, the dancing, the fruits and wines and lavish meals? Why the performance? Why the show? Such useless and unnecessary add-ons are so integral to human sexuality that to eliminate them is to eliminate the human element altogether. (Which, incidentally, is what the city being constructed by Socrates and his pals seeks to do.)
Women’s Experiences of Different Types of Orgasms—A Call for Pleasure Literacy?
Published in International Journal of Sexual Health, 2023
Katharina Weitkamp, Fabienne Seline Verena Wehrli
About a third of the women described experiencing vaginal orgasms (n = 144). Vaginal orgasms were quite often compared with clitoral orgasms and described as longer in duration, more intense, deeper, less local, less controllable but more complete. Also, vaginal orgasms were often described as more difficult to reach, needing the right position, the right (manual) stimulation, and not being stuck in the mind too much. Moreover, taking time for stimulation, long “foreplay,” and feeling close to the partner were mentioned. Additionally, vaginal orgasms seemed to be related to more feelings of connectedness with the partner and for some an increased level of emotional involvement. One woman, for instance, mentioned feelings of vulnerability after the vaginal orgasm: “A tornado, completely detached and total tension, ending in pleasant emptiness and vulnerability” (No. 568, aged 29, heterosexual).
“What Do You Mean by Sex?” A Qualitative Analysis of Traditional versus Evolved Meanings of Sexual Activity among Older Women and Men
Published in The Journal of Sex Research, 2021
Additionally, some female participants reported discovering that “foreplay” was an important aspect of sex not only for them but for their male partners as well: “A man needs some preparation too, not just a woman. The more we tune our foreplay, the better. I think that this is the most important issue in sex. To fit, to figure out together what works for both of us” (F,70). This recognition has substantially improved their sex life, as it encouraged them to include various forms of physical intimacy in their sexual encounters and to make them a central part of their sex life. The belief that foreplay was only gratifying for women had caused them distress in the past, but after noticing the benefits of physical intimacy for their male partners, they opened up to new experiences.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Fertility
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