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Author | Louise Perry |
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Publisher | Polity |
Publication date | 2022 |
Pages | 284 |
ISBN | 978-1-5095-5000-5 |
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution is a book by British journalist Louise Perry, published by Polity, which comments on sex in the twenty-first century. [1] [2] The book has a foreword by Kathleen Stock. [1]
In the book, Perry, a columnist at the New Statesman , [3] compares liberal feminists surrounding sex to capitalism. [3] Perry argues that effective means of contraception has benefited men by representing sex as a recreational activity. [2] Perry explores the abuse of women who produce pornography, arguing the notion of consent can mask harms and the association between pornography and violent sexual behaviour. [4] Considering men, Perry notes the temporal correlation between erectile dysfunction and the use of pornography. [4]
Perry draws upon her experience of working in a rape crisis centre to argue that liberal feminism minimises the sex differences, resulting in an unwillingness to consider what women can do to reduce the risk of sexual assault in a desire to avoid victim blaming. [2] Perry argues that the idea that rape is motivated by the desire for power may be incorrect, with the underlying cause sometimes being a desire for sexual gratification. [5] Perry argues that the sex-positive movement requires women to not comment on certain sexual behaviours such as kinks, sex work, and engage in sexual behaviour like men. [2] Perry expresses alarm at the sexual practice of choking, noting an increase in the practice and concern regarding the rough sex murder defence. [4]
The book comprises eight chapters, a foreword and an epilogue. [1]
The first chapter, "Sex Must Be Taken Seriously", argues that historic sexual liberation has advantaged men who desire casual sex in addition to giving women control over their reproduction, contrasting Marilyn Monroe, who engaged in substance abuse and died by suicide, to "playboy" Hugh Hefner. [1] : 16 The epilogue, Listen to your mother, argues that individuals behaviour can act against incentive structures and offers advice for young women, including: distrusting ideologies that disagree with naive morality, arguing in favour of chivalry; that it is sometimes possible to identify sexually aggressive men by personality traits; advising women to avoid men who are aroused by violence, that consent workshops have little value; avoiding being intoxicated in mixed groups; avoiding dating apps; delaying sex in relationships for a few months; only having relationships with men who you think would be a good father, as a judgment of character; and, that monogamous marriage is the best basis for child rearing. [1] : 278
The second chapter, "Men and Women are Different", comments on sex differences, noting the particular effect in physical strength with most men being able to kill most women with their bare hands. Perry contrasts the Google/James Damore affair with the Eton College/Will Knowland controversies, saying that she agrees with Damore's analysis that sex differences in psychology may contribute to gender disparity but that Knowland's views on sex differences were at times untrue and showed a lack of understanding of feminism. Perry contrasts the book A Natural History of Rape to the feminist Against Our Will and argues that there is a biological component to rape. [1] : 45
The third chapter, "Some Desires are Bad", citing ideas of psychologist Jonathan Haidt and conservative essayist G. K. Chesterton, argues that sexual liberalism encourages people to abandon moral intuitions regarding sexual norms, and dismisses traditional institutions surrounding sexual relations without understanding them based on a narrative of progress. Perry argues in favour of forms of sexual repression. Perry gives opinions surrounding pedophilia in France including support for lower age of consent by French philosophers including Simone de Beauvoir and Michel Foucault as a case study of such abandonment of intuition and institution. [1] : 78
The fourth chapter, "Loveless Sex Is Not Empowering", argues that liberal feminism promotes women "having sex like a man", citing television shows Sex and the City and The Fall as examples. It explores the average "sociosexuality gap" between sexes with explanations from evolutionary psychology such as the work of Anne Campbell, corrobatory evidence from the differences of sexual practices of homosexual men and women, and sex differences in rates of use of prostitution. [1] : 112
The fifth chapter, "Consent Is Not Enough", explores the predatory aspects of pornography. It comments on cases of videos of sexual abuse being hosted on MindGeek websites such as Pornhub. Perry cites David Courtwright's concept of limbic capitalism where companies make use of low level limbic impulses to make profit, noting that users of pornography websites can be conflicted about their usage. [1] : 147
In the sixth chapter, "Violence Is Not Love", Perry comments on the fact that a minority of women enjoy BDSM, arguing that this arises due to male commitment and displays of affection being a biological component of women's sexual attraction. Perry explores feminists' conceptions of BDSM, comparing Angela Carter's The Sadeian Woman and the Ideology of Pornography and Andrea Dworkin's response, arguing that some modern liberal feminists accept BDSM, such as Roxane Gay. Perry expresses concerns about acceptance of violent forms of sex, including the prevalence of choking, the emergence of the rough sex murder defense (addressed by her charity We Can't Consent To This), and concerns that this acceptance may lead women into violent relationships. [1] : 175
In the seventh chapter, "People Are Not Products", Perry argues that prostitution was historically a solution to the "sociosexuality gap" between sexes, by having a class of prostitutes separate from the main female population for men to engage in low commitment sexual activity with. [1] : 205
In the eighth and final chapter, "Marriage Is Good", Perry argues that while lifelong monogamy is not common in most cultures, it is valuable because it "tames" men by forcing them to become respectful to obtain sexual relations. Perry advocates for marriage, and discourages divorce, particularly if you have children. [1] : 242
Reviewing in The Guardian , Rachel Cooke said that the book was provocative and said the unsayable. Cooke disagrees with Perry about marriage, arguing that unhappy marriages are bad for children. [2] Suzanne Moore writing in The Telegraph said that, while she did not agree with Perry's suggested solution, she felt Perry was asking the right questions. [5]
Reviewing in The Times , Susie Goldsbrough expresses uncertainty at Perry's belief that women cannot enjoy casual sex, arguing that historic norms due to pregnancy and disparities in sexual satisfaction between men and women engaging in casual sex may be a factor. [4]
Writing in the New Statesman , Gaby Hinsliff feels that Perry's solutions such as personally not consuming pornography and avoiding dating apps in preference to seeking relationships with friends of friends are not convincing. She feels that in considering gender differences in psychology, Perry is too much in favour of biological explanations rather than social factors, given the work of psychologists like Cordelia Fine. Hinsliff concludes that the book considers longstanding tensions between freedom and safety, and pleasure and shame in the context of the current time, and addresses the gap between "online" feminism and the actual thoughts, feelings and behaviour of women in private. [3]
BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in by people who do not consider themselves to be practising BDSM, inclusion in the BDSM community or subculture often is said to depend on self-identification and shared experience.
Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a radical re-ordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts, while recognizing that women's experiences are also affected by other social divisions such as in race, class, and sexual orientation. The ideology and movement emerged in the 1960s.
The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the developed Western world from the 1960s to the 1970s. Sexual liberation included increased acceptance of sex outside of traditional heterosexual, monogamous relationships. The normalization of contraception and the pill, public nudity, pornography, premarital sex, homosexuality, masturbation, alternative forms of sexuality, and the legalization of abortion all followed.
The sex-positive movement is a social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality as a natural and healthy part of the human experience and emphasizing the importance of personal sovereignty, safer sex practices, and consensual sex. It covers every aspect of sexual identity including gender expression, orientation, relationship to the body, relationship-style choice, and reproductive rights. Sex-positivity is "an attitude towards human sexuality that regards all consensual sexual activities as fundamentally healthy and pleasurable, encouraging sexual pleasure and experimentation." It challenges societal taboos and aims to promote healthy and consensual sexual activities. The sex-positive movement also advocates for comprehensive sex education and safe sex as part of its campaign. The movement generally makes no moral distinctions among types of sexual activities, regarding these choices as matters of personal preference.
This is an index of articles related to the issue of feminism, women's liberation, the women's movement, and women's rights.
Sex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism, is a feminist movement centering on the idea that sexual freedom is an essential component of women's freedom. They oppose legal or social efforts to control sexual activities between consenting adults, whether they are initiated by the government, other feminists, opponents of feminism, or any other institution. They embrace sexual minority groups, endorsing the value of coalition-building with marginalized groups. Sex-positive feminism is connected with the sex-positive movement. Sex-positive feminism brings together anti-censorship activists, LGBT activists, feminist scholars, producers of pornography and erotica, among others. Sex-positive feminists believe that prostitution can be a positive experience if workers are treated with respect, and agree that sex work should not be criminalized.
Reasons for opposition to pornography include religious objections and feminist concerns, as well as alleged harmful effects, such as pornography addiction. Pornography addiction is not a condition recognized by the DSM-5, the ICD-11, or the DSM-5-TR. Anti-pornography movements have allied disparate social activists in opposition to pornography, from social conservatives to harm reduction advocates. The definition of "pornography" varies between countries and movements, and many make distinctions between pornography, which they oppose, and erotica, which they consider acceptable. Sometimes opposition will deem certain forms of pornography more or less harmful, while others draw no such distinctions.
Sexual ethics is a branch of philosophy that considers the ethics or morality of sexual behavior. Sexual ethics seeks to understand, evaluate and critique interpersonal relationships and sexual activities from social, cultural, and philosophical perspectives. Some people consider aspects of human sexuality, such as gender identification and sexual orientation, as well as consent, sexual relations and procreation, as giving rise to issues of sexual ethics.
Sheila Jeffreys is a former professor of political science at the University of Melbourne, born in England. A lesbian feminist scholar, she analyses the history and politics of human sexuality.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sexual ethics:
The feminist sex wars, also known as the lesbian sex wars, sex wars or porn wars, are collective debates amongst feminists regarding a number of issues broadly relating to sexuality and sexual activity. Differences of opinion on matters of sexuality deeply polarized the feminist movement, particularly leading feminist thinkers, in the late 1970s and early 1980s and continue to influence debate amongst feminists to this day.
Human sexuality covers a broad range of topics, including the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, philosophical, ethical, moral, theological, legal and spiritual or religious aspects of sex and human sexual behavior.
Criticisms of marriage are arguments against the practical or moral value of the institution of matrimony or particular forms of matrimony. These have included the effects that marriage has on individual liberty, equality between the sexes, the relation between marriage and violence, philosophical questions about how much control can a government have over its population, the amount of control a person has over another, the financial risk when measured against the divorce rate, and questioning of the necessity to have a relationship sanctioned by government or religious authorities.
Feminist views on pornography range from total condemnation of the medium as an inherent form of violence against women to an embracing of some forms as a medium of feminist expression. This debate reflects larger concerns surrounding feminist views on sexuality, and is closely related to those on prostitution, BDSM, and other issues. Pornography has been one of the most divisive issues in feminism, particularly in Anglophone (English-speaking) countries. This division was exemplified in the feminist sex wars of the 1980s, which pitted anti-pornography activists against pro-pornography ones.
Feminism has affected culture in many ways, and has famously been theorized in relation to culture by Angela McRobbie, Laura Mulvey and others. Timothy Laurie and Jessica Kean have argued that "one of [feminism's] most important innovations has been to seriously examine the ways women receive popular culture, given that so much pop culture is made by and for men." This is reflected in a variety of forms, including literature, music, film and other screen cultures.
Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law is a 1987 book by feminist legal scholar Catharine A. MacKinnon. The book is a collection of essays by MacKinnon delivered during the 1980s, in which she makes a radical feminist critique of pornography and liberal feminism.
Feminist views on BDSM vary widely from acceptance to rejection. BDSM refers to bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and Sado-Masochism. In order to evaluate its perception, two polarizing frameworks are compared. Some feminists, such as Gayle Rubin and Patrick Califia, perceive BDSM as a valid form of expression of female sexuality, while other feminists, such as Andrea Dworkin and Susan Griffin, have stated that they regard BDSM as a form of woman-hating violence. Some lesbian feminists practice BDSM and regard it as part of their sexual identity.
Feminist views on sexuality widely vary. Many feminists, particularly radical feminists, are highly critical of what they see as sexual objectification and sexual exploitation in the media and society. Radical feminists are often opposed to the sex industry, including opposition to prostitution and pornography. Other feminists define themselves as sex-positive feminists and believe that a wide variety of expressions of female sexuality can be empowering to women when they are freely chosen. Some feminists support efforts to reform the sex industry to become less sexist, such as the feminist pornography movement.
Feminist perspectives on sex markets vary widely, depending on the type of feminism being applied. The sex market is defined as the system of supply and demand which is generated by the existence of sex work as a commodity. The sex market can further be segregated into the direct sex market, which mainly applies to prostitution, and the indirect sex market, which applies to sexual businesses which provide services such as lap dancing. The final component of the sex market lies in the production and selling of pornography. With the distinctions between feminist perspectives, there are many documented instances from feminist authors of both explicit and implied feminist standpoints that provide coverage on the sex market in regards to both "autonomous" and "non-autonomous" sex trades. The quotations are added since some feminist ideologies believe the commodification of women's bodies is never autonomous and therefore subversive or misleading by terminology.
Louise Perry is a British journalist, author and podcast host. She is a features writer for the Daily Mail and a columnist at the New Statesman.
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