Sex and the Adult Woman
Birchall
1965
Submitter: Here is another sexy title that is woefully out of date. I cringed when I saw the title of chapter one: “Today’s woman faces a sexual crisis.” Today meaning 1965. That’s almost 50 years ago. Did I find this book in a women’s studies program at a college library? Nope. Two copies were at my local public library.
Holly: Whyyyy? Someone please enlighten me as to why two copies of this are necessary anywhere, let alone a public library? Although, I’m a little curious about my “sex profile” in Chapter 2. I’d also love to read about “penis envy” in Chapter 5 (which of course comes right after “What does every woman want?”). And then, in Chapter 10, you’ve got to know about how “Marital sex can be a joy.” (You know, despite what you may have heard.) You know what, though? We can read about those things if we so choose in many, many more current sources than this. Upgrade, please!
What utter drivel! I am surprised to find that the author is female — I was sure it was some guy foisting his paternalistic prejudices on women.
As a feminist who loves history, I’d love to read this. I’m impressed the author knew that not having vaginal orgasms does not make you “frigid”. The page about the affair was fascinating. It’s not surprising a woman who married as a teenager might get very confused when she met a man she had a passing attraction to. The points about virginity were very valid for the time, as there was a very big double standard, and to have sex before marriage would have been an extremely fraught decision for a woman.
Um, I was actually a teenager in 1965, and I assure you the attitudes expressed on the pages above were not “valid for the time” — I was there and I know otherwise! (Yes, there was a double standard, and there still is, of course.) As for the woman with the affair, my take on that is that the author just got things wrong, or made them up to suit herself. It didn’t make any sense. Any more than her writing about certain anatomical phenomena.
I would recommend your local public library and Inter Library Loan. I got this one from a public library here in Mass. I am sure your local public library will ILL it for you.
Then there is always half assed world cat. http://www.worldcat.org/title/sex-and-the-adult-woman/oclc/1001841&referer=brief_results
“Why you’ve had prostitution fantasies.” Do tell!
I was clicking my way around Amazon yesterday and hit upon a bunch of books on Sexual Anorexia. I am so intrigued! I think I have this problem! But I know they’re just gonna end up on ALB in a few years as outdated “OMG how could anybody have even coined that phrase???” books so I can’t buy them. Curse you, ALB!
We like to do our part for collection dev. everywhere. 🙂
Mary