Yes, I thought a photo of the front cover would grab your attention.
A Curious History of Sex by Dr. Kate Lister is an interesting and witty journey through the, well, history of sex. Not the whole history of course, as Kate says that would be a mighty tome indeed. It is a book about how cultural attitudes have changed over the centuries towards various aspects of sex and the body and how we, as fickle human beings, have sought satisfaction and piqued our desires. It is also, I must say, a deserved and damning indictment of how men have treated women throughout history and how in many cultures and countries still do. As a man I found it uncomfortable reading at times.
Note that the language and subject matter in this review gets a bit earthy at times.
The book covers a multitude of topics; from prostitution to cultural attitudes towards the clitoris; from virginity tests to testicular transplants (ouch!); from oysters as aphrodisiacs (don’t work) to vibrators and dildos (which apparently do).
For me the wonderfully clear and witty prose starts right at the introduction. Kate notes that all life on this planet shares the same gene driven obsession to reproduce, whilst,
‘Humans are also the only creatures that stigmatise, punish and create shame around their sexual desires’
For instance,
‘The queen honeybee will shag up to forty partners in one session, return to her hive dripping in semen and clutching the severed cocks of her conquests, and not one drone will call her a slut.’
Well you wouldn’t, would you!
The book is divided into cultural sections such as changing attitudes towards sexual language, anatomy, hygiene and contraception. I can guarantee that you won’t be bored and that there’s something to arouse everyone’s interest.
From this veritable orgy of cultural and historic information one of the subjects that had me growling at the page is the chapter on virginity and virginity testing. And how nonsensically important it was, and still is, to societies down the centuries. Male dominated societies.
First of all there is no such thing as a test for virginity, it does not exist. And anyway, what is virginity? Have a think, what makes someone a virgin, or not? It seems straightforward at first but as Kate says ‘when we start to poke at it a little’ it doesn’t stand up for scrutiny. What if two women have sex? Can you lose your virginity to yourself? Or as Kate asks,
‘How about if a heterosexual couple just have anal sex? Does he lose his, but she keep hers on a technicality?’
But it’s what I read about today’s attitudes that astounded me. In Indonesia, virginity testing remains a requirement for women wanting to join the army or police force. In heaven’s name why? In 2016 a small area of South Africa offered an academic bursary for women who can prove they are a virgin. In 2017 there was outrage in Russia when it was announced that schoolgirls were to be tested, and any found not to be were to be reported to the authorities. In 2018 the WHO and the UN stated that virginity testing is a violation of human rights. Performed without consent it’s basically, in my opinion, sexual assault.
On a less sombre note there is a fascinating and fun chapter about the changing attitudes to orgasms. In fact you may find yourself reading it multiple times. The chapter begins,
‘The female orgasm is often spoken of as if it were a hidden treasure to be found only with the aid of maps, detailed instructions and a packed lunch. The intrepid sexual adventurer boldly sets out… to navigate the mystery of the female body, read the clues, solve the puzzle… before drinking from the holy grail. The male orgasm, on the other hand, is spoken of in terms of a bottle of Coke; shake it up until it explodes out the end and makes everything sticky. Job done.’
Kate tells us, unsurprisingly perhaps, that almost all the historical slang regarding orgasms is to do with the male’s. And throughout history, even up to modern times, it has been taken for granted that a male orgasm weakens him, and abstinence before battle or even a sporting event was encouraged. There is no scientific basis for this at all, in fact Kate quotes Casey Stengel ,the New York Yankees baseball manager as saying, ‘it’s not the sex that wrecks these guys, it’s the staying up all night looking for it’.
There is so much more in this book that I could cover; chapters on aphrodisiacs; anaphrodisiacs; sexual language; the disturbing and disgusting practise of female genital mutilation (FGM), still going on in parts of Africa, Asia and the middle East; sex and cycling, believe it or not. And a very interesting chapter on sex work, including the fascinating titbit, from research by anthropologist George Peter Murdock, that prostitution isn’t the worlds oldest profession. Medicine, or possibly midwifery is. In fact from the hundreds of indigenous cultures around the world he found no evidence of prostitution at all. Prostitution only began when money and commerce arrived in human history.
So interesting is this wonderful collection that I looked up to see if Kate had written anything else. And there is, Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts: A History of Sex for Sale, is out in hardback. I’ve added it to my list because I’d certainly like to get more of it.
But, for now, this one is very much worth a read.
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