Читать книгу The Changing Face of Sex - Wayne P. Anderson PhD - Страница 17

Along with the culture’s choosing ignorance as the best policy in dealing with women’s sexuality was the clothing of the time that was restraining, giving a false image of what an uncovered female body looked like and preventing any exposure of body parts, even the ankle. The central item was a tight corset that caused some women to faint easily and gave pregnant women problems. The corset was combined with a high neckline and many layers of undergarments and skirts that dragged on the floor.They certainly were not the kind of clothes that made for casual sex.

All of this is not to say that some couples had not discovered how to have a satisfying sex life for both members of the couple. There were women who were orgasmic and enjoyed sex; forms of birth control were available and used particularly by the upper classes. But fear and ignorance were the reining forces of the day for a large number of women.

The over-control of information about birth control contributed to the fears of women about pregnancy, particularly lower class women who did not have access to this information. Having one child after another led many to resist or resent sex. Pregnancy was dangerous with a high death rate, especially if the woman went to the hospital to deliver, and even more dangerous if she attempted an abortion.

Given the level of ignorance about sex and women’s orgasms or lack thereof and the support of this ignorance by those who formed and supported cultural norms, what happened that finally allowed most women to discover their sexuality?