 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Anne Koedt |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Orgasm |
| Published | 1970 |
| Publisher | New England Free Press |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 4 |
| OCLC | 2393445 |
"The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm" is afeminist essay onwomen's sexuality written by Americanradical feminist activistAnne Koedt in 1968,[1] and published in 1970.[2] It first appeared in a four-paragraph outline form in theNotes from the First Year[3] which resulted in an extended article inNotes from the Second Year[4] journals published by theNew York Radical Women[5] and was partially based on findings fromMasters and Johnson's 1966 workHuman Sexual Response.[6] It was then distributed as a pamphlet in its full form,[7] including sections on evidence for theclitoral orgasm, female anatomy, and reasons the "myth" of vaginal orgasm is maintained.[1]
Koedt wrote this feminist response during thesexual revolution of the 1960s. The goal of this response is to address both the "myth of the vaginal orgasm", create awareness and education for women and men about female sexual pleasure, and to counter previous thought about the female orgasm. Koedt reflects in her writing, "It wasFreud's feelings about women's secondary and inferior relationship to men that formed the basis for his theories on female sexuality. Once having laid down the law about the nature of our sexuality, Freud not so strangely discovered a tremendous problem offrigidity in women. His recommended cure for a woman who was frigid was psychiatric care. She was suffering from failure to mentally adjust to her 'natural' role as a woman."[1] Koedt breaks societal barriers of what is considered acceptable to discuss and her article played a vital role in the feminist sexual revolution,[8] and draws on research done byAlfred Kinsey, among others, abouthuman sexuality to support her claims.[1]
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It wasn't until 1998 when urologistHelen E. O'Connell, and her team dissected 10 female cadavers and found that the clitoris we see outside of the body is only the tip of the iceberg. The clitoris extends back in into the body surrounding the vaginal muscles and is a few inches in length. This then proved that there is no such thing as a vaginal orgasm, and orgasms are in some shape or form, clitoral.[9]
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Pornography greatly perpetuates this narrative, causing many women to question whether what they are experiencing is an orgasm or not. Porn often portrays a man's orgasm being the center for pleasure and the woman as a submissive participant helping him get there; hers is a consolation prize. The idea of women asking for what they want in order to orgasm is not the "sexy" part of porn, so when it's not included the viewers, often young people watching to learn, take away that they should not be asking for more. This inequitable representation can be directly linked to theorgasm gap and how it plays a role in sex.[10]
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