Sex Drive
In Pursuit of Female Desire
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
When it comes to women's priorities, is sex on top? Lack of libido is women's most common sexual problem and once in a secure relationship, women's sex drive begins to plummet. Exploring what our libido is and why it is being depleted, sexual anthropologist Dr Bella Ellwood-Clayton argues that women don't want sex because they don't feel sexy. At a time when women's libidos are being threatened by the wider forces of media, marketing and medication and our increasingly pressured lives, who can blame them? With increasing numbers of women with low libido being diagnosed as 'sexually dysfunctional', the race to create a 'pink Viagra' is on. But do we have unrealistic expectations about our sex drive? Who defines what is normal and abnormal? And could 'low libido' in fact be the natural order of things? Provocative, authoritative and engaging, Sex Drive: In pursuit of female desire is both fascinating reading and a book that is creating passionate debate.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What is a normal female libido, and how does it work? Sexual anthropologist Ellwood-Clayton explores these questions and more in this engaging, insightful, and readable book. She draws on philosophical, psychological, physiological, and cultural sources, as well as interviews with an array of women, in order to investigate the nuances of female desire, with chapters focusing on topics like aging, menopause, and motherhood. Ellwood-Clayton backs up most of her arguments with convincing support as when she examines the science behind antidepressants and the quest for a "pink Viagra" but some of her other ideas (e.g., the notion that women need to feel sexy to feel desire) are less compelling. Furthermore, despite the edgy chapter title "Motherfucker: merging eros and the maternal," she stays relatively safe within the confines of traditional ideas of female desire and gender roles, often pointing to a woman's need to "do it all," and citing children as potential libido inhibitors. Young women seeking to redefine their sexuality won't find much here, but for more mature women wishing to revitalize their sex lives, this is a fascinating guide to understanding female sexuality.
