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Straight Sex: Rethinking the Politics of Pleasure
Is heterosexual sex inherently damaging to women? Is it possible for women to enjoy sensuality and pleasure with men that does not increase male power? Lynne Segal's unflinching examination of feminist thinking on sexuality over the past twenty-five years tackles these questions head on. Straightforward and challenging, she invites an exploration of sex in our culture—an exploration that could reverse the traditional male gaze and phallic construction of the heterosexual woman.
Only two decades ago, politically aware women often declared themselves both sexual liberationists and feminists—their right to sexual fulfillment symbolized their right to selfhood. However, the most positive women's writing on female sexuality in recent years has come primarily from the lesbian community. Segal addresses the silence of heterosexual feminists on questions of sex and love and notes the shift toward sexual conservatism. She looks at the trends that followed Sixties sex as a subversive activity, the "liberated orgasm," sex advice literature, gender uncertainties, Queer politics, antipornography campaigns, the rise of the moral right.
The hidden anxieties of male sexuality are also discussed. For both men and women, says Segal, our wildest dreams and worst fears are often projected onto sex. She urges an understanding of how our personal pleasures and pains remain public issues, and how a rethinking of sexual liberation could inspire a truly progressive politics for our time.
"It is always another whom we try to reach when we experience desire, it is their physical contact we want—sometimes, any sort of contact will suffice . . . and by whom we yearn to feel ourselves desired. It is the very greatest of joys, as I experience it . . . simply to know that we are able to desire, maybe even able to love, some other human adult." —from the book
Only two decades ago, politically aware women often declared themselves both sexual liberationists and feminists—their right to sexual fulfillment symbolized their right to selfhood. However, the most positive women's writing on female sexuality in recent years has come primarily from the lesbian community. Segal addresses the silence of heterosexual feminists on questions of sex and love and notes the shift toward sexual conservatism. She looks at the trends that followed Sixties sex as a subversive activity, the "liberated orgasm," sex advice literature, gender uncertainties, Queer politics, antipornography campaigns, the rise of the moral right.
The hidden anxieties of male sexuality are also discussed. For both men and women, says Segal, our wildest dreams and worst fears are often projected onto sex. She urges an understanding of how our personal pleasures and pains remain public issues, and how a rethinking of sexual liberation could inspire a truly progressive politics for our time.
"It is always another whom we try to reach when we experience desire, it is their physical contact we want—sometimes, any sort of contact will suffice . . . and by whom we yearn to feel ourselves desired. It is the very greatest of joys, as I experience it . . . simply to know that we are able to desire, maybe even able to love, some other human adult." —from the book
376 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 1994
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804 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Segal
19 books39 followersLynne Segal is an Australian-born, British-based socialist feminist academic and activist, author of many books and articles, and participant in many campaigns, from local community to international.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 16, 2014
This book is of its time: a salvo in the feminist sex wars of the 1980-90s and an angry response to Andrea Dworkin, Catharine MacKinnon, Celia Kitzinger et al. Having grown into adulthood at the height of those so-called sex wars, I've spent some time lately trying to make sense of how they affected both my own relationship with sexuality and the wider cultural landscape.
20 years on, Segal's book is still relevant and powerful. It is dated, with plenty of contemporary references (Thatcherism, Madonna, Clause 28 etc), and a long (slightly exhausting) discussion of psychoanalytic theory (Freud, Lacan, Irigaray) and Foucault (remember how new and exciting all that stuff was back in the 80s?), but I guess that's to be expected (Segal is after all a professor of psychology and gender studies).*
But in addressing the way feminist critiques of heterosexuality often replicate and reinforce traditional conservative narratives of active male aggression and passive female submission, Segal is smart, insightful and scathing. She writes powerfully about the disruptive complexity of desire - whatever our gender and sexuality - arguing that actual, real world heterosexuality is far queerer (in every sense) than the simplistic caricature often conjured up in both feminist and anti-feminist discussions.
At a personal level, I read much of this book with a great sense of relief. Segal's account of the experience of sexuality (at least when it wasn't tangled up in Freudian and post-Freudian psychobabble) felt far closer to my own than anything I've encountered in the Dworkin-Dines feminist tradition (or, for that matter, than much of what I encounter in media in general). Segal's call for a "queering" of our view of heterosexuality resonated strongly with me, as a straight cis-gender man who has never felt like I fit the stereotype of what those labels imply (whether those stereotypes came from Playboy or Broadsheet).
In reality, when you really dig deep, sexuality (like gender) is slippery, fluid and enormously complex. Segal's most welcome contribution is to emphasise this point again and again, and to insist on a genuine respect for the variety and power and fragility of real people's actual experience of sex; to listen openly and honestly to the voices of women (and men) describing their sexual desires, hopes, experiences, fears and disappointments; and to work towards a sexual politics of pleasure and liberation for all.
*It's also interesting to note that Segal occasionally criticises the "political correctness" of some feminists. After all, this book was written at a time when "PC" was a term people on the left used to satirise each other: that particular strain of ideologically driven moralising that can so easily emerge when "the personal is political." It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the right took over the term "PC," using it to belittle everything from health and safety policies and environmental regulations to the whole idea of progressive politics. Which is a shame, because I reckon it would still be a useful corrective for some left-wing activists, if only it hadn't become so weighed down with stupid hateful conservative baggage...
20 years on, Segal's book is still relevant and powerful. It is dated, with plenty of contemporary references (Thatcherism, Madonna, Clause 28 etc), and a long (slightly exhausting) discussion of psychoanalytic theory (Freud, Lacan, Irigaray) and Foucault (remember how new and exciting all that stuff was back in the 80s?), but I guess that's to be expected (Segal is after all a professor of psychology and gender studies).*
But in addressing the way feminist critiques of heterosexuality often replicate and reinforce traditional conservative narratives of active male aggression and passive female submission, Segal is smart, insightful and scathing. She writes powerfully about the disruptive complexity of desire - whatever our gender and sexuality - arguing that actual, real world heterosexuality is far queerer (in every sense) than the simplistic caricature often conjured up in both feminist and anti-feminist discussions.
At a personal level, I read much of this book with a great sense of relief. Segal's account of the experience of sexuality (at least when it wasn't tangled up in Freudian and post-Freudian psychobabble) felt far closer to my own than anything I've encountered in the Dworkin-Dines feminist tradition (or, for that matter, than much of what I encounter in media in general). Segal's call for a "queering" of our view of heterosexuality resonated strongly with me, as a straight cis-gender man who has never felt like I fit the stereotype of what those labels imply (whether those stereotypes came from Playboy or Broadsheet).
In reality, when you really dig deep, sexuality (like gender) is slippery, fluid and enormously complex. Segal's most welcome contribution is to emphasise this point again and again, and to insist on a genuine respect for the variety and power and fragility of real people's actual experience of sex; to listen openly and honestly to the voices of women (and men) describing their sexual desires, hopes, experiences, fears and disappointments; and to work towards a sexual politics of pleasure and liberation for all.
*It's also interesting to note that Segal occasionally criticises the "political correctness" of some feminists. After all, this book was written at a time when "PC" was a term people on the left used to satirise each other: that particular strain of ideologically driven moralising that can so easily emerge when "the personal is political." It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the right took over the term "PC," using it to belittle everything from health and safety policies and environmental regulations to the whole idea of progressive politics. Which is a shame, because I reckon it would still be a useful corrective for some left-wing activists, if only it hadn't become so weighed down with stupid hateful conservative baggage...
December 17, 2018
Though the book shows it's age at times (references to Thatcherism, unequal age of consent laws for gay men, and referring to queer/LGBT+ people exclusively as "lesbians and gay men"), this books is nonetheless an accessible and surprisingly relevant history and critique of feminist views of sexuality in the 20th century, and comes to a conclusion (about disentangling perceptions of sex, as well as specific roles and acts, from being coded as a particular gender, or from associating femininity with submission) which shows more nuance than either "yay sex positivity" or "porn culture is evil", even if it does go off on a weird tangent into Freudian psychoanalytic theory for maybe slightly too many pages.
October 4, 2021
A nice, albeit at times a bit too theoretical, historical overview of feminists’ fight for sexual autonomy and pleasure. Worth the read.
June 29, 2016
3.5 // first chapters offer a great overview of feminist work on heterosexual romantic and sexual relationships: very clear and coherent. but segal's own ideas offer no real solution from the struggles that come almost necessarily with a heterosexual relationship.
"except for the games with power - 'power' being culturally symbolised as 'phallic' and 'masculine' - there seems litle reason to see the pleasures and risks of desire outlined here as either distinctively 'feminine' or heterosexual'."
yeah sure, there's little reason, but we do it anyway, that's the very problem. bit disappointed with this but the first bit was solid and a worthwhile read.
"except for the games with power - 'power' being culturally symbolised as 'phallic' and 'masculine' - there seems litle reason to see the pleasures and risks of desire outlined here as either distinctively 'feminine' or heterosexual'."
yeah sure, there's little reason, but we do it anyway, that's the very problem. bit disappointed with this but the first bit was solid and a worthwhile read.
October 20, 2015
One of the most thorough treatments I've seen on any subject. Segal covers not only the history of sexuality (largely focused on the UK and US sexual revolutions and since), but also their relation to the feminist revolution, the treatment of sexuality by psychoanalysis (esp. Freud and Lacan), sociological perspectives (with a focus on Foucault), and modern discussions of how interrelated issues of gender, sexuality, and power dynamics are. Thorough, yet accessible; highly recommended.
September 28, 2017
Although it is a bit dense, this book serves as a (really good) history of our attitudes towards sex throughout the second half of the 20th century. It references a tremendous amount of authors to further investigate and gives a clear picture of the various strands of thinking on the subject.
July 6, 2023
This might well have been quite intriguing in 1994 - I reiterate might - but it hasn't aged well at all. And that has less to do with what subsequently has come to pass historically and academically, and more to do, for me anyway, with how little is offered with respect to altering the status quo. I will admit to be rather nonplussed with sexual intercourse so the analysis focusing on it often comes across as farcical and ridiculous. Why enlist so much energy in getting someone else to provide your sexual pleasure when you can just handle it on your own time, in your own way? Ha! Anyway, I know it is not that simple, sex IS complicated AND complex (or maybe people just want it that way?), but I often think too much is made of the act itself, especially as it transpires inside of any sort of consensual relationship. When sexual enjoyment/fulfillment becomes the priority for evaluating a relationship with another human being - outside the transactional aspect of giving/getting sexual pleasure - then I think people are just making their own anxieties. People who claim to be "good at sex" make me guffaw.
The best take from this book, and it is even more applicable in 2023, especially in the USofA, is that the Right has ALWAYS recognized the link between body autonomy and politics. The Left has yet to catch up, or maybe yet to truly take a stand FOR body autonomy. Which speaks to the systematic sexism and homophobia than underpins politics in the USofA. And it also speaks to how middling and unconvincing the Left's rhetoric is on abortion rights, reproductive rights, rape culture, equal pay, compensation for care work, attitudes about sex work/workers, LQBTQIA+ issues, and body autonomy for all.
I can't see this book being very popular as anything but a historical document for academics. The sections that dissect sex from a psychoanalytic perspective are so patriarchal as to be meaningless for current scholarship.
This is possibly best used as a footnote source for a present-day book on the subject of heterosexual sex, feminism, and desire. Maybe.
The best take from this book, and it is even more applicable in 2023, especially in the USofA, is that the Right has ALWAYS recognized the link between body autonomy and politics. The Left has yet to catch up, or maybe yet to truly take a stand FOR body autonomy. Which speaks to the systematic sexism and homophobia than underpins politics in the USofA. And it also speaks to how middling and unconvincing the Left's rhetoric is on abortion rights, reproductive rights, rape culture, equal pay, compensation for care work, attitudes about sex work/workers, LQBTQIA+ issues, and body autonomy for all.
I can't see this book being very popular as anything but a historical document for academics. The sections that dissect sex from a psychoanalytic perspective are so patriarchal as to be meaningless for current scholarship.
This is possibly best used as a footnote source for a present-day book on the subject of heterosexual sex, feminism, and desire. Maybe.
April 4, 2020
ძალიან კარგი წიგნი ფემინიზმის ისტორიაზე და ამავდროულად სექსუალობის და სექსუალური სურვილის პოზიტივისტური, ბიოლოგიური რედუქციონისტური კვლევების და დღეს გაბატონებული სექსოლოგიის და ფსიქოფიზიოლოგიური იდეოლოგიზირებული თეორიების კრიტიკის შესახებ როგორც კრიტიკული სოციალური თეორიის (მათ შორის იდენტობის პოლიტიკის ფუკოიანური თუ ქვიარ და პერფომატიული კრიტიკის და ამავდროულად, მეორე მხრივ, ფუკოს სოციალური კონსტრუქტივიზმის კრიტიკის თუ ქვიარ თეორიების ეფექტურობის კრიტიკის) პერსპექტივიდან, ამავდროულად ფსიქოანალიტიკური პერსპექტივებიდან (ფროიდი, ლაკანი, ლაკანის ფემინისტური ინტერპრეტაციები).
იშვიათია ამ ყველაფრის ერთად კონტექსტუალურად ასე კარგად გაერთიანება, და არა ფრაგმენტულად მხოლოდ ფემინისტური მოძრაობების ისტორიის განხილვა ან მხოლოდ სხვადასხვა თეორიული ტრადიციების განვითარების ანალიზი, არამედ მათი ერთმანეთთან კავშირისა და ერთმანეთის ისტორიულად განსაზღვრის ანალიზი.
(ბოლოსკენ ისეთი კარგი ვერ არის და მხოლოდ კულტურული კვლევებისკენ იხრება, მაგრამ წინა ნაწილებს ვერ გადაწონის 🌸 )
იშვიათია ამ ყველაფრის ერთად კონტექსტუალურად ასე კარგად გაერთიანება, და არა ფრაგმენტულად მხოლოდ ფემინისტური მოძრაობების ისტორიის განხილვა ან მხოლოდ სხვადასხვა თეორიული ტრადიციების განვითარების ანალიზი, არამედ მათი ერთმანეთთან კავშირისა და ერთმანეთის ისტორიულად განსაზღვრის ანალიზი.
(ბოლოსკენ ისეთი კარგი ვერ არის და მხოლოდ კულტურული კვლევებისკენ იხრება, მაგრამ წინა ნაწილებს ვერ გადაწონის 🌸 )
June 11, 2024
It’s imperfect and dated of course but I really like Segal’s voice and usually like her POV. Also it was fascinating cause she’s right we rarely hear (non-transsexual) talking about liberatory heterosexuality and she’s right that there’s nothing inherently bad about straight sex! I think her chapter about lgbt stuff and her conclusion were the weakest chapters.
December 14, 2025
look im about to drop a massive bomb here. millions dead
February 7, 2017
first half is an ok survey text
second half meanders
second half meanders
February 7, 2017
you'd think that buying a book from verso the reader would have been educated in the basic structure of lgbtq history and women's liberation movements. apparently not so. took till page 212 to even get to the thesis of the book, and then it never finishes. boring and tiresome and still didn't inform any of the straight sex i've ever had. would not recommend.
April 16, 2022
The strength of this book is its thourough theoretical frame-work. Towards the end the main argument got a bit lost for me. The second, third and forth chapters were very well researched, though.
I count this for the Helmet Reading Challenge 2022 point 15. A book about a topic you want to learn more about.
I count this for the Helmet Reading Challenge 2022 point 15. A book about a topic you want to learn more about.
March 15, 2017
A modern classic. History, historical text, testimony, insightful, enlightening, and - almost sadly - still so far ahead of its time. A classic feminist text in every sense.
June 1, 2016
Excellent overview of feminist activism and history
May 13, 2017
I would recommend this book to any heterosexual feminist, or homosexual for that matter.
It is more theoretical than I imagined and some of it went over my head. But it gives a good history of how people thought about and studied sex through the 19th and 20th centuries, mainly focusing on Freud and Foucault. With positives for how we can change the idea that male = active and female = passive and it is possible to have feminist sex. Yey.
It is more theoretical than I imagined and some of it went over my head. But it gives a good history of how people thought about and studied sex through the 19th and 20th centuries, mainly focusing on Freud and Foucault. With positives for how we can change the idea that male = active and female = passive and it is possible to have feminist sex. Yey.
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