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Researchers have recently uncovered a survey of Victorian women's thoughts on sex. While only 45 surveys were completed between 1892 and 1920, they are apparently rich documents that prove that these women, who lived in an age that prized modesty and chastity, were sexual creatures who even thought about contraception. There are lots of interesting historical tid-bits that I won't talk about here, so go read the article for yourself. What I want to talk about is that this is supposed to be news, how the media reacts to this sort of research.
While the existence of these documents certainly is exciting for history buffs and academics, I can't help but question what contemporary interest in these documents really means. A Telegraph article on the surveys is titled "Victorian-era women enjoyed making love, according to earliest sex survey." Maybe you don't know a lot about Victorian era history, and I don't really either, but I can generally say that it was a time that placed a lot of emphasis on manners, etiquette, and doing what was "proper." Apparently, these cultural values should have made these women asexual. Note, nothing is said about how this cultural climate impacted men's sexuality, but I can guess that the assumption is that men's sexuality is such an unwavering force that there could be no limits on it. Of course the double standard existed then too!
To have a healthy attitude about sex, you can't make assumptions about how "sexual" people are based on their outward appearance, their upbringings, and their values. Sexuality is a part of everyone in some way, and questioning whether or not a person is sexual, or being surprised when they are, promotes this gate-keeper mentality that is so unhealthy. I don't mean to question whether or not sexuality has changed throughout time and from culture to culture, but I do want to question why the media expects us to be so shocked by Victorian ladies' sexuality (or women's sexuality, or men's sexuality, or older people's sexuality, or youth's sexuality!).
cross-posted at typical leigh
Wow. Thank you so much for posting this!