To the Editor:
The message of the column written by Cara Dorris '15 ("Whatever happened to the female orgasm?" Feb. 28), as I understood it — namely that women should exercise more agency in understanding their bodies and owning their sexual pleasure — is one with which I wholeheartedly agree. But her argument is based on quite a few sweeping generalizations and problematic assumptions. First of all, Dorris' assumptions about the sex women have are entirely heteronormative and leave no room for female partners. Secondly, Dorris takes on a negative, almost slut-shaming tone when describing the sex lives of the "Sex and the City" characters. Should women own their own pleasure only when in long-term, monogamous relationships? Finally, the idea that "achieving an orgasm (is) the point of having sex" simultaneously shames men who have difficulty bringing their female partners to orgasm and invalidates the sexual experiences of people — not only women — who derive other kinds of physical or emotional pleasure from sex. Good sex is enjoyable for everyone involved, but it need not be tied to the goal of orgasms for all parties. To state that it must is to limit the possible opportunities for good sex.
Kara Woo '12
