THEA 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Critical Role, Ladylike, Group Sex
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Final Exam Material—Physiology 320 Sexuality (Last Material)
INTRODUCTION
▪ Furries: dress as mascots and have sex
▪ Vanilla sex: refers to conventional sex that conforms to the very basic expectations with a culture. Classically, in
heterosexual sex, it refers to sex in the missionary position,
▪ Asexuality is someone who does not experience sexual attraction.
▪ Procreational sex: for the sake of bearing children
▪ Recreational sex: sex for pleasure rather than reproduction, without commitment
▪ Relational sex: couple sex
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NTRODUCTION TO SEXUAL HISTORY (CHAPTER 1)
History of Sexuality
▪ The United States
o People with education and socioeconomic status generally have more sexual knowledge.
o Great diversity exists within groups (ex. Asian Americans include Chinese laborers)
o Acculturation—replacing traditional beliefs/behavior with those of dominant culture creates differences
within subcultures.
o Multiracial US Population
o Sexual attitudes, behaviors and beliefs about sexuality and gender often vary widely even within same
religious group
o Fundamentalists whether Christian, Muslim or Jewish are far more restrictive of sexual behavior and
roles for men/women than are their more liberal counterparts
▪ Islamic Middle East
o Based on beliefs of Muhammad, sex enjoyed by both sexes, women inherently more sexual than men;
this power contained by veils, segregation, female circumcision
o Marriages are arranged; male heir is primary goal
o Female adulterers & male homosexuals severely punished
o Polygamy: one man having multiple wives common practice
▪ China
o Ancient China, Taoism sexual history was means to spiritual growth and intercourse was joining the yin
and yang.
o Communist Chinas government attempted to ban Western sexual attitudes and practices porn,
prostitution, romantic gestures, sex outside marriage, and within marriage once a week was bad), and
its sexual norms were conservative until recent loosening of government restrictions.
▪ Now more permissive towards sexuality, attitudes, homosexuality, masturbation, etc.
o Current trends: more sexual content in media; increasing STDs & non-marital sex
Our Cultural Legacy: Sex for procreation and rigid gender roles
▪ Sex for procreation
o History: procreation was only legit reason for sex and roman catholic and pro-life still hold this belief
and sex with pleasure without procreation was forbidden. Oral and anal sex were illegal in 10 states
until 2003, until the Court determined the right to privacy protects.
o Society often thinks of sex and intercourse as synonymous which means anything other than penis in
vagina is not sex.
o Excessive emphasis on intercourse can have negative consequences and thinking of intercourse as the
only real sex gives the notion that sexual response and orgasm are supposed to occur during
penetration.
▪ This could devalue foreplay, gay/lesbian sex, etc—so it is not important
▪ Male and Female Gender Roles in Sexuality
o There is a rigid distinction between gender roles which can limit a persons potential and harm their
sexuality.
▪ Women face more restrictions though. Ex. slut used for women
Sexuality in the Western World: Historical Perspective
▪ Judaic and Christian Traditions
o When Hebraic culture was established, gender roles were highly specialized and sex within marriage
was more than just for reproduction. To know a partner sexually within marriage was in the Old
testament—blessing of physical and emotional experience
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o Christianity developed during social instability period, so sex was associated with sin.
▪ Principals of love and tolerance— foundation of Jesus teaching
▪ Paul of Tarsus—thought we needed to overcome desires of flesh (anger, selfishness, hatred,
nonmarital sex) and saw celibacy (state of unmarried and abstaining from sex) as superior to
marriage)
▪ agape love—love that priests had for their church
▪ Sex as Sinful
o Augustine stated that intercourse is only for procreation within marriage, anything else is unnatural.
o Thomas Aquinas said that organs are for procreation and homosexuality, oral, anal or with animals was
bad.
o Priest —withdrawal to avoid pregnancy was most serious sin and oral/anal is a sin.
▪ Eve V. Mary
o Mary was seen as a virgin, bringing a west view of being a gracious, compassionate protector and focus
of religious devotion—this was courtly love
▪ Courtly love: you can love the person and do things on her behalf, be in love with her even
though she is married to someone else
▪ Ex. bowing on one knee and kissing her hand
o Eve was seen as sinful and resulted in antagonism towards women.
o Also, witchcraft was blamed on lust and sex with devil—they were executed
▪ Chastity belts—prevents penetration in vagina but allows for excretion of urine and feces; stays in for 5 years
A Sex Positive Shift
▪ MLK and John Calvin recognized value of sex in marriage
▪ Calvin and Puritans said marital sex was okay as long as it was for children, avoid fornication or lighten/ease the
cares and sadness of household affairs
▪ 18th century—women were to enjoy increased respect, at least for a short time.
▪ Mary Wollstonecraft—was acknowledged for intelligence, wit and vivacity and her book attacked the limited
gender roles for females
▪ Richard von Krafft Ebbing: German psychiatrist, father of sexology
o First person that put sex under microscope to try to quantify it as a science
o Starts to name all the things that are abnormal
o Sadism (enjoyment of infliction of pain, driving pleasure) and masochism (enjoyment of receiving pain)
▪ Writes a book Psychopathia Sexualis
o Ellis supported his views
The Victorian Era
▪ Highly defined roles—Queen Victoria said we need to make babies for war even though they did not like it
▪ Upper/middle class were valued for delicacy and ladylike manners and were constrained for corsets, hoops and
bustles
▪ Women duties—were to fulfill family spirits and comfy home for husbands. Passionate friendship with other
women also occurred during this time.
▪ However, prostitution flourished and Victorian met set morality aside because they desired sex
o Victorian men could smoke, drink, joke and have sex with prostitutes because of economic necessity
while their wives had to be respectful and such.
▪ Celia Mosher was the only physician that conducted the only known research about sexuality of women of that
era and she found that women experienced sexual desire, enjoyed intercourse and experienced orgasm.
▪ 19th century—gender roles were even more extreme with slaves and men were trapped between purity ideals
and frank pleasures of sexual expression
▪ Madonna-whore dichotomy—allowed for slaves no right to physical privacy, protection from body harm or
reproductive autonomy
The 20th century
▪ Freud changing sexuality through many books
o Interpretation of Dreams—sexuality was innate in women and women
▪ Havelock Ellis in the book On Life and Sex—emphasized the love rights of women and in the book, Studies on
the Psychology of Sex—regarded masturbation and homosexuality healthy as long as they are not harming
others.
▪ Theodore Van de Velde—stressed importance of sexual pleasure in marriage
▪ Then, women suffrage movement started—giving women the right to vote
World War I
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▪ Equality and flexibility of gender roles—women started working, men had more sexuality as soldiers
▪ Movies—romantic
▪ Flappers—young, urban, single, middle-class women, short dresses, kissing/petting—roaring 20s
o But they avoided premarital sex
▪ Great Depression—laws that give women right to contraception. When penicillin was available, STDs could be
treated.
After World War II
▪ Living in suburbs was ideal, women devoted to home, and were happy and content.
▪ Women who worked outside home were neurotic and suffered from penis envy
▪ Clothes emphasized bust line and full skirts
▪ Kinsey—the novel Sexual Behavior in (uman Male and Female
o Represented stats on same sex behavior, masturbation, which were common.
▪ 1950s—TV showed conformity and sitcoms with married couples in separate beds. Playboy also came out.
Late 1960s
▪ Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedans—described feelings of depression, guilt and lack of meaning
which resonated with housewife role.
▪ 1960s—1970s feminism confronted norms
▪ 1960s—introduction of the oral contraceptive, IUD, morning after pill.
▪ 1965—supreme court made contraceptive use by married couples legal
▪ 1972—contraceptive use by unmarried was legal
▪ 1973- abortion
▪ Masters P and Johnsons N
o Did sex experiments in STL and hooked people to medical devices and watched the sex. He first hooked
up prostitutes then took volunteers
o Three Books:
▪ (1) Human Sexual Response and Human Sexual Inadequacy
• Discussed womens capacity for orgasm and sex therapy
▪ (2) Our Bodies, Ourselves and For Yourself: Fulfillment of Female Sexuality—sexual self-
awareness
▪ Joy of Sex—highlighted varied, experimental sexual behavior for couples
▪ 1960s and 1970s—homosexuality changed
o 1973—homosexuality was removed from it being a mental disorder
o 1980s—first A)Ds diagnosis the gay plague,
▪ amplified negative/positive sentiments towards homosexuality
▪ Mid-1990s TV incorporates gays/lesbians in TV
▪ 1992- Chicago grand to ask sex survey; too absurd. Another was done at SIU but revoked
o let coed watch sex/porn and smoke pot—see response
The Media and Sexuality
▪ Movies, Music Videos, Advertising, Magazines and Cyberspace impact sexuality significantly
o Online sexual activity (OSA) extends beyond sending nudes
Sexuality: Where the Personal Is Political
o The scientific, psychological, and social changes in the 0th century led to the contemporary individuals
increased ability to make personal decisions regarding sexuality.
o Laws, social policies, and norms related to sexuality merge this personal subject with politics.
SECTION III: SEXUAL AROUSAL AND RESPONSE (CHAPTER 6)
The Brain and Sexual Arousal
▪ Our thoughts, emotions and memories are mediated by brain mechanisms
▪ Sexual arousal can come without sensory stimulation, ex. from fantasy (thinking about erotic images)—can
even reach orgasms.
o One can control fantasy dreams—modify them, stimulate arousal, masturbation, women likely to
fantasize marriage, people more satisfied with sex life, rape fantasies, group sex/famous sex,
▪ Erotic dreams: occur during sleep, one cannot control; occur in men and women
▪ Specific events and cultural experiences can cause arousal
o Western societies emphasize orgasm
o Asian societies emphasize extended sexual arousal for hours even
o African cultures state that f orgasm is rare/unknown and vaginal lubrication is negative
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Document Summary
Introduction: furries: dress as mascots and have sex, vanilla sex: refers to conventional sex that conforms to the very basic expectations with a culture. History of sexuality: the united states, people with education and socioeconomic status generally have more sexual knowledge, great diversity exists within groups (ex. Our cultural legacy: sex for procreation and rigid gender roles: sex for procreation, history: procreation was only legit reason for sex and roman catholic and pro-life still hold this belief and sex with pleasure without procreation was forbidden. To know a partner sexually within marriage was in the old: when hebraic culture was established, gender roles were highly specialized and sex within marriage. Passionate friendship with other: 19th century gender roles were even more extreme with slaves and men were trapped between purity ideals, madonna-whore dichotomy allowed for slaves no right to physical privacy, protection from body harm or.
