Feminism Is A Turn Off, Scientists Hypothesize

Is it impossible to take gender equality from the streets to the sheets?

From the boardroom to the bedroom?

You wouldn’t think so, but Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam do.

The pair has released a controversial new book entitled A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the world’s largest experiment reveals about human desires.

Declaring themselves the contemporary Kinseys, Ogas and Gaddam analyzed the online porn and romantic novel habits of millions of people worldwide.

Both neuroscientists, the men somehow deduced from the study that women’s brains are hard-wired for sexual submission, while men’s are hard-wired for sexual dominance.

Labeling feminism the “anti-Viagra,” Ogas and Gaddam claim that when women suppress their natural instincts, it makes it more difficult for them to become aroused. Said suppression occurs when the desire to be socially equal seeps into a sexual context.

Call me crazy, but to me the subtext also reads: “Men are not attracted to feminists.” Last time I checked, Viagra wasn’t designed to increase women’s sexual libido.

The book is problematic in a number of ways.

Firstly, it applies blanket theories to all women and undermines individuality and choice.

Secondly, one of the key objectives of the feminist movement has been encouraging women to take control of their sexuality, and not be ashamed to ask for what they want.  A Billion Wicked Thoughts tells a woman that even if she thinks she wants to be equal or dominant, she doesn’t actually know what she wants, as it is biologically pre-determined.

Ogas aims to justify and confirm the theories proposed by A Billion Wicked Thoughts, by making a junk-science argument in evolutionism.

• Consider Rattus norvegicus, the Norwegian rat. The female performs stereotyped physical actions associated with sexual interest. First is pacing: running and stopping, inducing a male to chase her. This culminates in lordosis: assuming a submissive stationary posture with arched back and raised hips.

Thankfully, women are not Norwegian rats. Nor are we reliant upon men to hunt and provide bison for dinner, as we were when the biological basis for Ogas’ claims was relevant. We are now perfectly capable of heading to the supermarket for a porterhouse.

What’s more, it is cheap to employ these tactics to answer feminists’ complaints about the assertions in the book.

Ogas’ blog then goes on to quote erotic romance novelist Angela Knight.

• I think this is one of the problems we’re having in romance in general right now: our heroes have gotten a little too PC. We’re portraying men the way feminist ideals say they should be—respectful and consensus-building.

I’m sorry Ange, who knew wanting one’s partner to be “respectful and consensus-building” was such a turn-off?

Even in sexual cultures, such as BDSM, in which dominance and submission are pivotal, so too are respect and consent. It is dangerous and ignorant to assume submission and consent are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, there is a world of difference between wanting to be swept off your feet by a fireman from a Mills and Boon, and relinquishing respect and consent.

Finally, Ogas resorts to using the prominence of male-dominant pornography, in which men have sex with women who are drunk, hypnotized, asleep or financially vulnerable, as an example of men’s ancient sexual preference for power.

Feminist author Jessica Valenti says:

• I think this porn exists because we live in a misogynist society, not because men are hardwired to want to dominate and take advantage of women. That’s a dangerous argument because it gives an excuse for men for watching violent porn — “if that’s in their brain, how can we fault them?” Explaining it away with brain chemistry seems like a really incomplete model. It doesn’t take into account socialization, or what we’re taught to desire by the culture around us.

Neuropsychiatrist, Dr Louann Brizendine, does not agree with Ogas’ deductions either.

“Male or female brains are more alike than they are different. Men and women overlap in the most areas…the brain is very flexible,” clarifies Brizendine, author of The Female Brain.

Having said that, the book isn’t all bad.

A Billion Wicked Thoughts also reveals some “fascinating facts about Internet sex.” This element is the most interesting, and perhaps the most likely to be taken with more than a grain of salt.

Jezebel has written an article on the findings. But here are some of the main points, for good measure:

–Women look at Internet porn but are much less willing than men to pay for it.
–Women make up around 25% of porn users.
–Teens are popular, but so are older women.
–Many men are attracted to women aged 60+.
–More men search for chubby women than for skinny ones.
–Even straight men love a beautiful trans lady.
–And men spend more time looking at the penises in porn than women do.

A Billion Wicked Thoughts may provide some juicy facts about the world of online pornography, but unfortunately this isn’t enough to redeem it from the trashy misogyny that fills its pages.

The book fails to acknowledge women’s agency in their sexuality, and while some women enjoy playing the submissive role (and that’s OK!) others prefer gender equality…or even a little dominance.

Feminists have fought too long for women’s right to choose, for Ogas and Gaddam, or anyone else for that matter, to take us back to populist essentialism.

For now, Ogas and Gaddam’s blanket theories are best kept under one.

Contact the author here: brianna@morningquickie.com