I've been getting excited recently about the final stage before publication of my next book, Immaculate Forms, a history of women's bodies told through four parts: breasts, clitoris, hymen, womb. It's easy to remember the order of the chapters because it's alphabetical, but that wasn't why I did it this way: instead, I am going… Continue reading ‘Trade’ books and ‘academic’ books – what’s that about?
Category: sex
Baubo, or not, or what?
'Baubo' and the urge to tie otherwise puzzling physical objects to equally mysterious fragments of text...
The clitoris – a brief history (from The Conversation UK)
The clitoris – a brief history Christina Paliy/Shutterstock Helen King, The Open University “What’s the difference between a bar and clitoris? Most men have no trouble finding a bar.” In the world of humour, the clitoris remains a mystery: supposedly small, and so inevitably difficult to locate. “Which dinosaur will never be discovered? The Clitaurus.” It… Continue reading The clitoris – a brief history (from The Conversation UK)
The moving clitoris
I've been thinking this week about the Ghana 'Family Values' draft Bill and its clause 23 which would "assist" (their word) parents in securing surgery for a child with variation in sex characteristics. Considering the amount of evidence out there on the danger of such surgery on children - the story of David Reimer is… Continue reading The moving clitoris
Filthy Philaenis: the first sex manual?
This is one of those stories about the classical world which starts with assumptions, and ends with them being shaken up as the result of one simple discovery.
Mistaking histories 