Is sexual freedom really as liberating as it sounds? That, said Gaby Hinsliff in The New Statesman, is the question posed by Louise Perry’s new book, “which tips a brisk bucket of cold water over what’s sometimes called ‘sex-positive’ feminism, or the idea that anything goes between two consenting adults and that desire should not be policed”.
Unfortunately, Perry argues, this form of liberation has chiefly liberated men. She compares the sexual revolution “to an unfettered capitalist free market, creating an explosion of opportunities for some” – largely for men seeking commitment-free, sometimes aggressive sex – but condemning the rest to “exploitation and insecurity”.
Plenty of books have denounced “pornified” culture, but the “full-throated boldness” of this one sets it apart. Some of Perry’s views are “uncompromisingly retro”: she recommends waiting for a few months before having sex, only getting drunk in the company of trusted friends, and embracing the security of marriage. “You don’t have to agree with her entire world-view to find it thought-provoking.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Perry has been compared to Mary Whitehouse, but she is “no prude”, said Suzanne Moore in The Daily Telegraph, In her younger days she saw nothing wrong with porn and bondage. What changed her mind was working in a rape crisis centre and discovering the reality of sexual violence. Her most radical argument is that rape is hardwired into some males, for evolutionary advantage, and that porn, booze and dating apps have created the perfect environment for it. “Perry’s answers are not mine”, but this “clear-sighted” book asks the right questions.
Perry’s “crisply readable” polemic presents the world as a scary place where casual sex is fraught with risks, said Susie Goldsbrough in The Times. But her advice that women should avoid it seems both unfair and impractical: a large proportion of rapes are domestic; one in two rape victims are or were in a relationship with their attacker. Even so, her account of the risks of porn culture is very persuasive: the rise of “rough sex” defences in murder cases is alarming, and the book makes a cast-iron link between that and the gigantic internet porn industry.
Most feminist tracts are fact-free and choked with jargon, said Rachel Cooke in The Observer, so it’s extraordinary to find one that not only presents radical ideas but is well-researched and crystal clear. Provocative, urgent and brave, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution “may turn out to be one of the most important feminist books of its time.”
Polity Press 200pp £14.99; The Week Bookshop £11.99
The Week Bookshop
To order this title or any other book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk, or speak to a bookseller on 020-3176 3835. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
-
Political cartoons for November 10Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include TSA delays, gerrymandering, and the power of the filibuster
-
Gopichand Hinduja and the UK's richest familyIn The Spotlight Following the death of the patriarch, the family’s ‘Succession-like’ feuds are ‘likely to get worse’
-
The future of the Paris AgreementThe Explainer UN secretary general warns it is ‘inevitable’ the world will overshoot 1.5C target, but there is still time to change course
-
6 homes with fall foliagefeature An autumnal orange Craftsman, a renovated Greek Revival church and an estate with an orchard
-
Bugonia: ‘deranged, extreme and explosively enjoyable’Talking Point Yorgos Lanthimos’ film stars Emma Stone as a CEO who is kidnapped and accused of being an alien
-
The Revolutionists: a ‘superb and monumental’ bookThe Week Recommends Jason Burke ‘epic’ account of the plane hijackings and kidnappings carried out by extremists in the 1970s
-
Film reviews: ‘Bugonia,’ ‘The Mastermind’ and ‘Nouvelle Vague’feature A kidnapped CEO might only appear to be human, an amateurish art heist goes sideways, and Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’ gets a lively homage
-
Book reviews: ‘Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity’ and ‘Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice’feature An examination of humanity in the face of “the Machine” and a posthumous memoir from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, who recently died by suicide
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
6 trailside homes for hikersFeature Featuring a roof deck with skyline views in California and a home with access to private trails in Montana
