Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Science And Sex By Mary Roach

The film cautiously draws a comparison between the disappearance of Kinsey’s funding, the questioning of the accuracy of his qualitative interview methods, as well as observational and participatory experiments between himself and his staff and finally, the release of his, albeit a biased androcentric second study of sexual behaviour focused entirely on the evolutionary inferior other: women.

In the article, author Vern L. Bullough provided an in-depth look at the research done by sexologist Alfred Kinsey and explaining the contributions he made in the field. The article claimed how Kinsey studied taboo topics and interviewed his students about their lives, a practice never conceived of being done before. The author explained how Kinsley’s controversial work was challenged by Thurman Rice, a, “bacteriology professor who had written extensively on sex, primarily from the view of eugenics” (Bullough 56). These claims were meant to display how society viewed sex as a topic that was not an area of interest for many, but the research done by Kinsley helped push the boundary on the topic and inspire other sexologists to pursue the field.

During the late 19th century, the ideals of middle-class, respectable sexuality were in a state of flux. Published findings by renowned psychiatrists such as Richard von Krafft-Ebbing and Sigmund Freud helped to recreate and build upon sexual knowledge, establishing never before heard of terms for a variety of sexual behaviors. Often, therein lies an implicit bias when codifying topics of study. Therefore, due to the major shifts during the late 19th and early 20th century in how sexuality is classified scientifically and medically, psychiatry plays a primary role in creating concepts such as “normal” and “abnormal” sexuality.

In the film Kinsey, directed by Bill Condon, Professor Alfred Kinsey uses science to explore and inform the public on sex and during this era, sex was inappropriate to talk about.

The Hippie era has come to end and the days of self awareness have arrived. Instead of focusing on love to all, many Americans were indulging in their self pleasure. According to Alfred Kinsey’s research Americans sexual behavior deviated from their widely accepted norms (Glbt.com/shsh/sexrevo cites correctly). Wilhelm Reich added to Kinsey’s research with a remark that he believed sexual repression overwhelmingly distorted psychological development (glbt.com/shsh). To further societies receptivity of sexuality the case Roth v. United States in 1956 created a public arena in which it became possible to discuss sex and represent it both literary and visually (glbt.com). Furthermore the counterculture of the 60’s had a new candidness of sexuality,

In his article, “The Invention of Sexuality”, Weeks argued that sexuality is a product of society and is shaped by

The paper written by Kennedy and Davis, which was called The Reproduction of Butch-Fem Roles: A Social Constructionist Approach, provides further evidence that the history of sexuality is young and

Known as the Two Sex theory, devised by historian Thomas Laqueur, female sexuality would be characterized purely by a woman’s reproductive potential, where the concept of an innate maternal instinct would become the new prioritized ideal. The female orgasm was renounced by a new essence of masculine superiority. This notion can be asserted with the Phallocentric inclination of the late 18th century, examined by historian Tim Hitchcock, as period characterized by penetration and precedence of the phallus. This “both encouraged and made possible the denigration of female sexuality and perceived passivity.” Consequently this caused the de-emphasis of female sexual pleasure and desire. However, female sexual identity would reemerge with potency, attributed to social flux, the emerging field of sexology and disposition of the interwar years.

Focusing on just natural clarifications of human conduct, the Biological Theory trusts that physiological variables tremendously affect sexual conduct. Scholars regularly take a gander at anomalous hormonal and androgenic levels in the body and cerebrum to depict freak sexual practices as in rising hormones are identified with physical changes that advance sexual excitement, climax, discharge, and other sexual movement. "In spite of the fact that a survey of natural studies indicates clashing results about the relationship between

Albert Kinsey helped change the American Public’s preconceptions on sexuality by publishing two bestselling books from 1947 to 1953 on the topic. Titled “American Sexual Behavior” and “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female”, these books both confirmed and challenged the generally held beliefs dealing with marriage, sexual gratification, and sexual orientation. Sex was deemed important for a healthy marriage, adultery was frequent and homosexuals weren’t weird anomalies.

Rubin’s theory on sexuality completely transformed the way feminists in that period thought about the intersection of gender and sexuality. By declaring the necessity that sex must be its own category with its own theory, Rubin would forever change the face of sexual theory. They start out by examining the consequences of Victorian morality on

Kinsey’s rise was slow and steady. Mostly due to his diligent work on a topic that almost seemed forbidden to talk about at the time. A concept that was once attributed for just married couples. Many people at the time believed that sex was only for wedded couples, leaving no room for objection. People of the time scoffed at ideas such as premarital sex, homosexuality and other sexuality that appeared peculiar. Kinsey changed American culture and a created a media frenzy when he released his first work, “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.” Which he then went on several interviews, discussions and panels to discuss sex. Kinsey was a Harvard-educated zoologist who enjoyed studying gull wasps it was not until he met his spunky yet witty wife, Clara “Mac” McMillen that he became interested in the idea of sex. While teaching and experimenting he realized that there was science evidence behind sex and behavior. When

This binary relationship manifests itself in Levy’s work in another way, as well. Toward the very end of the book Levy claims she has no complaint against women who do gain genuine sexual pleasure from “their vaginas waxed, their breasts enlarged” (Levy, 198). On one hand, Levy recognizes that sexuality is personal and that everyone’s own experiences and preferences are unique. Yet at the same time, by drawing the line between “authentic” and “fake”, she must impersonally interpret these experiences in order to classify them as “problematic”. This desire to judge yet not judge women’s sexual nature represents an underlying tension within the book that threatens to unravel her arguments.

Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation, written by Olivia Judson, mimics a Dear Abby column in a newspaper, in which her audience, ranges from a honeybee to spotted hyena, write-in and ask for help with their sex lives. She covers a slew of different sex topics, some more pleasant than others, such as incest, cannibalism, promiscuousness, and asexual reproduction. The book is truly a witty yet entertaining excursion of the natural history and the evolutionary biology of sex. Judson’s objective is to teach her audience about biology, specifically sexual biology.

Kinsey spent most of his time researching and studying sex that he did not have time for his wife. He began having sexual affairs with children and experimented to deepen his studies and knowledge about sexual behaviors. “Kinsey's work has been instrumental in advancing acceptance of pornography, homosexuality, abortion, and condom-based sex