Reading Our Times What happened to the sexual revolution? In conversation with Louise Perry
Nov 1, 2022
Louise Perry, a writer and campaigner, delves into the darker side of the sexual revolution. She shares her transformative journey from liberal views to a critical stance shaped by her activism against sexual violence. The conversation reveals how the era has led to a commodification of women's bodies and highlights the disturbing impacts of casual sex and pornography. Perry also critiques the transactional view of sex, discusses gender inequalities, and calls for a reevaluation of consent and empowerment in modern relationships.
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Campaigning Shaped Her View
- Louise Perry recounts campaigning with We Can't Consent to This documenting cases where attackers claim violent sex was consented to.
- Her work in a rape crisis centre and women's studies shaped her shift away from liberal assumptions.
Sex Is Treated As Special Despite Rhetoric
- Sexual disenchantment claims sex is meaningless like any transaction, but people still treat sex as special.
- Perry argues the rhetoric denies deep emotional realities and is largely rhetorical, not practiced.
Sociosexuality Explains Gender Gaps
- Sociosexuality describes desire for sexual variety and shows a consistent sex gap worldwide.
- Perry links that gap partly to evolutionary pressures on women's reproductive costs, not only socialisation.
