Rethinking Sex: A Provocation
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- Author：Christine Emba
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Summary
Part searing examination， part call to arms—a bold case against modern sexual ethics， from young Washington Post columnist Christine Emba。
For years now， modern-day sexual ethics has held that “anything goes” when it comes to sex—as long as everyone says yes， and does so enthusiastically。 So why， even when consent has been ascertained， are so many of our sexual experiences filled with frustration， and disappointment， even shame？
The truth is that the rules that make up today’s consent-only sexual code may actually be the cause of our sexual malaise—not the solution。 In Rethinking Sex， reporter Christine Emba shows how consent is a good ethical floor but a terrible ceiling。 She spells out the cultural， historical， and psychological forces that have warped our idea of sex， what is permitted， and what is considered “safe。” In visiting critical points in recent years—from #MeToo and the Aziz Ansari scandal， to the phenomenal response to “Cat Person”—she reveals how a consent-only view of sex has hijacked our ability to form authentic and long-lasting connections， exposing us further to chronic isolation and resentment。
Reaching back to the wisdom of thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and Andrea Dworkin， and drawing from sociological studies， interviews with college students， and poignant examples from her own life， Emba calls for a more humane philosophy， one that starts with consent but accounts for the very real emotional， mental， social， and political implications of sex—even， she argues， if it means saying no to certain sexual practices or challenging societal expectations altogether。
More than a bold reassessment of modern norms， Rethinking Sex invites us to imagine what it means to will the good of others， and in turn， attain greater affirmation， fulfillment， and satisfaction for ourselves。
For years now， modern-day sexual ethics has held that “anything goes” when it comes to sex—as long as everyone says yes， and does so enthusiastically。 So why， even when consent has been ascertained， are so many of our sexual experiences filled with frustration， and disappointment， even shame？
The truth is that the rules that make up today’s consent-only sexual code may actually be the cause of our sexual malaise—not the solution。 In Rethinking Sex， reporter Christine Emba shows how consent is a good ethical floor but a terrible ceiling。 She spells out the cultural， historical， and psychological forces that have warped our idea of sex， what is permitted， and what is considered “safe。” In visiting critical points in recent years—from #MeToo and the Aziz Ansari scandal， to the phenomenal response to “Cat Person”—she reveals how a consent-only view of sex has hijacked our ability to form authentic and long-lasting connections， exposing us further to chronic isolation and resentment。
Reaching back to the wisdom of thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and Andrea Dworkin， and drawing from sociological studies， interviews with college students， and poignant examples from her own life， Emba calls for a more humane philosophy， one that starts with consent but accounts for the very real emotional， mental， social， and political implications of sex—even， she argues， if it means saying no to certain sexual practices or challenging societal expectations altogether。
More than a bold reassessment of modern norms， Rethinking Sex invites us to imagine what it means to will the good of others， and in turn， attain greater affirmation， fulfillment， and satisfaction for ourselves。
Reviews
Shelby Hubbard
，
Major kudos to Christine Emba for having the courage to write this book during a time in which female empowerment is equated – almost exclusively – with the ability to have uninhibited， no-strings-attached sex。 She presents a bold perspective， asserting that feminism has morphed into this idea in which equality means taking historically male values and embracing them。 Being as blasé as possible about sex， being as adventurous in the bedroom as you can are hallmarks of the empowered woman。 Emba a Major kudos to Christine Emba for having the courage to write this book during a time in which female empowerment is equated – almost exclusively – with the ability to have uninhibited， no-strings-attached sex。 She presents a bold perspective， asserting that feminism has morphed into this idea in which equality means taking historically male values and embracing them。 Being as blasé as possible about sex， being as adventurous in the bedroom as you can are hallmarks of the empowered woman。 Emba asks why。 Why do we choose what we choose？ What would we choose if we had a real choice？I appreciate her candor in admitting her bias: “It will always be easier to justify how what I am doing is right。” Throughout the book， she is careful not to draw a line between “good” and “bad，” “acceptable” and “unacceptable。” Devoid of any judgments， this book allows readers to make their own。 In fact， that’s the entire point: to take a step back and figure out how you feel about your sexual encounters， what you really want to get out of them – not what you think you should be feeling or doing。 And she manages to do this without painting sex as a purely personal endeavor。 Because it’s not。 Sex involves two people， and by making the mere utterance of consent “buzzwords” （though important） the only necessary hurdle to overcome， we are missing a huge part of the puzzle。 After all， there is a vast difference between sex that is consensual and sex that is good。 She asks us to consider this: What if we were to embrace a new ethic， an ethic that forgoes the “who can care less” mentality and places mutual respect and caring at the center of every encounter instead？ This is the core of Emba’s argument。It’s thought-provoking。 Honest。 An important read， for sure。 。。。more
Hunter
，
All the necessary disclaimers that this is a book about sex， and while a lot of it is theory， there is the occasional graphic description。 Christine pulls a fascinating thread through this book--writing mostly from a Catholic perspective but making entirely secular arguments， she's able to logically find conclusions that align with the broader teachings of the Church but （I think） would play in almost any audience。 Her narrative style of interview mixed with discussion of principles flows very n All the necessary disclaimers that this is a book about sex， and while a lot of it is theory， there is the occasional graphic description。 Christine pulls a fascinating thread through this book--writing mostly from a Catholic perspective but making entirely secular arguments， she's able to logically find conclusions that align with the broader teachings of the Church but （I think） would play in almost any audience。 Her narrative style of interview mixed with discussion of principles flows very nicely。 I wanted to read this book to be able to form intelligent argument around why consent is not enough， and came away with much more than that。 An easy to read treatise on how to fix the sexual ethic of the modern age that I think anyone would be hard-pressed to disagree with。 。。。more
Tiffany
，
When discussing modern romance and sex， it is hard to object to the status quo without sounding anti-feminist。 By "status quo" I mean the state of romance and sex for many young people born after the 1990s， and especially young people who are well-educated， cosmopolitan， non-religious， and possess a baseline level of social， cultural， and financial capital。 I am one of these young people。 The status quo as I've seen it among my peers is a strong culture of "since I consented to sex， I shouldn't When discussing modern romance and sex， it is hard to object to the status quo without sounding anti-feminist。 By "status quo" I mean the state of romance and sex for many young people born after the 1990s， and especially young people who are well-educated， cosmopolitan， non-religious， and possess a baseline level of social， cultural， and financial capital。 I am one of these young people。 The status quo as I've seen it among my peers is a strong culture of "since I consented to sex， I shouldn't need to worry about whether it was good or bad for me" （with an undertone of: "so then why do I still feel bad？"）; a plague of prospective partners with commitment issues who "just want us to be chill" （coupled perhaps hypocritically with the self-imposed obligation not get too invested in someone lest you need to compromise your ambitions or dreams）; and a paradoxical double standard for women that even while we are praised for spending our twenties "exploring"， as soon as we hit a certain age we are expected to have tied down a husband and be ready to birth our own children， or else we'll have been "irresponsible" and "should have worked harder to find someone"。Excuse me for sounding cynical about modern romance and sex， because I am。 And I don't think I am in the minority。 Most women I know （as well as myself） have mixed feelings about the status quo: On the one hand， this is indubitably better than the era where we would have been pulled out of school and matchmade to men we barely knew purely so we could birth his children and barely tolerate him until one of us died。 But on the other hand， most of us aren't genuinely happy with the modern status quo， either。We like our freedom to put ourselves and our careers first。 We like having the seemingly unlimited options that dating apps serve up。 We like that sex no longer obligates commitment。 And yet… is casual sex and flings and endless swiping on Tinder what most of us want？ A couple of my women friends chose to enter into "friends with benefits" situations and actually did come away fulfilled and satisfied with their experience。 And I personally don't object to dating apps — I met my boyfriend on one。 But still， something seems off。 Most people I know says that the status quo is fine。 But their actions tell a different story — the vast majority are either in serious monogamous relationships， or are refraining from sexual contact until they enter a serious monogamous relationship。By the way， the women I'm talking about are not Christians or conservatives — they are cosmopolitan， liberal， non-religious， and call themselves feminists。 Many of us are second-generation immigrants who have had to do the work of disavowing misogyny in our own cultures in addition to Western culture。 And yet we don't align with the modern Western status quo。 So what are we to do？ How do we defend our position without scripture or tradition to draw on？ Are we doomed to forever paying lip service to the status quo without actually agreeing with it？ Or can we take a stand and argue for a new sexual ethic while still honoring the principles of feminism？Christine Emba's Rethinking Sex is not the definitive solution to this problem， but it is a much-needed start。 Though Emba is Christian， she makes a secular argument in favor of romantic commitment and a more deliberate， less casual approach to sex。 I found two key points of hers particularly compelling。The first is that sex is an act unlike any other。 Sex provides intimacy that is difficult if not impossible to obtain from any other activity。 It requires a deep degree of vulnerability and trust to be enjoyable （this is especially true for women for biological reasons）。 As such， sex carries deep meaning in people's lives， and sexual acts should be taken seriously。 This point sounds obvious， especially in the post-#MeToo era where society has a decent grasp of the uniquely violating nature of sex crimes。 But I think the point that sex is serious bears emphasizing， because much of our discontent has to do with how our culture lionizes the state of being sexually active while looking down on people who "read too much" into individual sex acts。 If people as a whole acknowledged that sex is special， then we wouldn't have to shame ourselves for "catching feelings" after having sex。 We wouldn't be sidelining people who choose not to have sex outside a committed relationship， or feeling like we're missing out if we do make that choice。 Recognizing that sex is unique and should be taken seriously gives more weight to the choices that women （and people in general） make about our bodies。The second point I liked was Emba's argument that our sexual ethic should be based on "willing the good of the other"。 In forming sexual relationships， we should not just selfishly pursue our own sexual projects — we should also consider what our sexual partner wants and what would benefit them in the long run， and in the event that we don't align， err on the side of abstention。 As a non-Catholic I don't care much for Aquinas， but even as a non-Christian， I can see the value of considering what other people want and thinking about the consequences that would result from sex。 Translating it to the therapy-speak of my generation， I would call it "making sure we're in a space to respect other people's needs and boundaries"。 After all， isn't that the kind of partner we want for ourselves — someone who is in a space to hear what we need and take the consequences seriously？There are a number of serious weaknesses in the book， though。 Where Emba loses me is the arguments about sex acts that she considers degrading， like BDSM and other kinks。 In the chapter about kink， she constantly lumps together kinky sex that is negotiated and agreed upon ahead of time by all parties （which is what ethical kink practitioners do） and kinky sex that one person pressures the other into doing or imposes onto the sex act。 I'm not sure whether she spoke to any kink practitioners for that section。 This is definitely the most moralistic of all the chapters， which is unfortunate considering that the rest of the book manages to avoid sounding moralistic。I'm also disappointed by the way that Emba only briefly touches on capitalism。 In my opinion， the state of romance and dating today is inextricable from the rise of late-stage capitalism。 It's not just the instant gratification and paradox of choice that leads us to "relationshop" on dating apps。 It's also the long work hours， withering wages， soaring home prices， and unaffordable childcare that make the traditional model of partner， house， and family that much less attainable。 Maybe more of us do want serious relationships， but what's the point if you won't be able to afford a house or kids together？ It's hard enough to secure your own standing these days， much less support a household。 Better to focus on your own career and avoid committing to someone whose debt， job loss， health issues， etc。 could set you back。Lastly， other reviews have pointed out that this work doesn't really engage feminist philosophy。 Ultimately it is hard for me to see the book as a solution to my question （"Can you object to the status quo and still be a feminist？"）， because it doesn't really make any groundbreaking points about feminism。 It's a shame since I think this book is a great starting point， but I'm not sure it does a great job in convincing people that it doesn't want us to turn the clock back on feminism。 Rethinking Sex is a necessary conversation starter about modern romance and sex， but I wish we could have gotten a real conversation instead。 。。。more
Dorothy Greco
，
I appreciated reading Emba's thoughts on how we as a culture might rethink the ways we practice， talk about， and understand sex。 To be honest， as someone who believes that sex is meant to be pleasurable， healing， bonding， restorative， generative—and practiced within marriage—it was incredibly discouraging to see how low the bar has dropped。 I am grieved that so many young women are having marginal sex that they do not want， with people they do not love， on a regular basis。 Women （and men） need t I appreciated reading Emba's thoughts on how we as a culture might rethink the ways we practice， talk about， and understand sex。 To be honest， as someone who believes that sex is meant to be pleasurable， healing， bonding， restorative， generative—and practiced within marriage—it was incredibly discouraging to see how low the bar has dropped。 I am grieved that so many young women are having marginal sex that they do not want， with people they do not love， on a regular basis。 Women （and men） need to understand that having lots of unwanted sex is disintegrating and demoralizing。 Consent should not be the main， or only criteria for when sex is OK （which is one of Emba's points）。 If it is， way too many women will lose agency and succumb to the pressure of giving men when they want。 （And yes， I'm well aware that some women are more than content to engage in sex as a form of recreation。 However， I think most want more than that。） In a book that highlights one of the problems of post-modernism （no one wants to come off as being judgmental/conservative so no one is willing to challenge anyone else）， I wish Emba had been willing to take more risks and encourage those in her generation to make better choices。 She has the insight and authority to do so。 I was also a bit flabbergasted that the topic of pornography and how it has contributed to broken sexuality was so late in the book， so short， and to some extent， so morally agnostic。 There's much research showing how pornography use changes thought patterns， becomes habitual and increasingly hard core， blocks men from being willing or knowing how to engage with real women， and on and on。 I'm not sure why she failed to include any of this research when her book utilized research in so many other areas。 Recommended with reservations。 。。。more
Becky
，
I liked this provocation of considering how single heterosexuals are grappling with sex after the #metoo movement and in the age of consent。 The last few chapters were particularly thoughtful。 I like the idea of consent as a first step （not the only step）， and to be thinking of the situation from your partner's point of view。 Of course， honest communication is paramount， but so is some true thought into the kind of life you want， and being free from buying into what the culture might promote。 I liked this provocation of considering how single heterosexuals are grappling with sex after the #metoo movement and in the age of consent。 The last few chapters were particularly thoughtful。 I like the idea of consent as a first step （not the only step）， and to be thinking of the situation from your partner's point of view。 Of course， honest communication is paramount， but so is some true thought into the kind of life you want， and being free from buying into what the culture might promote。 。。。more
Molly
，
A book I'm glad is out there and I'm glad I read。 As someone who came of age in the 00s， there was always a lot of the "sex positive" culture that didn't make a lot of sense to me but I didn't find any critiques of this beyond those coming from a religious point of view。 This book is a good jumping off point but it felt a bit slight and I wish it could have delved into issues a bit more academically。 I'd have loved if Emba， instead of using Dworkin as an epigraph， had engaged her writings （even A book I'm glad is out there and I'm glad I read。 As someone who came of age in the 00s， there was always a lot of the "sex positive" culture that didn't make a lot of sense to me but I didn't find any critiques of this beyond those coming from a religious point of view。 This book is a good jumping off point but it felt a bit slight and I wish it could have delved into issues a bit more academically。 I'd have loved if Emba， instead of using Dworkin as an epigraph， had engaged her writings （even if in the end the conclusion was that her writings should remain historical documents）。 。。。more
Ben Gresik
，
This book feels pretty important， and I don't know how much I can explain of that in a review。 It looks at all the consensual but gross feeling situations created by the current thinking around sex and actually tries to sift through them in a thoughtful way。 I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in a more nuanced discussion of sex and relationships in our culture。I will also say that you should look up the Washington Post article about consent by Embra if you're thinking This book feels pretty important， and I don't know how much I can explain of that in a review。 It looks at all the consensual but gross feeling situations created by the current thinking around sex and actually tries to sift through them in a thoughtful way。 I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in a more nuanced discussion of sex and relationships in our culture。I will also say that you should look up the Washington Post article about consent by Embra if you're thinking about reading this book because it will give you a good idea of what's in here。 。。。more
Margaret Gipson
，
I have read and listened to several interviews with Christine Emba lately， and this is definitely one of those times where if you've read a couple good interviews you don't really need to read the book。 I found this to be a rather discouraging read， and while I agree with Emba that there are lots of problems with having consent as the guiding and sole ethic of sex， I didn't feel like she developed a particularly compelling alternative。 As a "provocation" I think it does well， but I found the con I have read and listened to several interviews with Christine Emba lately， and this is definitely one of those times where if you've read a couple good interviews you don't really need to read the book。 I found this to be a rather discouraging read， and while I agree with Emba that there are lots of problems with having consent as the guiding and sole ethic of sex， I didn't feel like she developed a particularly compelling alternative。 As a "provocation" I think it does well， but I found the concluding thoughts， or where she herself seems to have settled， to be a little milquetoast while also being so free from rules as to be difficult to implement。 Consent is a terrible ceiling， I agree， but I think it makes sense to people because it is （at least in theory） black and white in a way that "just wait until you really care about someone" or even "treat others how you'd like to be treated" isn't。 Ultimately， this book does a great job explaining the problems with consent culture but is less effective at offering a robust alternative。 。。。more
Barbara James
，
Ms。 Emba， a Washington Post columnist， had been getting a lot of publicity regarding her book。 I read a column she wrote and a New York Times piece on it。 In addition， I saw a write up in the Substack， Other Feminisms。I urged my library to buy a digital copy。 It came in quickly and I checked it out as soon as I got it， reading it over the course of two days。What I love about the book is that she's giving us a snapshot of a reality that many women and men have been experiencing in the wake of the Ms。 Emba， a Washington Post columnist， had been getting a lot of publicity regarding her book。 I read a column she wrote and a New York Times piece on it。 In addition， I saw a write up in the Substack， Other Feminisms。I urged my library to buy a digital copy。 It came in quickly and I checked it out as soon as I got it， reading it over the course of two days。What I love about the book is that she's giving us a snapshot of a reality that many women and men have been experiencing in the wake of the current sex positive， porn-saturated， dating app era。 When they were mere kids， more and more young women and men learned about sex from porn。What has that meant in reality？Dating went out the window as sex as became paramount， with first date sex the expectation as per Tinder。 Women are expected to fulfill men's porn fantasies， but longing for an emotional connection is seen as pathetic。 With more sexual freedom， women aren't feeling all that great。 If anything， they feel less free。The book is an assessment of sex from the perspective of developing a saner understanding of it and in the hopes of developing a better dating culture。The book was especially appealing to me as a romance writer， where writers focus on emotional intimacy， whether or not it's as a part of sexual intimacy， depending on the sub-genre: sweet and mild， as an example。I wonder， what if more people read romance novels instead of watching porn？ 。。。more
Doreen
，
The “provocation” in Embra’s title is a return to good， old-fashioned sexual ethics， and I’m here for it！ Rethinking Sex invites an oversexualized， self-objectifying， porn-addled， and spiritually exhausted generation of Tinder users to reconceptualize heterosexuality beyond the legal metric of consent and interrogate assumptions， practices， and ways of engaging the other， especially since dating now depends on a digital marketplace in which bodies are presented for risk-free consumption。 In a nu The “provocation” in Embra’s title is a return to good， old-fashioned sexual ethics， and I’m here for it！ Rethinking Sex invites an oversexualized， self-objectifying， porn-addled， and spiritually exhausted generation of Tinder users to reconceptualize heterosexuality beyond the legal metric of consent and interrogate assumptions， practices， and ways of engaging the other， especially since dating now depends on a digital marketplace in which bodies are presented for risk-free consumption。 In a nutshell， Embra asks whether people’s sexual pursuits are based on mutuality （and seeking the good for the other） instead of selfishly quenching desires that have been produced and shaped by capitalism。 The prose is wonderfully readable， and， while I don’t think “we” （I kept wondering throughout who exactly that invoked “we” consists of） should start sorting sexual acts into “good” and “bad，” I laud Embra’s pop-feminist return to the warnings of Dworkin and MacKinnon， especially since we now seem to have data suggesting that everything-goes hookup culture tends to disadvantage women and leaves people overall feeling empty and exploited。 As usual， I wish the book had been longer， denser， and more deeply theorized。 It’s a long-form essay rather than a scholarly intervention （or even pop feminist exploration）， and I’d like to see approaches to this question to be deeply steeped in feminist philosophy。 Moreover， my sense was that Embra’s target audience is comprised of privileged millennial and Gen Z urbanites， and that her message is directed at young and straight feminists who haven’t learned yet that even consensual sex can harm the spirit—and the body， of course。 While I found myself nodding along for long stretches of the book， I couldn’t help but wonder if Embra wasn't overstating her case。 Surely there are tons of people out there who have always known the dangers of treating sex like a commodity and who have silently practiced caution。 Still， Embra provides language for a new mainstream sexual ethics that is sorely needed。 。。。more
Mike Horne
，
3 1/2 stars （could have been a long New Yorker article）As a happily married， middle-aged， Evangelical leaning Episcopalian man， I am not the audience of this book。 I think this would be good for a high schooler entering college or a 20 something。 She says that not all consensual sex is good。 She does a good job of arguing that。 But she does not give a good rule book。 And the problem with young folk is that they can rarely figure this out while they are young。Don't have sex unless you are in a co 3 1/2 stars （could have been a long New Yorker article）As a happily married， middle-aged， Evangelical leaning Episcopalian man， I am not the audience of this book。 I think this would be good for a high schooler entering college or a 20 something。 She says that not all consensual sex is good。 She does a good job of arguing that。 But she does not give a good rule book。 And the problem with young folk is that they can rarely figure this out while they are young。Don't have sex unless you are in a committed long term monogamous relationship。 Now that's a rule。 And you can define "have sex" and "commited" and "long term" in different ways。Too many stories and not enough philosophy。 "Practices that are consensual can still be damaging。 The absence of consent is not the only I indicator of problematic sex。 Consent alone ignores that we can say yes to something that is harmful to us or others。" 。。。more
Kelsey Dallas
，
I really loved this book。 It explores some challenging concepts in an approachable way。 Now I want to gift it to a bunch of my friends without them being weirded out。 Haha！
Tawny Lara
，
Rethinking sex offers a well-researched， nuanced provocation to the ubiquity of sex-positivity。 Emba reminds readers that consent works best in tandem with conversation and mutual respect。
K L
，
At last， ideas about sex that don't go to one extreme or the other。 I wish all kids read this book as a part of sex ed。 Moderation IS a thing， people。 At last， ideas about sex that don't go to one extreme or the other。 I wish all kids read this book as a part of sex ed。 Moderation IS a thing， people。 。。。more
Jenna D。
，
If introspective “emotion-based” sex education could take the form of a book， Rethinking Sex would be the form I’d imagine。 Though meandering and repetitive in part， the ideas it conveys are idealized and respond directly to where men and women have found ourselves to be in the here and now， post sex revolution and the #metoo movement。 That being said， the book is non-intersectional and （admitted by the author early on） heteronormative。 This is not the book for anyone who lies outside the cis sp If introspective “emotion-based” sex education could take the form of a book， Rethinking Sex would be the form I’d imagine。 Though meandering and repetitive in part， the ideas it conveys are idealized and respond directly to where men and women have found ourselves to be in the here and now， post sex revolution and the #metoo movement。 That being said， the book is non-intersectional and （admitted by the author early on） heteronormative。 This is not the book for anyone who lies outside the cis sphere， nor is it particularly aimed for someone who finds themselves in the later stages （ie。 married with children） of their sexual lives。 I found myself reading this in a more reflective manner， as it was not entirely relevant to my current needs。 Rethinking Sex is insightful， for sure， but it is written for a very， very specific reader who is unattached and still in search of that ever-elusive life of meaningful （sexual） connection。 。。。more
Chloe
，
This book is remarkably insightful in diagnosing a serious cultural problem well。 Drawing from statistics， philosophy and real-life anecdotes， Emba makes the problems with our hypersexualized culture undeniably clear。However， despite rightly criticizing others for their resistance to say anything that might be construed as shaming or judgementalism， Emba falls into the same trap by providing vague and disappointing responses that don't truly solve the problems。 She's able to make controversial s This book is remarkably insightful in diagnosing a serious cultural problem well。 Drawing from statistics， philosophy and real-life anecdotes， Emba makes the problems with our hypersexualized culture undeniably clear。However， despite rightly criticizing others for their resistance to say anything that might be construed as shaming or judgementalism， Emba falls into the same trap by providing vague and disappointing responses that don't truly solve the problems。 She's able to make controversial statements about the differences between the sexes and the neglected fact that not all desires are good desires， but a sexual ethic that is rethought in any effectual way is going to really rock the boat。The objectification at the heart of society today， which continually fuels a suffocating amount of sexual assault， needs to be torn down with practical truths rather than ambiguous calls for empathy。 。。。more
Sam Hughes
，
A huge thanks to @Portfolio/Sentinel Publishing for sending me this finished hardcover copy of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation penned by Christine Emba set to hit shelves on Tuesday， March 22nd。 Rethinking Sex is a provocation。 It is an exclamation。 It is also a profoundly impacting series of stories cited with sources and articles detailing the oddities of modern day sex and what it means to be a participant in this current time。 From the #MeToo Movement to online dating apps to even further navi A huge thanks to @Portfolio/Sentinel Publishing for sending me this finished hardcover copy of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation penned by Christine Emba set to hit shelves on Tuesday， March 22nd。 Rethinking Sex is a provocation。 It is an exclamation。 It is also a profoundly impacting series of stories cited with sources and articles detailing the oddities of modern day sex and what it means to be a participant in this current time。 From the #MeToo Movement to online dating apps to even further navigating kink shaming and feminist sexualities， this is a book that everyone deserves to have on their bookshelf。 ESPECIALLY if you claim to be a feminist。 "And by rethinking sex， we can make it better for us all。。。" Quoting the last statement in the back of the book summarizes where we are and realizing that it's okay to have messed up and in knowing that we will walk more assuredly in the future。 Understanding the power of consent and what it means to be a caring partner， regardless of what the relationship looks like; taking accountability and responsibility for the actions of both ourselves and others around us are just a few of the key ways we can better our thoughts， actions， and mentalities behind sex。 5/5 I loved the writing styles and tones and look forward to more essays of the like -- this is the content that's IMPORTANT and we should all be having similar conversations with friends and family members。 。。。more
Sarah
，