Lecture Notes

Another example of how sexuality varies among culture and time would be during the Victorian era. In the 19th century, white middle class Americans believed that women had little sexual desire. If they experienced desire at all, it was only for reproductive purposes if they wished to have children. Whereas women were viewed as asexual, men were believed to have raging sexual appetites. Both men and women believed that men's sexuality was dangerous, uncontrollable, and animal like. The polar beliefs about the nature of male and female sexuality created destructive resentments between angelic women and demonic men. These beliefs provided the rationale for the war between the sexes, and have also led to the separation of sex from love.