Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Freya Rohn's avatar

I so love that there is finally public conversations happening around this. The weight of patriarchy and how it impacts women's lives, physically, mentally, personally, professionally--all of it is tied up in ideas of transaction, consent, and care for others. It needs to all be re-evaluated and seen for what it is. Traveling I was shocked to see so many women hiding their infants under capes as they breastfed and all I could think of is that this compulsion to hide breastfeeding is all for the male gaze--to not dare show that women's bodies are actually life-giving, and to keep women's bodies hidden to maintain the illusion of being solely sexual objects for the gaze of adult men. Oof.

Expand full comment
JLA's avatar
Sep 10Edited

YES. Thank you SO much for this. I was shamed by my husband and two TWO therapists for not wanting sex. First for being physically touched out as a new mother, then emotional crises and trauma that happened that I had to deal with and just lost all drive. Funny, (not funny) both therapists were women and one was a couple's therapist. I was told that men sought connection through sex and if I wanted connection with my husband I should consider that. Not forced to have sex because that's indeed what it sounded like to me, but understand that by not having sex I was dismantling a line of connection. He went on to have many affairs (eg finding ways to replace connection). Thank you so so much for this commentary and analysis. It was so needed for me to articulate things I didn't have the language to unpack and also for other women going though the same thing. Touched Out should be required reading on all psychology degree courses. Fuck the patriarchy and the abuse it does to women.

Expand full comment
23 more comments...

No posts