The Sexual Revolution Of The 1960's

Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.

Ira L. Reiss, a well-known sociologist, has contributed greatly to the field of human sexuality and in the 1960’s brilliantly predicted the revolutionary changes in sexual attitudes. In his novel, An End to Shame: Shaping Our Next Sexual Revolution, Reiss develops the notion that our previous sexual revolution did not adequately eliminate the inequalities related to sexuality. In reality he argues that America is in need of a newly formed sexual revolution, one that will address the negative consequences that our sex negative culture is experiencing. A significant portion of our population argues that these consequences are due to the fact that we talk too much and too soon about sex. This is an inaccurate view of the reasoning behind the sexual problems we are experiencing in America, as in reality the negative sexual outcomes we observe are due to the opposite of this view. This misconception is a common explanation for our sexual problems and many believe it is the key to solving our sexual crisis, but in reality is part of the problem. Reiss argues that “America is long overdue for a rendezvous with sexual reality” (18) and that the future of our nation depends on accepting these realities.

In the twentieth century, there was much debate on women’s public sexual relationship versus her private sexual relationship. The American society only believed in pure sex, and premarital sex was viewed as a sin. From a feminist’s point of view, there should be no pressure on the woman to reproduce according to the husband’s wishes. The feminists at the time “... were assured that they were sexual beings, but their sexuality was defined by male standards” (341-342). Also, certain situations did not provide the atmosphere necessary to raise a baby.

Beginning in the mid eighteenth century, much of Europe underwent a sustained series of changes in the way goods are produced known as the industrial revolution. During this movement, technological advancements greatly impacted the coal, heavy metals and textile industries as machines replaced hands as the main mechanism of operation. Consequently, a worker’s level of skill soon lost value and factories that demanded individuals performing menial tasks at a fast rate dotted the landscape. Females became more prominent in the workplace, especially because their smaller hands were better suited for textile factories and their smaller bodies allowed for easier movement in coalmines. Middle class males viewed female workers as a threat to morality, family structure and gender roles while the women saw their employment as a necessary means to provide for themselves and their families. This difference can best be explained by a cultural worldview that increasingly emphasized science and inherent differences between the two sexes. Furthermore, the firsthand accounts depicted by the females stand as the most reliable illustrations of work in the nineteenth century because they take into account the needs of the working class.

Human sexuality is a common phrase for all, and anything, pertaining to the feelings and behaviors of sex for the human race. Sexuality has been a topic that has been discussed and studied for as far back as 1000 years B.C. and is still being studied today. As the discussion of sexuality has progressed through history, theories have been created based on research and experiments that scholars have implemented, based on their own perceptions of human behavior. Out of the many theories that pose to explain sexual behavior, Sexuality Now explained ten that are seemed to be the most overlapped, and built off of theories. Of these theories, two that were discussed in the text were the behavioral and sociological theory. These two theories cover some of the basic ideas of what could possibly influence a person’s sexuality.

“Monstrous women do not adhere to standards” (Swartz-Levine). The late Victorian era demonstrates the unfamiliar social shift in society. Depictions of traditional Victorian woman’s standards can be seen as sexist, as the new crowd of feminist emerges. Feminism explores the double standard of projecting sexual desires to society, however, the women who accompanied these uncommon ideas, were often seen as some sort of monster. From this, anxiety was displaced around women who seeked sexuality as it gave them a sense of freedom while breaking the traditional modesty. While these fearful thoughts were not abnormal, discussions surrounding the subject, especially in novels or films were prohibited. Since discussions of sexual desires were not

Throughout the course of this dissertation it has been incredibly fascinating to evaluate how the notion of birth control has evolved throughout the history of feminism; sparked by the scientific ingenuity of Margaret Sanger. Through the analysis of the wave’s metaphor it is remarkable how the distribution of contraception pamphlets in 1920 can provide a strong undercurrent able to peak in the midst of the sexual revolution in the 1960’s. Sanger reinvented the act of sex from a means of reproduction to a pleasurable burden free experience where women are able for the first time to be sexually liberated from their own bodies. It is this re-invention of a public belief on a private matter which is so applicable to the re-peaking of the contraceptive

Contrary to popular belief, ideas on femininity in the eighteenth century were not so much restrictive as in the nineteenth, at least not where sex was concerned. Catherine Clinton, a professor of American history, elaborates in her book, The Other Civil War: American Women in the Nineteenth Century, that it was even accepted for women to have a high sex drive. Clinton also reveals that it was not uncommon to see a pregnant bride (147). At the turn of the century, however, those free ideals morphed into strict guidelines. Society began to value a woman by her sexual purity and dependent behavior. During the nineteenth century, the type of woman who was most valued was a ‘trophy’ wife, much like Marian Forrester in A Lost Lady by Willa

The sexual revolution of the 1960's was a time of great importance to modern America. The changes that occurred across America changed our country as a whole, its influence spread from LA to New York to the 'Heartland of America', Lawrence Kansas. This revolution occurred at a critical point in world history as well. A new type of society formed with soldiers returning from WWII and people began to incorporate themselves with those who matched their identity and not just those geographically near them. People were frustrated and they wanted their voice to be heard, and now they had a group of citizens who would back them up and help them in their revolution. American ideals changed drastically in the twenty years that followed World War two

​As the sexual revolution began in the 1950s, stag films became less and less popular. However, Irving Klaw filmed the popular pin up model, Bettie Page, in several specialty stag films from 1952 - 1957; and the film Smart Alec, starring Candy Barr, was released in 1951.

Human sexuality is defined as the capability of individuals to experience their sexuality and be able to express themselves as sexual beings (Hyde & DeLameck, 2006). Our interest in this topic is because with time, there has been a change in rules that control human sexual behaviour. The status quo in our contemporary society is much different as compared to an earlier state of conditions, and the change has, as a result, brought the evolvement in human sexuality. People 's view on virginity has changed greatly with a decrease of importance in regards to its preservation. Sexuality is essential to the economic, cultural, social and political organization of society or country. Our sexuality plays a fundamental role in all our lives regardless of age, sex or race. It forms a basic part of our personality and the decisions we make in what we do. One’s sexuality also consumes much of their time through behaviour or thoughts; at times every aspect of our lives seems to revolve around our sexuality. Studying sexuality is very important since human sexuality majorly contributes to social as well as personal problems. A lingering question concerning this topic is to what extent is virginity determined by the status quo and the rules that control human behaviour?

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

The history of female sexuality is complicated, marked and continuously derailed by a patriarchal system that suppressed studies into its origins and societal norms that prevented a healthy expression of natural sexual feelings. The Victorian Era in particular was guilty of many standards that influenced the ability of women to express themselves in a sexual manner; assumptions about female passionlessness, which was upheld as the norm for the time, led to complete standstills on studies involving female sexuality. Sex scientists were actively persecuted and their work destroyed if it contradicted the generally accepted Victorian Era guidelines surrounding sex: it was meant to be a reproductive act, not a sought-after expression of love and desire. Many women who had orgasms or received sexual pleasure were sent to asylums, where their sexuality was treated like a mental illness and the women were labeled as hysterics. Since female sexual pleasure was criminalized and was

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.

Throughout history it is evident that human sexuality changes do to religious, governmental and societal influences. The perception of human sexuality has gone through many changes such as being very open and unlabeled activity; to being very “conservative” and a topic that shouldn’t be talked about in public or at all. In any case, human sexuality has always been a topic of interest because humans are sexual beings who want to understand the consciousness of themselves as male or female and see their personal response when encountered in erotic experiences with other individuals. Unlike many other species whose sexual force is strictly for reproduction, human’s sexual drive seems to be driven by many factors that intertwine with each other which leads to very different outcomes. Do to these obscure human emotions and personal gratification, sex is always shown every culture’s art, literature, social norms, and laws.