Nymphomania: A History, by Carol Groneman.
I really enjoyed this book. It was incredibly informative and sprinkled with stories (“cases,” if you will) of women who went through far more than they should’ve for simply having a sexual appetite and being the first to initiate its satiation. I learned much of what I already knew: that medicine and science both have hated women, been confused by them, been both indifferent and ambivalent toward their ailments, and have generally disregarded experiences specific to them since the inception of those fields (medicine and science). Chiefly, I learned that the term “nympho” is not situated on any real foundation. Like trends, the term is shaped heavily by people’s reaction to it and the dominant culture’s attitude toward and about sex at that specific period of time. If the culture was more prudish in 2016, “nympho” would’ve been a bad word — social crucifixion if you were regarded as one. If the culture is more liberal, more lenient, and more tolerant in 2023, being a “nympho” is something to aspire to — women are likely shaping their entire identities around it. The undertones of the book are blindingly clear: how women are perceived largely depends on both society’s temperature toward them and the answer to this question that lurks everywhere in every single marketing campaign: at this present moment, how willing are women to be used by me, for me, and in service of what I desire to fulfill for myself, and if they are not willing, how can I convince them to change their mind knowingly or unknowingly. Society’s temperature toward women is never supported by anything substantial. This book is a call for all my girlies to free themselves from the constraints of patriarchy. Be a slut; do what you want!