Selling Sex Short: The Pornographic and Sexological Construction of Women’s Sexuality in the West

Pornography and the ‘science of sex’ - sexology - are redefining sexuality in the West today, but is the model of sexuality promoted by these two industries selling sex short? In this, the first book to fully investigate the connections between the industries of pornography and sexology, they are found to promote a very similar type of sexual ideal.Sex therapists now recommend hard-core pornography to patients and porn stars have become sex-advice ‘experts’ offering bestselling self-help books. With reports of the increasing ‘pornification’ of popular culture and an epidemic of ‘Female Sexual Dysfunction,’ it is more important than ever to understand the influence of pornography and sexology on our sexual lives.Through a feminist critique of current trends in pornography, in sexological research, and in sex self-help books, it is shown that the type of sex being promoted by these industries closely resembles the model of sex found in systems of prostitution. This is a model in which women are bought and sold and yet it is being held up as an ideal for couples to mimic in their everyday heterosexual relationships. Ultimately, this is an unethical model of sexuality that sells sex short.