The Cult of the Born-Again Virgin: How Single Women Can Reclaim Their Sexual Power
Author: Wendy Keller
For those women who have felt shitty about themselves after casual sex, there have always been two options: stop having casual sex, or stop feeling shitty. According to author Wendy Keller, these options are irretrievably linked, and here she offers ways to integrate both into our lives.
In addition to checklists and self-tests to help the reader determine whether she is a candidate for born-again virginity, Keller assures us this book will give readers the tools and gumption to regain a sense of self by becoming a "Born-Again Virgin." There are also anecdotes from various women (and many from Keller herself) who have chosen some form of celibacy as a way to maintain control over their lives.
If you are a woman who finds the idea of becoming a BAV appealing, you may see Keller as a tireless champion for her cause. There are those, however, who might be turned off by the author's smarmy cheerleading (she insists on calling the reader "sister" and buoys each chapter with a "You go, girl," or some variation thereof). She also asks way too many rhetorical questions about us all wanting to be happy.
Keller's manifesto suffers a bit from her cutesy prose (I don't know how "bull-poopies" made it into the final draft) and her reliance on others' philosophies to lend depth to her own. She quotes everyone from feminist Gloria Steinem to Marxist Friedrich Engels, and I found myself wanting to read their books rather than hers.
Also, her motions for celibacy as a route to deeper intimacy between the sexes seem reactive, even paranoid. Keller presumes that all women share a fear of men, and she calls for us to act defensively.
Being a woman who has fancied herself a BAV from time to time -- albeit before Keller's cult -- I expected her book to give me a sense of connection to other women who have enjoyed periods of celibacy. Instead it made me want to get out there and sport fuck.
-- Ann Riviera
http://www.drdrew.com/article.asp?id=513
Thoughts, opinions???????????????
Author: Wendy Keller
For those women who have felt shitty about themselves after casual sex, there have always been two options: stop having casual sex, or stop feeling shitty. According to author Wendy Keller, these options are irretrievably linked, and here she offers ways to integrate both into our lives.
In addition to checklists and self-tests to help the reader determine whether she is a candidate for born-again virginity, Keller assures us this book will give readers the tools and gumption to regain a sense of self by becoming a "Born-Again Virgin." There are also anecdotes from various women (and many from Keller herself) who have chosen some form of celibacy as a way to maintain control over their lives.
If you are a woman who finds the idea of becoming a BAV appealing, you may see Keller as a tireless champion for her cause. There are those, however, who might be turned off by the author's smarmy cheerleading (she insists on calling the reader "sister" and buoys each chapter with a "You go, girl," or some variation thereof). She also asks way too many rhetorical questions about us all wanting to be happy.
Keller's manifesto suffers a bit from her cutesy prose (I don't know how "bull-poopies" made it into the final draft) and her reliance on others' philosophies to lend depth to her own. She quotes everyone from feminist Gloria Steinem to Marxist Friedrich Engels, and I found myself wanting to read their books rather than hers.
Also, her motions for celibacy as a route to deeper intimacy between the sexes seem reactive, even paranoid. Keller presumes that all women share a fear of men, and she calls for us to act defensively.
Being a woman who has fancied herself a BAV from time to time -- albeit before Keller's cult -- I expected her book to give me a sense of connection to other women who have enjoyed periods of celibacy. Instead it made me want to get out there and sport fuck.
-- Ann Riviera
http://www.drdrew.com/article.asp?id=513
Thoughts, opinions???????????????
