Betty Dodson was a second-wave feminist who taught us how to “run our own fuck” and her workshops on masturbation have inspired millions.
Sadly, the queen of masturbation recently passed away at age 91, but her orgasmic legacy lives on. If anything, her lifelong devotion to orgasm and the female anatomy is having a rebirth of its own right now.
She spread (lol) the message that you have to focus on pleasure in a world that isn’t focused on pleasure to get what you want in life. And that achieving and working towards orgasm takes more than just masturbation, it takes bravery to quiet the mind and listen to your body's rhythms and needs.
For many, “being in your body” is harder than ever with nonstop distractions and Covid creating new WFH schedules. So how can we all chill tf out and come like we never have before?
Well, Dodson believed that if women could learn to pleasure themselves properly, they could end their sexual dependence on men, which would make everybody happy (hello second-wave feminism).
“The most consistent sex will be the love affair you have with yourself,” she wrote in “Sex for One” a how-to guide that began as a short primer in Ms. Magazine and that has been translated into 25 languages since Random House first published it in 1987. “Masturbation will get you through childhood, puberty, romance, marriage and divorce, and it will see you through old age.”
Gloria Steinem, a co-founder of Ms. Magazine, wrote in an email: “Betty Dodson was a brave and daring advocate for women’s right to sexual knowledge and pleasure. Her workshops turned women on to the beauty of our own bodies, and her outrageous honesty allowed more women to speak our truths.”
Last year, at age 90, Ms. Dodson famously made the actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow blush when Ms. Dodson appeared on an episode of Goop Lab, Ms. Paltrow’s six-part Netflix series. She was there to explain her method and her workshops.
What happens in a workshop? Ms. Paltrow asked Ms. Dodson. “Everyone gets off,” Ms. Dodson replied.
So what does it mean to “run your own fuck?” Dodson taught that every orgasm women have is inherently different, so it’s hard to put a finger (ahem) on a perfect orgasmic recipe. Some women need clitoral stimulation to get off, some need their boobs touched, some badass jedi-ladies out there can get off only by thinking with their MINDS. Plus, there are an unlimited amount of methods to achieve pleasure with or without a partner: loud cyclical breathing, pelvic floor exercises, sexual fantasy, orgies, vaginal barbells, vibrators, dildos, different rhythms and patterns of clitoral stimulation, sexual lubricants (wink), and breast manipulation are only the tip of the nip.
At the heart of sexual exploration Dodson says, “I want every woman to create their own experience, and create their own orgasm,” and we couldn’t agree more, except we believe this applies to all genders. Dodson may have been an expert on female anatomy, but a lot of her wisdom can be applied to all of us. And apply it we do.
When you’re ready to “run your own fuck” we hope you’ll give our sex serum WHET a try, it’s designed for sensitive skin and maximum arousal!