I have spent the last four years of my life studying rape. I am not sure what triggered my interest in the matter, but after coming across Susan Brownmiller’s, Against Our Will, I knew I had found my area of interest. This is why the second chapter of Daniel Bergner’s, The Other Side of Desire, held the most interest for me.
In this chapter, the author gives an explanation for something that has plagued rape victims for centuries, the ability to orgasm against one’s will. One of the doctors interviewed in the book brings up the scientific explanation for why women can still experience arousal during rape. Unlike the idea that women secretly want to be taken against their will, this reason made sense. “The genital arousal to assault she and other saw as self-protection; in evolutionary terms, prehistoric women had needed to be vaginally receptive to sexual aggression in order to avoid laceration and tearing” (78).
This idea is interesting because it says something about our society. Women’s bodies had to evolve to withstand rape. The book does not go on to explore this issue, but it is important to note that in a book dedicated to deviant sexual practices, rape receives hardly any attention. This, in my opinion, can stem from a few reasons. One is that the act is seen as so commonplace that it is not really considered deviant or abnormal anymore.
The other reason is that rape is simply not as eye-catching as pedophilia. It is easier to convince people that sex with a child is wrong. No one questions the child’s sexuality or their clothing. Adult rape victims, however, have their lives put on trial when they attempt to prosecute their rapists.
No matter which of these reasons is correct, I think the fact that a man with a foot fetish is given an entire chapter, while rape is only given a few lines here and there, is a serious concern. It should make the reader ask how things are assigned levels of importance, not only in this book, but also in our society.
Charisse
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