Supposed frigidity in marriage functions as a covert weapon against male domination
Evidence
Either she stiffens in his arms and inflicts the insult of her frigidity on him; or she shows herself to be capricious and coquettish, imposing on him the attitude of suppliant; she flirts, she makes him jealous, she is unfaithful to him: in one way or another, she tries to humiliate him in his virility. While caution prevents her from pushing him too far, at least she preciously keeps in her heart the secret of her haughty coldness; she confides sometimes to her diary, more readily to her friends: many married women find it amusing to share “tricks” they use to feign pleasure they claim not to feel; and they laugh wildly at the vain naïveté of their dupes; these confidences are perhaps another form of playacting: between frigidity and willful frigidity, the boundaries are uncertain. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1304
Categorization
- XREF: Extends Beauvoir’s analysis of woman’s situation: when direct transcendence is denied, she uses her own body and sexuality as a site of retaliation. Relates to the earlier discussion of woman’s immanence and her resort to indirect power. — connects to: The ideal of involuntary love serves society’s domination as its alibi.; Frigidity is a revenge act born of resentment, not biological dysfunction — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 989; Marriage transforms partners from erotically charged Others into the Same — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1193 (+6 more)
- SEED: Could frame an essay on how ‘frigidity’ as a diagnostic category was a site of covert marital warfare — the bedroom as a theater of resistance under patriarchy.
Broader Connections
- Prostitutes’ frigidity is a revolt against male domination rather than mere incapacity
#corroborates(0.85) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1686 - Marriage’s ethical dignity actually suppresses rather than dignifies women’s sexuality
#corroborates(0.82) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1136 - Sexual frigidity can stem from emotional mismatch rather than physical constitution
#qualifies(0.75) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1626