The virgin-desire myth serves male domination, not biological fact

Evidence

It is not true, as has been held at times, that the virgin does not know desire and that the male awakens her sensuality; this legend once again betrays the male’s taste for domination, never wanting his companion to be autonomous, even in the desire that she has for him; in fact, for man as well, desire is often aroused through contact with woman, and, on the contrary, most young girls feverishly long for caresses before a hand ever touches them. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 948

Categorization

• DEFINE: Deconstructs the claim that male touch awakens female desire as a domination-serving legend, not a truth about feminine sexuality.
• XREF: Connects to the broader existentialist theme of woman positioned as object even in her own desire — echoes Beauvoir’s treatment of woman as inessential Other. — connects to: Male claims about procreation are acts of faith that seize power, not scientific findings — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 168; Virginity myths encode male ambivalence between fear and desire of the feminine — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 342; The desire to provide is not an innate male instinct — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 225 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• The desire to provide is not an innate male instinct #expands (0.85) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 225
• Sexual passion does not depend on female subordination or inequality #corroborates (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1981
• The meaning of sexual positions is socially constructed, not biologically fixed #corroborates (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1978
• Female desire is an indissoluble synthesis of attraction and repulsion, not disguised male-derived libido #responds-to (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 130
• Femininity is a negative imprint of masculine domination, not a natural essence #corroborates (0.78) — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 110
• Male-centered erotic traditions blame women for being insatiable despite male-centered pacing #expands (0.78) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 997
• Camptown sexual exploitation results from deliberate human decisions, not natural male behavior. #expands (0.75)
• Women fuse male sexual vigor and social success into one myth of sovereignty #exemplifies (0.75) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1760