4.9: Conclusion
The pursuit of pleasure has been a part of the human condition since time began. Desires are something we all have. Some embodied, some not. Culture shapes what we learn to be pleasurable and constrains us from exploring what we might like. Embodied pleasure in the form of sexuality is part of an overall well-being. Sensuality allows us to tune into what we like. Our brain is our largest sex organ, holding the key to our arousal and response. Studies done on pleasure have mostly been framed around white, cis-gendered, heterosexual people with penises so there is a large gap in the field in order to represent totality of the human spectrum. The anatomy of the clitoris was not formally studied and included in the scientific literature until Helen O'Donnell wrote about it in 2005. Masturbation is a great way to stimulate your senses and learn about your body. Alfred Kinsey and work done at the Kinsey Institute brought sexuality studies into the scientific domain. Masters and Johnson’s four phase model of sexual response became the tool for identifying issues in sexual health despite a missing piece. In 1977, Helen Kaplan updated this model to include desire which changed the way in which sexual health issues are treated. Understanding that we are all different and our levels of desire and what inhibits our desires are not fixed can help with self-acceptance. It is time to debunk cultural myths about the right way to be a sexual being and practice radical self-love.