Naomi Wolf: live webchat TODAY, Thursday 6 September, 12pm to 1pm

[RachelMumsnet]

Naomi Wolf is joining us for a live webchat on Thursday 6 September at 12 noon. Naomi's latest book, Vagina - A New Biography, has attracted major media attention this month and we're delighted she's joining us to tell us more about the book and answer your questions.

Described as 'exhilarating and groundbreaking', Vagina combines cultural history, physiology and personal memoir to explore the role of female desire and how it affects female identity, creativity and confidence.

Naomi Wolf is author of seven books including the bestseller, The Beauty Myth. She travels regularly to speak about gender equality and social justice. She lives in New York and is working towards a doctorate at New College, Oxford University.

Please post your question to Naomi in advance, or set the date in your diary to join us this Thursday at midday to chat to Naomi 'live'.

Naomi
Have you read the article linked earlier by David Allen Green where he discussed the legal implications of extraditing JA to Sweden and the chance of him being further extradited to US?

Leading legal experts have stated that JA is safer from extradition to US if he returns to Sweden. Why would he want to prevent that, other than because he is trying to avoid a rape conviction.

'I do not write or post rape myths.'

How can you say that when that is EXACTLY what that Huff Post article was doing? If you have spent as much time supporting rape victims as you say you must be aware of the very widespread and damaging myth that women 'cry rape' when displeased with the behaviour of their male sexual partner. That was exactly what you were promulgating the idea of their having done in that piece.

Perhaps you should admit that on this case you did write a rape myth, and try harder not to do it again?

Yes our culture does ignore and trivialise lots of issues to do with women doesn't it Naomi.

Rape's another one it ignores and trivialises. It doesn't help when self-identified feminists buy into that by publishing open letters mocking alleged rape victims.

FastidiaBlueberry Thu 06-Sep-12 12:26:07
"Can't believe a feminist would take that trivialising, minimising and silencing tone about alleged rape victims, tbh.
Bloody shocking, that letter".

Ditto.
And a very strange tack to take when writing in a professional capacity about a case that has yet to be tried.

Why do you think the "mommy wars" are so pervasive?

Do you agree that women are much more likely to judge other women's life choices in a way that men don't?

OK, sorry, cross posted, you've apologised for that letter so I'll shut up about it. Thank you.

You like the f word? So you think that it is transphobic for females assigned at birth to meet together without the presence of males assigned at birth?

Does your book apply to transwomen with constructed vaginas?

Isn't it transphobic to write a book which ignores transwomen's experience of their 'vaginas' (or lack of them)?

@mcmooncup

I think women generally do know how to have sex and what feels good with decent men Naomi, why is all this emphasis on the biology necessary?

Essentially, bad, abusive, narcissistic men = bad sex, bad vagina moves.

So a third of women don't have sexual desire, and a third (come the same women, some different) self-report that they do not reach orgasm during sex in a way that they can count on. So this is to me a serous feminist issue especially because of that powerful dopamine/oxytocin/opioids boost that is part of women's optimal wellbeing, whether they are gay straight bisexual, in a relationship or not. So absolutely, knowing the new science that shows for instance that women have eight neural termini throughout their pelvises, whereas men's innervation is relatively simple that women have to be understood carefully, treated well, and know their own responses with a neural system that varies from woman to woman is really empowering and important. Not to mention the many ways in which men are raised to misunderstand female sexual response because of porn culture. I have no idea that the autonomic nervous system is so connected to female arousal that if a lover is dismissive or disrespectful in a 24 hour period before lovemaking, it actually can close down the avenues, like respiration, lubrication, vaginal engorgement -- of female arousal and orgasm.

oh dear, where has she gone. have you all scared her off!

I am just....speechless really.
How on earth can you identify yourself as a feminist and yet be the author of that letter?
You may well regret it - I am glad you do - but you wrote it. You sat down and thought of those vile words, sentences and paragraphs.
You then took the time to send it to the editor of the publication in question.
Let's not pretending was a spur of the moment action, shall we?
I think the whole concept of feminism is harmed by women like you.
And it saddens me greatly to say that.
:(

In the Democracy Now debate with Jaclyn Friedman you cast doubt on one of Assange's alleged victims because she went on to spend time with him afterwards and threw a party for him.

This is actually quite common, in fact many victims go on to have a relationship with their rapist (not to mention those who are raped within the context of an ongoing relationship) - there isn't a correct way to behave after you've been raped.

How do you think your comments will have affected rape victims who have continued to be pleasant and amenable to the men who have raped them?

When investigating the neuroscience of the vagina, did your studies include an investigation into which part of the brain lights up during "bad sexual etiquette"?

How do you feel about the Handmaiden's Tale becoming a reality in the USA with regard to the growing restrictions on women being able to get free, legal abortions?

Who should control a woman's body, her or mostly male politicians, lawyers and doctors?

Thank you for apologising for that letter.

@Margerykemp

You like the f word? So you think that it is transphobic for females assigned at birth to meet together without the presence of males assigned at birth?

Does your book apply to transwomen with constructed vaginas?

Isn't it transphobic to write a book which ignores transwomen's experience of their 'vaginas' (or lack of them)?

Very interesting actually trans women or women transitioning from female to male who have read my book said that it gave them isight into their own anatomy, responses and biology that their doctors had not given them. And I was contacted by women in a support group for women without vaginas who confirmed that there is so little good research on constructing vaginas as opposed to constructing penises -- that their members have often bad outcomes. So yes this book is written for anyone with a body and bodies vary.

Were you surprised at the backlash against that letter?

Have you heard of the Mumsnet We Believe You Campaign?

It is the reason for your rather hostile reception here. It was a very personal campaign for many of us and we find it very hard to see a 'leading feminist' trampling on all the work that we did to draw attention to rape myths.

Are the neural connections between vagina and brain, and the mood-consequences of the chemicals released during orgasm really any different in degree or importance from other sorts of body--mood connections, such as those between exercise and mood, or diet and mood? Do these connections really deserve claims "the vagina is an essential part of what makes women great leaders?" Is the vagina-brain connection more important than the penis-brain connection?
I must say that I feel as sceptical and resistant to being told that the vagina is the seat (or a seat) of my self as I am to being told that my wandering womb has that role.
We live in an age of very great discovery about the roles of neurochemicals, neurotransmitters et al, but these have to be conceptualised very carefully indeed to avoid dodgy determinist theses and oversimplification.

When investigating the neuroscience of the vagina, did your studies include an investigation into which part of the brain lights up during "bad sexual etiquette"?

Naomi sia dfurther up that they found that "non violent rape" caused damage to the brain in the same way any violence did.

Would all of these positive feedback/hormones from the vagina also be present if orgasming through oral sex or masterbation, or is PIV necessary?

@FastidiaBlueberry

How do you feel about the Handmaiden's Tale becoming a reality in the USA with regard to the growing restrictions on women being able to get free, legal abortions?

Who should control a woman's body, her or mostly male politicians, lawyers and doctors?

Obviously women should control their own bodies. I do think that many laws and controversies right now -- from Pussy Riot being imprisoned, to the 'virginity tests' against young women protesting in Egypt, to state laws in the US demanding transvaginal probes, prove my larger argument that when you want to control and subdue women you target and violate the vagina.

Men who do more housework get more sex, you know . Who'd have thought it was all down to vaginal nerves?!

I think that the direct relationship between what men say and how the vagina responds was discovered some time ago without any 'neuroscience' and lighting up areas of the brain.

May I present this

Greythorne My question was serious also. I want to know if Ms. Wolf identifies with the cream laden, sickly custard cream (surely the vagina of biscuits) or the more phallic chocolate finger.

Naomi if you've spent so much time supporting rape victims, how come you don't know these basic things about rape?

Like for example, many rape victims continue to have relationships with their rapists after they have raped them.

How can you not know this?

Seriously, I am not taking the piss, either you're not aware of this, which seems incredible if you genuinely have worked a lot with organisations which support rape victims and survivors, or you chose to ignore that in order to make a political point, knowing that most of your readers would accept your basic premise.

Seriously, how could you?