Is it socially acceptable for women to admit they love sex?

[Sexchair]

There's a sexchair thread on AIBU.
My first thought was ooh that might help with my aching hips when I'm trying to have epically glorious sex. I certainly didn't think all the silly things that people are posting on there. It's no wonder that there are so many mismatched sex drives in relationships when women (I'm assuming the posts about knitting and cups of tea are written by women) have such a low opinion of it. Is it not socially acceptable for women to admit that they bloody love sex like I do?

Anything less than enthusiastic consent is a passion-killer… let alone punitive refusal!

The point I was trying to make was that no one ( men included) should be having sex they don’t want- BUT some people on the relationships board see the withdrawal sex as a threat that can be used to manipulate their partners- rather than dealing with the root causes

Oh, I totally agree. I just mean that “chore or dull” probably also spells the end of the relationship or marriage, just more slowly.

I run Pleasure Empire, an adult sexual wellness site in the UK sell sex stools and other position aids, along with pretty much every adult toy you can think of. I can confirm that both men and women buy and use sex toys in the UK - very enthusiastically. We advocate for consensual sexual exploration for both men and women without censure.

Someone proclaiming that they enjoy sex is not an attack on someone who doesn't.
Every week we get both men and women seeking advice and reassurance that wanting to explore pleasure, whether alone or with a partner, is normal and we take great pleasure in helping them.

Our blog post What Sexual Wellness Really Means in 2026 might be of interest - it explores a modern, psychological approach to sexual wellness, reframing intimacy as an extension of overall emotional and mental wellbeing rather than a purely physical act.

Of course it is acceptable, I am a woman and I love sex

I was a bit taken aback too by some of the comments on that thread, OP. It surprised me that something that could be quite exciting, and for some provide a more comfortable position, was being ridiculed so much. I could only see the benefit! I love sex, but my private life is exactly that and I don’t discuss it outside the bedroom

I think when I was saying socially acceptable, I probably meant it more about discussing it anonymously on a forum like this one rather than over a table with the in laws.
It seems such a shame that women are so frowned upon for actually liking sex, that women jump on the 'let's mock and laugh about people who enjoy sex' bandwagon rather than admit it.
Even on this thread, I've been given grief by a woman who feels the need to mock me and accuse me of putting down other women who apparently don't like sex whilst simultaneously putting me down with her comment because I do.

Well that attitude has come from men though. It's not women's fault. I remember growing up, the men around me constantly calling women "sluts and tramps " if they liked sex. If you look online on Instagram. Men still do it. They call women sluts

But women think we are sluts too apparently!

That attitude has started from men. Men say that women are sluts if they like sex. The attitude and shame then goes into women. They then judge other women,

I definitely felt bad about enjoying sex with many different partners when I as younger, because of sex shaming attitudes from men.

It's crap isn't it @Scarlettjune ?

Men don't make a lot of sense! They complain that they don't get enough sex , then they Shame the woman if she has sex?

Ah I don't give a shit anymore what they think. I'm too old to care if men think I'm a slut now

I normally don't give a flying fuck what anyone thinks either.
I'm not fussed what men think. It's that women think it too pisses me off.
I am having a few days off work. I've obviously got time to think and should immediately stop!

Yes but of course women are going to think that from living in the controlling patriarchal society. Women have never Been REALLY free sexually. There is a lot of judgment from men. There is a podcast online where the male presenter asks the female guests how many men they have slept with. The women usually say numbers like 6, 7, 9, 12.

The comments under the video from men always call the women sluts, whores. They write that the women are"ran through".

That's appalling @Scarlettjune

Yeah there's shocking stuff online. There are loads of male influences online saying its fine for them to have sex with over 100 people, but if a woman has sex with more than one man, she is a slut. Its all about control

And sadly some women seem to believe a similar thing

Yes because we live in a patriarchal society and men have told us to think that. Because men want control of sex.

And insecurity. Some men want an inexperienced woman because they are scared they won’t measure up.

Yes they are so insecure! Its also scary how many of those male influences online talk about women like they are objects

And the amount of users that will advocate that is the right thing to do.

If he can't put his cup in the dishwasher, then my legs clamp shut type talk. Ridiculous.

At the end of the day, it is an equality issue and man fear of the power of female sexuality. These type of men (NB: l am not saying all men) are the very ones who couldn’t find the clitoris if it was sign posted.

Some years ago a man (in a situation l avoided taking further) once asked me how many people l’d had sex with, which was none of his business. I looked him straight in the eye and said “do you mean this year?”.

This works both ways. Someone I know suspected her new partner was a bit of a lethario and asked how many partners he'd had. She didn't like his answer. I asked how many she'd had, and it turned out she had had just as many.

We disparage men who've had lots of partners just as much as we do women. They can't keep it in their pants. They think they're god's gift. One track minds. In this thread, the criticism has been more veiled, but it's still there. The difference is just the language we use to condemn the different genders.

My friend went to her NCT class and was shocked at the competitive non-intimacy. It was like a badge of honour, she said. She was looked at like a mad women that she was thinking of getting back on the horse, so to speak.