Lynn Comella

Professor Lynn Comella joins us to talk about her books New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law (co-edited with Shira Tarrant, 2015) and Vibrator Nation: How Feminist Sex-Toy Stores Changed the Business of Pleasure (2017). The reach of Vibrator Nation’s readership has extended beyond the typical academic circles and has resonated with a mainstream audience due to its easy reading style, and because it details a history of feminist sex shops that the public was obviously eager to read about. The history of these shops is a fascinating one and one that has literally changed the ways in which we think about the female orgasm within our post-sexual revolution era. The story of these stores isn’t one of capitalist opportunism, it’s actually a story about revolutionary feminist sexual educators who wanted to spread their sexual knowledge to a starving female public looking for ways to expand their sexual pleasure. In short, our understanding of sexual history would be incomplete without the information contained in this book. Pornography also has a role to play in this history. We talk about how pornography worked its way into these sex shops after owners long resisted their inclusion. And we also talk about the movies produced by the legendary San Francisco sex shop Good Vibrations. This is a history that you’re not going to want to miss! Learn more about Lynn on her website. Vibrator Nation book review in the New York Times. Lynn’s interview with The Atlantic. Sex Out Loud episode where Tristan Taormino interviews Joani Blank. Vibrator Nation Instagram. Lynn’s Twitter. “Ten Feminist Sex Shops You’re Going to Want to Add to Your Wishlist” pornocultures.podomatic.com facebook.com/AcademicSex @PornoCultures https://concordia.academia.edu/brandrroyo