The uncomplicated truth about women's sexuality | Sarah Barmak

Translator: Leslie Gauthier Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Bruce Sung

In our culture we tend to see sex

（掌聲）

在我們的文化中，我們傾向會認為

as something that's more important to men than it is to women.

性對於男人的重要性高於女人。

But that's not true.

但實情並非如此。

What is true is that women often feel more shame in talking about it.

實情是，女人對於談論性議題 比較會感到羞恥。

Over half of women quietly suffer from some kind of sexual dysfunction.

有超過一半的女人默默地 承受著某種性功能障礙。

We've been hearing more about the orgasm gap.

我們聽過很多關於 性別高潮差異的事。

It's kind of like the wage gap but stickier ...

它就有點像是性別薪資差異， 只是比較黏一點……

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Straight women tend to reach climax

異性戀女人在做愛的時候，

less than 60 percent of the time they have sex.

會達到高潮的機率不到六成。

Men reach climax 90 percent of the time they have sex.

男人在做愛的時候 有九成的可能會達到高潮。

To address these issues, women have been sold flawed medication,

為了處理這類問題， 女人會被推銷瑕疵的藥物、

testosterone creams ...

睾丸激素霜……

even untested genital injections.

甚至沒受過測試的生殖器注射。

The thing is, female sexuality can't be fixed with a pill.

重點是，女性的性事 不用能藥物治療。

That's because it's not broken:

因為它沒有壞掉：

it's misunderstood.

它是被誤解了。

Our culture has had a skewed and medically incorrect picture

我們的文化對於女性性事的印象

很偏頗，且在醫學上並不正確，

of female sexuality

going back centuries.

可追溯到幾世紀前。

If over half of women have some kind of sexual problem,

如果超過一半的女人 有某種性問題，

maybe our idea of sexuality doesn't work for women.

也許我們對於性事的想法 對女人是行不通的。

We need a clearer understanding of how women actually work.

我們需要更清楚了解 女人是怎麼運作的。

I'm a journalist,

我是記者，最近我寫了一本書，

and I recently wrote a book

about how our understanding of female sexuality is evolving.

內容是關於我們對於女性 性事的了解如何演進。

So sexuality itself was defined back when men dominated science.

性事被定義的時期， 是科學還是由男人主宰的時期。

Male scientists tended to see the female body

男性科學家通常會用 有偏見的濾鏡來看女性的身體。

through their own skewed lens.

They could've just asked women about their experience.

他們大可直接向女人 詢問她們的感受。

Instead they probed the female body like it was a foreign landscape.

但，他們卻把女性身體 當作陌生地景來探索。

Even today we debate the existence of female ejaculation and the G-spot

即使是現今，我們在討論 女性潮吹和 G 點的存在時，

like we're talking about aliens or UFOs.

也彷彿在討論外星人或幽浮一樣。

"Are they really out there?"

「它們真的存在嗎？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

All this goes double for LGBTQI women's sexuality,

對於 LGBTQI 女人的性事， 這狀況更是加倍。

which has been hated and erased in specific ways.

她們的性事一直被痛恨， 且用特定的方式抹煞。

Ignorance about the female body goes back centuries.

對於女性身體的無知， 可追溯到幾世紀以前。

It goes back to the beginning of modern medicine.

要回到現代醫學的開端。

Cast your mind back to the 16th century,

把你的大腦帶回十六世紀，

a time of scientific revolution in Europe.

當時在歐洲正在發生科學革命。

Men of ideas were challenging old dogmas.

有想法的人在挑戰老式的教條。

They were building telescopes to gaze up at the stars.

他們打造了望遠鏡來看星星。

We were making progress ...

我們在進步……

sometimes.

有時候。

You see, the fathers of anatomy --

解剖學之父——

and I say "fathers" because, let's face it, they were all dudes --

我說「之父」是因為， 面對現實吧，他們都是男的——

were poking about between women's legs

在戳弄女人的兩腿之間，

and trying to classify what they saw.

試圖將他們的所見給歸類。

They weren't quite sure what to do with the clitoris.

他們不太確定該拿陰蒂如何是好。

It didn't appear to have anything to do with making babies.

它顯然和生孩子沒關係。

The leading anatomist at the time declared

當時帶頭的解剖學家宣稱

that it was probably some kind of abnormal growth --

陰蒂可能是某種異常的生長——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

and that any woman who had one was probably a hermaphrodite.

且有陰蒂的女人很可能是陰陽人。

It got so bad that parents would sometimes have their daughter's clitoris cut off

狀況糟到有些父母會把

他們女兒過大的陰蒂切除。

if it was deemed too large.

That's right.

沒錯。

Something we think of today as female genital mutilation

現今我們稱為是女性 生殖器截除的行為，

was practiced in the West as late as the 20th century.

在西方，一直到二十世紀 都還有人在實行。

You have to wonder:

你不得不納悶：

if they were that confused about women's bodies,

如果他們對女人的身體 感到如此困惑，

why didn't they just ask women for a little help?

他們為什麼不向女人求助？

But you must be thinking, "All that was history.

但，你一定在想： 「那都是過去事了。

It's a different world now.

現在的世界不一樣了。

Women have everything.

女人什麼都有。

They have the birth control pill,

她們有避孕藥丸，

they have sexting and Tinder and vajazzling."

她們會發送性愛訊息、 用約會軟體、在私密處穿環。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Things must be better now.

現在狀況一定比較好了。

But medical ignorance of the female body continues.

但，醫學上對於女性身體的 無知仍然持續存在。

How many of you recognize this?

在座有誰知道這是什麼？

It's the full structure of the clitoris.

這是陰蒂的完整結構。

We think of the clitoris as this little pea-sized nub,

我們認為陰蒂是 豌豆大小的突起物，

but actually it extends deep into the body.

但其實它向內延伸到身體內部。

Most of it lies under the skin.

它的很大一部分都藏在皮膚底下。

It contains almost as much erectile tissue as the penis.

它所包含的勃起組織 幾乎和陰莖一樣多。

It's beautiful, isn't it?

它很美，對吧？

It looks a little like a swan.

它看起來有點像是天鵝。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This sculpture is by an artist named Sophia Wallace

這個雕塑是藝術家 索菲亞華萊士的作品，

as part of her "Cliteracy" project.

這是她的「陰蒂知識能力」 計畫的一部分。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

She believes we need more "cliteracy,"

她相信我們需要更多 「陰蒂知識能力」，

and it's true, considering that this structure

這是真的，想想看， 一直到 2009 年

was only fully 3-D mapped by researchers in 2009.

才有科學家把陰蒂結構 對映製成完全的 3D 圖。

That was after we finished mapping the entire human genome.

在那之前我們都已經把所有 人類基因組對映製成 3D 圖了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This ignorance has real-life consequences.

這種無知，在現實生活中 是會造成後果的。

In a medical journal in 2005,

在 2005 年的一本醫學期刊中，

Dr. Helen O'Connell, a urologist,

泌尿科醫生海倫奧康內爾

warned her colleagues that this structure was still nowhere to be found

警告她的同事， 在基礎的醫學期刊中

都還找不到這個結構——

in basic medical journals --

textbooks like "Gray's Anatomy."

像《格雷氏解剖學》等教科書。

This could have serious consequences for surgery.

對於手術來說， 可能會有嚴重的後果。

Take this in.

想想這一點。

Gentlemen:

男士們：

imagine if you were at risk of losing your penis

想像你有失去陰莖的風險，

because doctors weren't totally sure where it was

因為醫生不能完全 肯定陰莖在哪裡，

or what it looked like.

或它看起來是什麼樣子的。

Unsurprisingly,

不意外，

many women aren't too clear on their own genital anatomy either.

許多女人對於她們自己的 生殖器解剖學也不怎麼。

You can't really blame them.

也不能怪她們。

The clitoris is often missing from many sex-ed diagrams, too.

在許多性教育的圖上 也都少了陰蒂。

Women can sense that their culture views their bodies with confusion at best,

女人可以感受到， 在最好的情況下，

她們的文化也是帶著困惑 看待她們的身體，

outright disdain and disgust at worst.

在最糟的情況下， 則是帶著蔑視和憎惡。

Many women still view their own genitals as dirty or inadequate.

許多女人仍然認為自己的 生殖器是骯髒、不夠好的。

They're increasingly comparing their vulvas

越來越多女人會將 她們自己的外陰拿來

with the neat and tiny ones they see in pornography.

和色情片裡工整 又小的外陰做比較。

It's one reason why labiaplasty is becoming a skyrocketing business

這就是為什麼陰脣整形手術在女人

和青少女之間變得非常熱門。

among women and teen girls.

Some people feel that all this is a trivial issue.

有些人覺得這些 都是不重要的議題。

I was writing my book when I was at a dinner party

我在一場晚餐聚會上在寫我的書，

and someone said, "Isn't sexuality a first-world problem?

有人說：「性功能不是 第一世界的問題嗎？

Aren't women dealing with more important issues all over the world?"

全世界的女人不是要處理 其它更重要的議題嗎？」

Of course they are.

當然，她們要。

But I think the impulse to trivialize sex is part of our problem.

但，我認為，我們有一部分的問題 就是我們有輕視性議題的念頭。

We live in a culture that seems obsessed with sex.

我們所處的文化似乎對性很迷戀。

We use it to sell everything.

我們會利用「性」銷售每樣產品。

We tell women that looking sexy

我們告訴女人， 妳能做的最重要的事之一

is one of the most important things you can do.

就是讓自己看起來很性感。

But what we really do is we belittle sex.

但，我們在做的其實是在貶低性。

We reduce it to a sad shadow of what it truly is.

我們把它降級成 真相旁邊的悲傷影子。

Sex is more than just an act.

性不只是一種行為。

I spoke with Dr. Lori Brotto,

我和洛瑞布羅托醫生談過，

a psychologist who treats sexual issues in women,

她是治療女性 性問題的精神科醫師，

including survivors of trauma.

也治療創傷後的倖存者。

She says the hundreds of women she sees all tend to repeat the same thing.

她說，她看過的數百名女人 都傾向有同一種狀況。

They say, "I don't feel whole."

她們說：「我覺得自己不完整。」

They feel they've lost a connection with their partners and themselves.

她們覺得她們已經失去 和另一半以及自己的連結。

So what is sex?

所以，性是什麼？

We've traditionally defined the act of sex

傳統上，我們將性的行為定義為

as a linear, goal-oriented process.

一個目標導向的線性過程。

It's something that starts with lust,

這個過程始於性慾，

continues to heavy petting

接著是大量的愛撫動作，

and finishes with a happy ending.

最後是快樂的結尾。

Except many women don't experience it this way.

只是，許多女人的體驗 並不是這樣的。

It's less linear for them and more circular.

對女人來說，這個過程 比較像是個圓圈而非線性。

This is a new model of women's arousal and desire

這是一個描述女性 衝動和慾望的新模型，

developed by Dr. Rosemary Basson.

是由蘿絲瑪莉貝森 博士發展出來的。

It says many things,

它表述了許多東西，包括：

including that women can begin an encounter for many different reasons

女人開始一段邂逅的 理由可能有很多，

that aren't desire,

理由不只是慾望，

like curiosity.

比如好奇心也是。

They can finish with a climax or multiple climaxes,

她們的結尾可能是單一高潮

或多重高潮，

or satisfaction without a climax at all.

或是有滿足感卻完全沒有高潮。

All options are normal.

所有這些選項都很正常。

Some people are starting to champion a richer definition of sexuality.

有些人開始支持給性事 一個更豐富的定義。

Whether you identify as male, female or neither gender,

不論你認同的性別 是男性、女性，或都不是，

sex is about our relationship to the senses.

性的重點是我們和感受的關係。

It's about slowing down,

重點是要慢下步調，

listening to the body,

傾聽身體的聲音，

coming into the present moment.

真正地處在當下。

It's about our whole health and well-being.

重點是我們的整個健康和幸福。

In other words,

換言之，

sex at its true breadth isn't profane,

真正有廣度的性並不是褻瀆，

it's sacred.

它是神聖的。

That's one reason why women are redefining their sexuality today.

這就是現今女人要重新定義 她們的性行為的理由之一。

They're asking: What is sex for me?

她們會問：「性 對我來說是什麼？」

So they're experimenting with practices that are less about the happy ending --

所以，她們在實驗一些做法， 重點不是放在快樂的結尾——

more about feeling whole.

而是著重於感覺到完整。

So they're trying out spiritual sex classes,

她們在嘗試靈性的性課程，

masturbation workshops --

手淫研討會——

even shooting their own porn

甚至拍攝她們自己的色情片，

that celebrates the diversity of real bodies.

來讚頌真實身體的多樣性。

For anyone who still feels this is a trivial issue, consider this:

如果你仍然覺得這是 不重要的議題，想想這一點：

understanding your body is crucial to the huge issue

對於「性教育和同意」 這個大議題，

of sex education and consent.

了解你的身體是很重要的。

By deeply, intimately knowing what kind of touch feels right,

藉由深刻、親密地去認識 什麼樣的觸感才是對的，

what pressure, what speed, what context,

什麼壓力、什麼速度、什麼情境，

you can better know what kind of touch feels wrong

你才能更理解什麼樣的觸碰感是錯的，

and have the confidence to say so.

並有自信地說出來。

This isn't ultimately about women having more or better sex.

這最終的目的並不是 讓女人有更多或更好的性。

It's not about making sure women have as many orgasms as men.

也不是要確保女人 和男人有一樣多的高潮。

It's about accepting yourself and your own unique experience.

重點在於接受你自己

以及你自己獨特的體驗。

It's about you being the expert on your body.

重點在於你是了解 自己身體的專家。

It's about defining pleasure and satisfaction on your terms.

重點在於用你自己的語言 來定義愉悅和滿足。

And if that means you're happiest having no sex at all,

就算完全沒有性生活 對你來說才是最快樂的，

that's perfect, too.

那也非常好。

If we define sex as part of our whole health and well-being,

如果我們把性定義為我們 整體健康和幸福的一部分，

then empowering women and girls to fully own it

那麼就讓女人和女孩， 能完全自主擁有這類的健康和幸福，

is a crucial next step toward equality.

這是通往平等的關鍵下一步。

And I think it would be a better world not just for women

我認為，這會是個更好的世界， 不只是對女人而言，

but for everyone.

對所有人皆是如此。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）