“So many people are left out of the pleasure conversation,” we’re told early on in “The Principles of Pleasure.” A three-part docuseries exploring how “sex, joy, and modern science converge,” the project aims to make that conversation more inclusive and accessible by disproving old-fashioned myths and empowering its viewers, equipping them with medical knowledge and tools to help navigate how to talk about — and experience — pleasure.
In a world where a significant percentage of women cannot definitively identify whether or not they’ve orgasmed, “The Principles of Pleasure” is an essential primer for folks who want to know more about their bodies — and are looking for answers about why they’ve been denied a basic education about their anatomy and how it functions. The docuseries shows that there is a lot more learning outside of the classroom. Gender roles and dynamics play out on TV shows we watch from the time we’re still learning to talk. We also learn from what’s NotMoreover, women are more likely to internalize shame and stigma due to the silence surrounding the pleasure of girls or women.
“The Principles of Pleasure” aims to kickstart these discussions and increase their volume. Its conversational tone encourages viewers to reflect upon their relationships with their bodies and pleasure. But it’s not all about looking inwardly. The docuseries asks viewers to reflect on the orgasm gap and how scientists have ignored all other cisgender males.
While women are largely left out of the aforementioned “pleasure conversation,” “The Principles of Pleasure” emphasizes that women of color, trans women, fat women, and women with disabilities in particular get excluded from the dialogue, and most sex educators are white, cisgender, and able-bodied. This isn’t a one-time acknowledgment in the docuseries. Instead, the project constantly questions, to paraphrase a single interviewee, how the outside world affects our bodies and how it affects our ability to be sexual. It is a thread.
If you’re interested in normalizing conversations about masturbation, hoping to find sex toy advice (“Our eyes are always bigger than our assholes”), wanting reassurance that vulvas are unique and that’s a wonderful thing, or feel like you could use some advice about communicating your needs with a partner, “The Principles of Pleasure” has something for you.
Narrated by “Marry Me” actress Michelle Buteau and directed by “Gaycation” helmer Niharika Desai, “The Principles of Pleasure” is now streaming on Netflix.
Source: Women And Hollywood