Chapter 5, Guilt and Fantasy, or Why the Fig Leaf? Summary and Analysis

As Ms. Friday conducted research on this book, she ran into a large number of women who denied having sexual fantasies until presented with examples of other women's fantasies. This, Ms. Friday believes, stems from the guilt almost all women feel about their fantasies. Once again the mother comes into this, a woman who repressed her daughter's sexual urges and made her feel ashamed. Women grow to learn that it is okay to indulge in the pleasures of sex, but still are afraid to share this pleasure with others. There is still that sense that to want to enjoy the pleasures of sex is wrong; therefore, even when the fantasy remains inside a woman's mind, she still feels guilty for even thinking those thoughts.

Christiana...