You know how they say university is a hotbed of sexual experimentation? Well, it’s also a place where sexual experimentation is measured and studied, at least it is at the University of Essex. Researchers there have found that, after showing erotic images of men and women to some men and women, 100% of the women were turned on by women at some point. This was regardless of whether they self identify as gay, straight or bisexual.
Three hundred and forty five women were shown erotic images and their responses – including pupil dilation – were measured. Lesbians would respond positively only to images of women, but (so-called) straight women would respond positively to both men and women.
What could it all mean? Well, lesbians are a lot like men in that they respond distinctly to one gender, that being women. Men – gay or straight, but rarely bisexual – will, respectively, respond positively to either men or women. As for ‘straight’ women?
Dr Gerulf Rieger from the Department of Psychology said: ‘Even though the majority of women identify as straight, our research clearly demonstrates that when it comes to what turns them on, they are either bisexual or gay, but never straight.’
What do you think of that, then?
While it’s great that we’re heading to a world where any sexuality is acceptable and hopefully none of this will matter anymore, it’s worth noting that this study could merely be highlighting how we live in a society where women’s beauty is highlighted and prized way beyond men’s.
We’re just not that used to seeing men objectified, so when we do, it might jar our brains instead of turning them on. Like, seeing a naked man twerking looks like a stupid parody, whereas a naked woman twerking is just normal, everyday, sexy stuff. It’s like a shorthand for sexiness in a way a naked twerking man so isn’t.
Dr Rieger also told The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that women who present as butch aren’t necessarily as gay as they look (and that feminine-looking women can be just as turned on by other women as their butcher counterparts). ‘Although some lesbians were more masculine in their sexual arousal, and others were more masculine in their behaviours, there was no indication that these were the same women.’
What’s interesting is that, whatever the reasons, and despite years and years of sexual repression, women are that little bit freer to identify as – or simply feel, because being attracted to someone doesn’t necessarily mean you want to sleep with them – much more sexually fluid than men.
Like this? You might also be interested in:
Lesbians Are More Likely To Drink Than Straight Women, But Why?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.