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Betty Dodson
The Mother of Masturbation
Betty
Dodson is an artist, an author and a sex educator who has been dubbed
“The Mother of Masturbation.” Her books, DVDs and Bodysex masturbation
workshops have helped millions of women achieve pleasure through “Sex
for One.” She continues to teach, create and speak out on women’s
issues and fight for every woman’s right to complete sexual
satisfaction. ErosZine had a few words with her about the current
political climate and why getting off is an art.
ErosZine: Okay, from reading your web site, one might assume you've
been a total perv since you were, like, 10. Do you think that's the
case?
Betty Dodson: It took years of learning and practice to become a proud perv.
EZ: Give us a brief encapsulation of your history for those who are unfamiliar with your work.
BD: I grew up in Wichita and like most “good girls,” I wanted to get
married and live happily ever after. All that changed when I moved to
New York City and enrolled in art school at night while I continued to
be a fashion illustrator by day to support myself. After a year of
drawing the nude and going to the Metropolitan Art Museum, I wanted to
become a “great artist.” That decision changed my priorities.
EZ: How did you transition from art to erotic art, or was your art always erotic?
BD: For me the nude will always be erotic. But my first one-woman show
was based on drawings of heterosexual lovers. Actually, the drawings
were quite modest, but I was the first woman to exhibit sex art in New
York City in ’68. People loved it.
EZ: And did the reactions to your art inspire you to become an activist?
BD: Yes, in a way. I’d been enjoying threesomes, foursomes and
moresomes since my divorce in ’65 and the exhibition allowed me to meet
many other like-minded people. Group sex parties became my sexuality
classroom. By the early 70s the women’s movement was gaining momentum
and I realized through my feminist support group (consciousness-raising
group) that many women were struggling with orgasm.
EZ: Which, I assume, then led you to become an educator?
BD: It was a gradual process. I started running my infamous
masturbation workshops to teach sexual skills to women. My idea was to
do this for a couple of years and then get back to drawing and painting
full time. But every year when the phone started ringing, I’d set up
another round of workshops. Twenty years later I got a PhD in sexology
at the age of 62. My art form had expanded to include teaching and
writing about women’s sexuality.
EZ: What do you think is wrong with America in regards to sexuality?
BD: There are many problems. One is that we use sex to sell everything
but we don’t offer any valid sex education. For example, the abstinence
only message is standing in for sex education in schools. Also our
hard-line Puritan heritage continues to cling to us in the form of
religious fundamentalism. Until we can unequivocally separate church
from state and rein in the big corporations’ control of politics,
Americans will continue to be manipulated based on our ignorance. We
are a lazy, uninformed population continuously brainwashed by
television. Go see the movie “Good Night and Good Luck” about Edward R.
Murrow and CBS confronting Senator McCarthy. Back in the 50s we were
afraid of communists. Now it's terrorists.
EZ: We seemed to be going in the right direction for a while and now
we're slipping back. Any comments on the current sexual/political
circumstances?
BD: We learn from history that we don’t learn from history.
EZ: What surprises you most about people's sexuality?
BD: The vast number of people who are willing to live without
experiencing any sexual pleasure with themselves, another person or
other people.
EZ: Is there one recurring question that still shocks you?
BD: One that always amazes me is a woman who is not sure if she’s ever
had an orgasm. Or a woman who is having orgasms and doesn’t realize it.
Seeking and experiencing sexual pleasure is a key element in the
pursuit of happiness. Women need to write our own Declaration of
Independence that grants us control over our bodies, easy access to
birth control and a vibrator in every bedroom.
EZ: Do you still teach your masturbation classes/Bodysex Groups?
BD: No, I stopped after I wore out both hip joints masturbating
standing up and getting up and down off of the floor. Now with new
titanium hip joints, I’m running private sessions which is a workshop
for one.
EZ: On the grand spectrum between clitoral orgasm and "extreme orgasm"
such as Annie Sprinkle's "breathegasm," where do most women fall?
BD: My mantra is clitoral stimulation with vaginal penetration. I
believe, once a woman learns to integrate them both, all the other
“gasms” are a cute game girls can play. Annie and I are good friends
and we have agreed to disagree. While I’m all for breathing, I wouldn’t
call a “breathegasm” an “extreme orgasm.” It’s more like one aspect of
the process on your way to the big O.
EZ: Is everyone capable of every variation of orgasm?
BD: Everyone has the capacity to experience some degree of sexual
pleasure. I’ve devoted a large part of my adult life to the pursuit of
sexual pleasure and I don’t think I’ve had every variation of orgasm
that’s been described. But who knows what’s next for me if I keep
practicing sex.
EZ: How about female ejaculation. Is every woman a potential squirter?
BD: Well, I for one am not a squirter and I have no desire to learn. I
continue to be the voice for women who do not “ejaculate” and don’t
feel we are missing anything (including doing all that extra laundry).
Unfortunately some people have left the clitoris behind in their
promotion of the G-spot and female ejaculation which for some women has
become the holy grail. I continue to believe the clitoris is a woman’s
primary sex organ and when it’s combined with G-spot stimulation, many
women will have an even better orgasm. But I’m happy for all the women
who love their G-spots and squirting. It’s all good!
EZ: You've expanded into film...how's that going?
BD: The videos are doing very well. Once I figured out the new
technology of DVD, I absolutely loved the improvement over VHS. It
allowed me to restore some of my first videos and lower the prices.
EZ: What's coming up for Betty Dodson?
BD: More art. My latest DVD, Orgasmic Women: 13 Selfloving Divas is my
favorite work of art so far. It’s available on my website. Educators
and therapists are always focused on sexual dysfunction. This one shows
a range of orgasms with women who are proud, happy masturbators. They
came to show me, “The Mother of Masturbation” how well they can do on
their own. Several had mothers or grandmothers who’d taken a workshop
with me years ago. Knowing I’d influenced that many generations was
indeed an honor.
I’m also madly in love with my website, where I answer people’s
questions. www.bettydodson.com <http://www.bettydodson.com/> . My
webmaster Grant Taylor was the first man to ever add clitoral
stimulation during fucking way back in ‘65. We’ve been close friends
ever since. My young handsome lover Eric has been running my business
for the past seven years, which has given me more time to create art.
Part of his job description is keeping my vagina happy while I hold the
Magic Wand vibrator on my clitoris in doggie position on the edge of
the bed. Needless to say, I’m one happy senior citizen who is filled
with gratitude. My wish is that everyone will make a New Year’s
resolution to include more sexual pleasure in 2006. That will show
those tight ass conservatives in Washington that we mean to take back
our country.
EZ: Amen to that, Betty!
[Written Dec. 2005]
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