Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 3: Analysis of the Sexual Impulse; Love and Pain; The Sexual Impulse in WomenEllis, Havelock
Science
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 3: Analysis of the Sexual Impulse; Love and Pain; The Sexual Impulse in Women
Ellis, Havelock
Sex; Sex (Psychology)
The pleasurable sensation connected with the smell of leather
became more marked as she approached adult age. It was especially
pronounced about the age of 24, and the sexual emotion it
produced (with moisture of the vulva) was then clearly conscious.
No other odor produced this effect in such a marked degree. It
was often associated with leather bags, but not with boots,
though on rubbing the leather of shoes she found that this odor
was given out. She cannot account for its origin, and does not
connect any association with it. It never affected her conduct or
led to fetichistic habits.
Some other odors affect her in the same way, though not to the
same degree as leather. This is more especially the case with
some flowers, especially white flowers with heavy odors, like
gardenias. Many flowers, on the other hand, like primroses, seem
rather opposed to sex effect, too fresh, though stimulating to
the mind. Some artificial scents tend to produce sexual effects
also. Personal odors have no influence of this kind. (At a later
period the sexual influence of personal odors was occasionally
experienced, but the present history deals only with the period
before marriage.)
She believes that most beautiful things, however unconnected with
sex, have a tendency to produce distinctively sexual feelings in
a faint degree, although sometimes more marked, with secretion.
She has, however, never experienced homosexual feeling, and, on
first consideration, was inclined to believe that the sight of a
beautiful woman had no sexual effect on her, though she could
quite understand such an effect. Subsequently, on recalling as
well as observing her experiences more carefully, she found that
a lovely woman's face and figure (especially on one occasion the
very graceful figure of a beautiful fairy in a ballet) produced
distinct sexual sensations (with mucous emission). Music,
however, has strongly emotional effects upon her, and she cannot
recall that she ever felt any equally powerful influence of this
kind in the absence of music.
Looking back on the development of her feelings she finds that,
though in some respects they may have been slow, they were
simple, natural, spontaneous, and correspond to "the dawning and
progress which go on in the development of every girl. While it
is going on in actual fact, the girl does not know or bother
herself about trying to understand it. Afterward it seems quite
clear and simple. Full occupation of the brain, and hands too,
while it does not do away with desire, is a great help and
safeguard to a growing girl, when combined with proper
information about herself and her relation to man the animal, so
that she may realize where she is and how to choose the right
man--though under the best conditions failure may occur."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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