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FLICK

A history of female pleasure

Brought to you by Penguin.

We like to think of the modern ‘sex positive’ movement as being a radical break from the past; that we are finally sorting out the repression and denial of women’s sexual pleasure that has restricted us throughout history. But women demanding better sex did not arrive with modern day feminism or the Rampant Rabbit. It has been a very long fight indeed.

It is true that women’s sexual pleasure has been heavily repressed, stigmatised, and even denied at various points throughout history, but it has also been celebrated, venerated, and thoroughly, THOROUGHLY, enjoyed. Women have been fighting for their right to enjoy sex all along and theirs is a story that needs to be told.

From the Aztec sex goddesses to ivory marital aids, Flick takes us through history to meet the matriarchal minxes who (quite literally) came before us.

© Kate Lister 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

About Kate Lister

Dr Kate Lister is an historian, columnist, television presenter and host of the award-winning History Hit podcast Betwixt the Sheets. She has published widely in the field of sex history, and lives in the north of England.
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