Reconceptualizing cultural narratives of mature women's sexuality in the Viagra era

Abstract

To date, women's accounts of sexuality and sexual changes in mid-later life have been neglected by both feminists and gerontologists. In addition, women's responses to male partners' use of sexuopharmaceuticals such as Viagra (as a "solution" for erectile changes affecting older men) have received little attention. This paper reports on a New Zealand-based research which involved in-depth interview with 27 women, in mid-later life, who were partners of men that used Viagra. We analyse the accounts of 15 women who discussed changes/'improvements' in their sexuality over the life course and with their partners' use of Viagra. Central to the accounts we present is an articulation of an active and desirous female sexuality in mid-later life. These narratives, we suggest, not only challenge the culture stereotype of mid-later life sexual decline for women, but also open up new spaces for feminist theorizing of heterosexuality and changing experiences of heterosexuality across the course.

Affirmative old age - the ageing body and feminist theories on difference

“…In sexuopharmaceutical advertising as well as in mass media representations, changes in erectile function are discussed as causing major anxiety for men (and for women, as their female partners) (Fergus et al 2002;Oliffe 2005;Sandberg 2011;Tiefer 2004;Vares et al 2007). The alternative, as proposed by Pfizer among others, is to restore one's erectile function with the aid of sexuopharmaceuticals, which feeds into the successful ageing solution.…”

Images of sexuality and aging in gerontological literature

“…As another example, consider Vares, Potts, Gavey, and Grace’s (2007) investigation of older heterosexual women’s sexuality, which found that “rather than employ a decline narrative, many [participants] describe their sexuality as they age as ‘getting better all the time’” (p. 154). Furthermore, as participants discussed their sexualities, “countering the asexual later life narrative [was]…integral to the telling of their experiences” (Vares et al, p. 156).…”

“…One publication that addressed the role of Viagra in the lives of heterosexual older women stated that “Viagra is presented…as enabling women’s sexual pleasure, with little attention to male sexual pleasure and penetration (one of the norms of heterosex)” (Vares et al, 2007, p. 160). This analysis indicates that although such medical interventions as Viagra are intended to regulate the sexualities of older men, its (positive) consequences may extend to older heterosexual women’s experiences of their sexuality.…”

Queering Aging Futures

“…While a central theme in feminist critiques has long been the invisibility of older women-and negative representations when they do appear-more recently researchers have focused on their sexualization [19,24,25]. For men too, successful aging appears to have become synonymous with the continuing performance of sexuality traditionally more common to youthful representations [26,27].…”