- Yorgos Lanthimos’ film follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a scientist’s experiment created from a woman’s body and a child’s mind.
- But I think it is wrong to read Poor Things as a film about grown women.
- It accurately depicts girls’ early sexual feelings and shows us some more positive ways of understanding girlhood sexual desire.
Discovering sexuality
- Early in the film, Bella teaches herself to masturbate and is delighted by her discovery.
- Many of my interviewees had similar memories, often describing themselves as “exploring” their bodies and finding enjoyable sensations in the process.
- Interviewees, including Nicole, were normally aged between five and 10 during these experiences (which are normal and common among children).
- Interviewees regularly described their early forays into masturbation as disconnected from adult sexuality.
Girls are interested in sex
In the recent past, the media depicted boys as much more sexual than girls, who were supposedly interested in romance instead. Even magazines like Dolly – which catered to girls and spoke openly about sex – assumed girls’ sexual impulses would be awakened by their boyfriends’ advances.
- This is clear even in well-meaning advice to girls about not being “pressured” into sex, which presupposes girls would not initiate sex themselves.
- She concluded:
obviously you’re not meant to have fun like that […] obviously you’re not meant to do it yourself.
- obviously you’re not meant to have fun like that […] obviously you’re not meant to do it yourself.
A healthy sexuality
- Several interviewees told me they learned the word “masturbation” from Dolly, which portrayed it as a normal and healthy practice.
- “Oh, that’s what I’ve been doing”, thought Nicole when she found instructions on how to masturbate in the magazine.
- She develops a healthy relationship to her sexuality; she knows sex should be enjoyable for her, not just for men, and that she should not be coerced into it.
Saskia Roberts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.