By David Bellm
Amid the context of the sexually conservative 1950's, Alfred
Kinsey stood out as a maverick, a savior, or the devil depending on
who you talked to. He was largely credited with being among the first
to subject human sexual behavior to the same sort of scientific
scrutiny given to other aspects of human interaction.
But in doing so, he exposed a side of human behavior that much of
1950's America felt was best left hidden.
With an education in zoology and entomology, Kinsey might hardly seem
the sort to launch a career probing into people's bedrooms and
backseats to learn about their sexual habits. Nonetheless, in the late
1930's he launched his groundbreaking and controversial studies of
sexuality.
With the support of Indiana University Department of Zoology Chairman
Fernandus Payne and university President Herman B. Wells, Kinsey was
able to assemble an on-campus facility where he could conduct his
research. In time, Kinsey was able to compile some 8000 sex histories
of men and women, including those of him and his wife, Clara, as well
as those of associates.
When his first book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male was
published in 1948, it ignited a frenzy of criticism and publicity.
Widely demonized on the grounds that it was immoral, the book
nonetheless (or perhaps because of) went on to become a bestseller.
But that only served to fan the flames of controversy.
The adverse attention caused some of Kinsey's supporters to shrink
from his side, but Kinsey nonetheless forged ahead with his work. In
1953 he published what proved to be an even more controversial book,
Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.
Like its male-subject predecessor, Sexual Behavior in the Human
Female stunned conservative America with findings that ran
drastically counter to the impression most people held about sexual
practices. Amid a general perception that females weren't as sexually
active as males, Kinsey's findings about the sex lives of American
women proved even more shocking than those of men.
For instance, Kinsey found that at least 90 percent of females
practiced sexual "petting," and that half of the women studied had
engaged in premarital sex. Further mortifying conservative readers,
some 26 percent of women questioned admitted to having had
extramarital affairs.
Heady stuff indeed for postwar America.
The two books were a clear triumph for the study of sexuality. But
like so many other revolutionaries, Kinsey paid a dear price for
jolting commonly held views. Years of brutal criticism and resultant
declining support from backers took its toll on Kinsey's health. In
1956, he died of an embolism at the age of 62.
In his wake, however, America's sexual values and overall view of
human relations was forever altered. The dialog that Kinsey had begun
regarding sex opened the door for others who would continue his
research, a field of study that continues to this day.
But perhaps the best evidence of Kinsey's influence on American sexual
values is provided by another 1950's iconoclast, Playboy
Magazine founder Hugh Hefner.
After reading both of Kinsey's books,
Hefner's growing dissatisfaction with the conservative morals of the
era deepened. He then began charting a course that would result in him
founding Playboy and becoming a key catalyst in the sexual
revolution that would sweep the nation in the '60s.
Go
to Rewind the Fifties Home
