Modern Day Goddesses

In the last thirty years, women have come to embrace their sexuality. We would not have come so far if it weren't for pioneering women like the following modern-day goddesses, who have led the way by shaping a new, different and positive view of women and sex.

Annie Sprinkle
Originally a porn star, Annie has gone on to become what she calls a "post porn modernist." She has created films, art, photography, theatre shows as well as written extensively on various aspects of sex, porn and female sexuality. She runs Sluts and Goddesses workshops which encourage women to explore the various sexual sides of themselves. She has also researched paganism and various tantric techniques.
Annie Sprinkle's site.
I've written a review of Annie's show Post Porn Modernist here. There's also links to her books on that page.

Betty Dodson
Known as the "Mother of Masturbation", Betty Dodson has long campaigned against society's taboo on self-pleasure. One of the original 70's feminists, Betty first began her journey by photographing women's genitals to encourage women to feel comfortable with their bodies (or "cunt positive" as she terms it). She also wrote a self-published pamphlet called "Liberating Masturbation" which went on to become the best-selling Sex for One. This book contains many drawings of female genitalia, as well as an in-depth look at masturbation. Betty has a Ph.D. in Sexology and runs a private practice, as well as writing and maintaining her website.
Betty Dodson's site.

Susie Bright
Author, editor, performer and sex educator, Susie Bright first made her name as the editor of lesbian magazine On Our Backs in the Eighties. She has since written film scripts such as Erotique, lectured and performed in theatres and universities across the US, edited numerous erotica anthologies, and written her own books about sex, motherhood, porn, feminism, lesbianism, and myriad other subjects.
Susie Bright's site.

Candida Royalle
Trained as an artist, Candida became a porn star in the seventies, and enjoyed a significant career before moving behind the camera. In 1984 she created the first film designed for a female audience, an X-rated movie called Femme. From there she went on to create a number of films that showed a woman's perspective, including the recent humourous film Stud Hunters. Candida has also created her own line of vibrators, the Natural Contours range.
Candida Royalle's site.

Joani Blank
Joani has been working in the field of sexuality for over thirty years. In the seventies she founded Good Vibrations, the first female-friendly sex shop, which is now co-owned by it's workers. She also founded Down There Press, a publishing company devoted to printing books about female sexuality. Joani also created the butterfly vibrator (sometimes known as the Joani's Butterfly), which is a small flattish vibe that sits over the vulva. Her most recent book is Still Doing It: Men and Women Over Sixty Write About Their Sexuality.
Joani Blank's site.

Nancy Friday
Another alumni of seventies feminism, Nancy Friday caused a huge stir when her book My Secret Garden was published. The revelations about women's sexual fantasies came as quite a shock to many men, who had previously assumed their wives were simply admiring their prower. Nancy has written two other books about female fantasies, as well as tracts on beauty, and mother-daughter relationships.
Nancy Friday's site.

Shere Hite
Shere's thorough research into how women experienced sex is now almost 30 years old, and it is still useful today. The Hite Report, published in 1977, detailed the sex lives of over 3000 women, revealing how important the clitoris was to orgasm, and the male construct of "sex" was overwhelmingly inadequate when it came to the pleasure of women. Her groundbreaking research was a milestone on the way to female sexual liberation.
Shere Hite's site

Tristan Taormino
Lesbian activist and anal sex afficionado, Tristan Taormino has written extensively about sex, and is now producing adult films. A one-time editor of On Our Backs, her most famous book is The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women.
Tristan Taormino's site